City Oks EMS Pact, One Annexation Request, Cybersecurity Contract
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson City Council on Monday approved one rezoning request, tabled another, extending resources for cybersecurity and voted unanimously for a memorandum of understanding between the city’s fire department and Anderson County EMS.
The new agreement will allow the city to launch a new post-overdose response team soon, according to City of Anderson Fire Chief Charlie King. King told council the agreement formalizes a long-standing relationship between the city and county and gives the department a way to move forward quickly, rather than waiting about a year for a separate licensure process to be completed.
The new program will be funded through the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board and will equip the department with a vehicle, paramedic-level equipment and a dedicated provider to respond to overdose calls. The team would work alongside law enforcement and EMS to provide acute care at the scene, then connect patients to recovery support, transportation and other basic needs.
King said the arrangement also strengthens the city’s broader emergency medical response system, noting that about 65 percent of the fire department’s annual call volume involves EMS. Under the agreement, Anderson County EMS would provide medical direction, licensure coverage and insurance, while the city would supply the vehicle, equipment and staff, with both agencies working together under incident command.
The effort is both a public health response and an expansion of service for city residents. King said the department wants to help address opioid overdoses while also improving care for the roughly 3,000 people each year who call 911 for medical help.
Council passed on first reading (after considering tabling) a motion to rezone five lots at and near 1401 South Fant Street to turn the long-dormant Johnson Funeral Home site from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial so the use can resume. Council is currently considering a new zoning designation, Public Institution (PI), which would allow churches, funeral homes and other such public-use buildings, and will revisit the Fant Street properties once that designation is in place.
A three-year contract extension of an IT contract with Sharp Business Systems. which has handled the city’s managed services and cybersecurity for three years, was also unanimously approved.
Recently elected City Councilman Marshall I. Pickens, III, who voters chose last week to fill Seat 2, which was left vacant in December when Councilman Luis Martinez stepped down.
