Caromi Village Rural Volunteer Fire Department was formed when the by-laws were accepted at a special meeting of the residents of Caromi Village subdivision on December 15, 1961.  The governor of South Carolina, Ernest Hollings, granted a charter and Caromi began providing fire protection on a subscription (yearly dues) basis.  Over the years, Caromi Fire Department has gone through several changes, members and now a fire fee of $75.00 is collected when home owners in the fire district pay their county taxes.

A committee was formed consisting of Hugh Thames, Joel Rentz, Bob Gleason, James Kinsey, Paul and Chuck Burley, and Bud Vance to organize a fire department.  A year later, the fire department had approximately 80 volunteers.  Over the years, membership in the department has fluctuated as members retired or moved from the area and new members joined.

The first fire truck owned by Caromi Village Rural Fire Department was a 1950 Dodge pumper purchased from Goose Creek by Hugh Thames with his own money.  A shotgun was raffled off to get the money to purchase an old fuel oil truck from Paul Motor Company in Charleston; this became the Second fire engine.  The Third truck, donated by Berkeley County, was a tank truck used to water dirt roads in the county.  A gas pump was purchased and installed on this tank truck.

Over the years, Caromi has operated several other pumpers.  These have included a 1966 Ford, a 1976 Ford, and a 1988 Ford – all from FMC.  A 1971 American LaFrance was also purchased as well as a 1997 American Fire Eagle.  In 2005, the department purchased a KME rescue pumper which is the first run unit for structure fires and vehicle accidents.  The 1988 FMC (Engine 11), the 1997 American Fire Eagle (Engine 12) and the 2005 KME (Rescue-1) are still in service while the others were sold or traded to other fire departments.

In 1983, the first set of rescue tools in lower Berkeley County was purchased by Caromi.  A 1983 Chevrolet 1500 chassis was purchased and a box was built to house and carry the tools.  These tools have seen use though out the tri-county area and have been as far as Columbia.  With the arrival of engine 12 (the 1997 American Fire Eagle), the tools were moved to that engine and the truck purchased to carry them (truck 19) was re-designated as a service truck.  In 1997, a Dodge D250 was donated by the South Carolina Forestry Commission and was used as a medical squad unit (squad 18).  In 2001, a second power pack was purchased along with a combi-tool and placed on engine 11.  In 2003, a Ford F250 was purchased (squad 15) new, which replaced the Dodge (Squad 18).  Squad 15 now carries the combi-tool and second power pack.  Squad 15 is used as the medical response unit and a general utility truck.

The Caromi Fire Department also has a duty officer on duty from 6:00 pm ‘till 8:00 am and all day and night during the week end to ensure the Caromi fire district will always protected during the un-paid hours.  The officers who work these hours are all volunteers.

The first engine was operated from a concrete slab located in Caromi Village.  A station was built on College Park Road and the company operated out of that station until 1991 when a new, larger station was built approximately a half-mile from the old station.  The old station had three single-deep bays and, when engine 11 was purchased, was just barely capable of housing that engine.  The new station has four double-deep bays and doors large enough to allow the operation of any future apparatus.

As of today, Caromi Fire Department operates three class A pumpers, a squad truck, and a chiefs vehicle.  Two paid firefighters are at the station and answer calls from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM from Monday to Friday.  There are approximately 30 volunteers who answer calls with the paid firefighters during the day, they also answer calls at night and on the week ends. 

Caromi Fire Department serves the community by providing fire suppression, emergency medical first responder care, light to medium duty rescue, public fire education, fire prevention programs, and a fire safety inspection program.  These services are made possible thru the dedication of the members and thru a commitment to the training and education of its members.