Meet Our Crew: Firefighter Brian Uhl

Michigan native Brian Uhl ended up in the Lowcountry the way a lot of people do: he needed a change of scenery after a divorce.

A native of Jackson, Michigan, Uhl, 46, is now a firefighter with Midway Fire Rescue.

The son of a firefighter, Uhl graduated from Jackson High School and then earned a degree in business management from Western Michigan University.

Uhl owned a construction company in Michigan, but after his divorce he moved to Myrtle Beach, where he started volunteering with Horry County Fire/EMS.

In 1997 he was hired as a firefighter for the City of Myrtle Beach and got his formal training there, which he said was intense.

“They put you through an awful lot," he said. "... By the time you get out of recruit school there, you actually have your firefighter II.”

The first fire Uhl fought was “huge,” he said, and required a third alarm.

“You kind of remember that one,” Uhl added.

He also has a memento of the event courtesy of an ex-girlfriend who videotaped the fire scene and gave him a copy.

Uhl was hired by Midway in 2000 and stayed until returning to Myrtle Beach in 2003.

In 2013 he returned to Midway.

Uhl said his career goal is simply to retire, although he wouldn’t rule out the chance to be a lieutenant.

The inexperienced officers will often ask him for advice, he said, because he’s been on the job for so many years.

“I’m in a position to give good advice, because of my years of experience,” he said.

Uhl has been with his fiancée, Joe’l, for 11 years, and lives in North Myrtle Beach. He also has a son, Leighton.

Along with firefighting, Uhl also owns a home inspection company.

In his spare time, Uhl enjoys boating golfing and hunting. Every year he returns to Michigan to spend a couple of weeks hunting with his family.