During the 44th annual South Carolina EMS Symposium held recently, the South Carolina EMS Association, in partnership with the South Carolina EMS Network, awarded Anderson County EMS the two highest awards available to EMS in the State of South Carolina. Anderson County EMS is the EMS System of the Year, and Anderson County EMS Director Steve Kelly is the EMS Director of the Year.
Anderson County EMS Director Steve Kelly said, “This accomplishment would not have been possible without our partners Medshore Ambulance Service and AnMed Health, and the continued support of our Anderson County Council and Administrator Rusty Burns. We are very thankful for these awards from the State. It acknowledges that we have built a premier EMS system here in Anderson County.”
Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn added, “When we made the changes to unify the system, I don’t think any of us could have imagined we would see such significant improvement in such a short period of time. I could not be prouder of our first responders and what they do daily to save lives in Anderson County.”
The new system is 100% staffed, and response time goals—defined as 9 minutes, 59 seconds, or less—are now being met 95% of the time on priority one calls compared with 65% under the previous system. These record response times are unprecedented in the history of Anderson County.
The statewide recognition follows the continued focus and investment County Council has been making in EMS countywide over the past several years.
