Anderson approves MOU with county EMS to field post‑overdose response team

The Anderson City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with Anderson County Emergency Medical Services to launch a city‑based post‑overdose response team funded by the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund.

Fire Chief Charlie King told the council the program will purchase and outfit a response vehicle and place a paramedic‑level provider on each shift to deliver acute care and connect overdose survivors to treatment and social supports. Chief King said the approach combines immediate medical response with follow‑up assistance — transportation, basic needs and referrals supported through grant funds — and that the team will also serve as a paramedic resource for the EMS system when not conducting outreach work.

Chief King described the program as a near‑term way to expand capacity while licensing and city credentialing are completed: "We don't want to wait a year," he said, explaining that county licensure and insurance coverage will support paramedic operations while the city completes its process. King said about 400 opioid and drug overdose incidents occur in the county annually, with a little more than 200 inside the city.

Council approved the MOU by voice vote. The agreement allows the fire department to operate the funded resource in the near term and to integrate the team into the broader Anderson County EMS response system while pursuing full city licensure and staffing.