Charleston County to invest in public safety with new EMS stations and employees

CHARLESTON — County officials are putting financial support behind more emergency medical services for the next fiscal year.

County Council will give a final approval to the county’s $365 million budget in June, which includes $15.4 million to hire 33 new public safety employees. Council already gave unanimous approval to the Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 at their May 22 meeting, which includes millions dedicated to new county buildings and additional EMS stations.

Mack Gile, the county’s chief financial officer, told The Post and Courier the county is setting aside funding to add 38 new employees total, but the focus is on expanding resources for public safety positions. The county wants to hire 12 emergency medical technicians, eight paramedics and four new employees at the Awendaw McClellanville Fire District. The addition of more EMS employees is to help with response times, he said.

County Councilman Teddie Pryor, who serves as the chair of the public safety committee, said it’s important for the county to meet the growing demand in both emergency employees and EMS stations.

“As the county gets bigger, as the county grows, you’re going to need more people on the road to assist,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that (people) get the service that they need.”

The county also approved almost $71 million for capital projects, including two new EMS stations and to replace an old one in West Ashley. 

Phil Sabatino, county facilities management director, said the new stations will help provide quicker service. 

A station in Edisto is estimated to cost $5.64 million, and another station on Johns Island, which the St. John’s Fire District has budgeted $8 million for and the county is providing an additional $8.8 million. The West Ashley and Edisto stations are set to be finished around August, and the Johns Island station is estimated to be completed in spring 2028.

The station in West Ashley is estimated to cost around $5.7 million, which the county provided $1.8 million for. It is a partnership between the county and the St. Andrews Public Service District.

The original fire station on Ashley River Road was located in a flood zone. The new location at the intersection of Ashley River and Old Parsonage roads will include a storm retention pond to collect more floodwater and give relief to the Church Creek drainage basin, one of the most flood-ridden parts of Charleston. County Councilman Brantley Moody, who represents much of West Ashley, previously told The Post and Courier the station will finally give the area a greater EMS presence.

The new station on Johns Island will be located by the Kiawah River community and partnered with the St. John’s Fire District. These partnerships help the county and public service districts save money and provide emergency services to areas where it’s “most critical,” according to Sabatino.

In addition to adding or replacing EMS stations, the county has plans to put multiple administrative EMS services in one building to act as headquarters.

Michael Beveridge, county director of capital projects, said EMS currently operates out of different buildings across the county. He said the goal is to bring several components of emergency services like administrative, logistics and a training academy under one roof at the Azalea Complex: an area off Azalea Drive and Leeds Avenue meant to consolidate county services.

Putting several parts of EMS together in one building will “enhance readiness, coordination and service deliveries,” Beveridge said. It’s currently in the design phase and has funding planned through fiscal year 2028.