* Not officially announced by the USFA due to the federal government shutdown, but likely based on similar past on-duty deaths.
By Bill Carey
1 October 2025
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — Berkeley County officials report that Jimmy Townsend, deputy chief of the Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department, died in the line of duty on Sept. 28.
The cause of death has not yet been released, according to Central Berkeley Fire & EMS Assistant Chief Colt Roy.
Townsend devoted over 30 years to the fire service, starting with the Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department in November 1990, according to WCSC.
The number of on-duty deaths for 2025 is currently 67.
Go here to read the number of interior line of duty deaths for 2025.
Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.
For more information about on-duty deaths as recorded by the United States Fire Administration go to “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.”
Photo courtesy of Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 