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Barry Hart, chairman of the fire commission, presents (from left) Bob
Pelham's son, Norman, his widow, Belle, and his daughter, Susan Pelham Polk,
with a flag that flew over the new station several days ago.
Several Johns Island residents and members of the firefighting community
turned out Monday to celebrate the arrival of the St. John's Fire District's
seventh fire station and the memory of a man who gave the department almost
three decades.
St. John's Fire Station No. 7 is located directly across from St. James
United Methodist Church on Main Road. It was dedicated in honor of Robert
Pelham, a former fire commissioner who worked to establish the district in
the 1950s. He passed away on Dec. 12, 2006.
"We're grateful that this has been completed after a six-year project," said
St. John's fire chief Karl Ristow during his speech. "This station plays an
important role on this northwest end of the island."
The fire station may also help residents save money. Many who live around
that area of Johns Island are farther than five miles from the nearest fire
station. Those who live outside that radius are often rated Class 10 by the
Insurance Services Office, and those residents pay the highest fire
insurance premium rates.
"They are basically experiencing double [fire] insurance rates," Ristow
said. He said there were $2,000 to $4,000 increases versus what people
within the five-mile radius pay. "That should drop down significantly now."
The station took so long to build because the district had to change locales
for the new station. The original site was on Chisholm Road, across from
Gift Plantation. However, because the tract was considered wetlands, it
would have cost nearly $1.5 million to prepare the land for building
purposes. The district bought site on Main Road for $200,000.
Belle Pelham, who was married to the former commissioner for 42 years before
his death, said it felt wonderful to see so many people that cared about her
husband at the dedication.
"He just loved the district. I told him one time that I thought he loved the
fire department more than me. And he didn't say anything, he just grinned,"
she said, laughing at the memory. She accepted a flag that flew over the new
fire house along with Pelham's son, Norman, and her daughter, Susan Pelham
Polk.
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