Slight of build and 5'9," Danielle Tison can sprint 40 yards with a three-inch fire hose wearing 40 pounds of gear. She can mount an interior attack on a structure fire. She can even read the smoke from outside a burning building and tell you where the fire is headed.
And she is the first female in Hampton County Fire Department history certified to do all that and more.
On Dec. 1 Tison, a 42-year-old mother of three, became the first female firefighter in the county achieve the advanced Firefighter II certification. Tison is one of five females among the 160 active volunteer firefighters in Hampton County.
"It's not something just for men, women can do it, too, if they want to," Tison said. "I really enjoy working with the firefighters, and hopefully I will make a difference."
Firefighter II, a high-level certification from the South Carolina Fire Academy accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), requires a cumulative minimum of 248 hours of hands-on training and classroom instruction.
"Danielle has done a great job for us and I was very lucky to get her," H.C. Fire Chief Gene Rushing said. "She learned a lot in a short period of time. She just likes it, and it's been good for her. We've had female firefighters over the years and I look at it as a positive thing. Some of them can do things the men can't do."
"Females are a big part of the fire service and I hope this will encourage other female volunteers," he added.
Tison was hired as Rushing's administrative assistant in November 2008, where her primary duties were to complete fire reports and help volunteers sign up for training courses. But she took her career a step further in September of the following year when she followed her husband, Keith, and volunteered for the Varnville Fire Department.
"When I started working here I was signing people up for classes, but I didn't really know what they did, so I started taking classes myself," Tison said. "I wanted to understand what the firefighters went through. I wanted to go through it myself."
Along with her husband, Tison began training in October, 2009 and also completed the Auto Extrication class, Fundamentals of Firefighting 1152 (90 hours, three months to complete), HazMat Ops, Flammable Liquids and Gases, and Firefighter I (65 hours, one month). And she has also completed a 40-hour First Responder class.
"Every class we've taken, we've taken together," Tison pointed out. "He's been right there beside me, cheering me on. I thank my husband for being with me every step of the way. He was my rock, and he had lots of encouraging things to say. I think it has definitely brought us closer together."
Each course requires a volunteer to pass both a written test and a practical skills test. Some courses are very physical and require entering "burn buildings." During one class Tison injured her ankle, sat out temporarily while it healed, and then later completed her training.
The Firefighter I course certifies a fireman to attack structure fires from the interior, while the Firefighter II level takes it a step further and teaches, among other skills, how to look for signs of arson, and secure the scene if you suspect arson.
"I want to thank all the fellas in the class with me, encouraging me, telling me I could do it. I want to thank Mr. Gene for giving me the opportunity to help the citizens of Hampton County. I want to thank Chief Dobie Hiers for letting me join the Varnville Fire Department. And I want to thank my children for putting up with a missing mom."
Keith and Danielle live in Carolina Oaks, outside Varnville, and have three children: Ashlee (22), Brittany (20), Chandler (11); and two grandchildren: Madison (3), and Payson (1).
"I don't know how I became a firefighter and a grandmother at the same time," Tison jokes. "In my wildest dreams, I never would have thought I was capable of doing this at 42 years old."