Charleston County Council discusses plans for new emergency medical operation center

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)–The population is booming in the Lowcountry, especially in Charleston County, and with growing demand, safety measures are always a huge concern, which is why leaders have plans for building a brand-new emergency service headquarters in North Charleston. 

Officials are nearing the final planning phase of the Azalea Project that leaders have worked on for years; it is something they say will be well worth the wait to meet the community’s growing needs.

“It will be a new facility for Charleston County EMS that will house several different facilities. We have five different locations that will be consolidating into a large area,” said Carl Fehr, the division chief of Charleston County EMS.

Those five services include the administrative headquarters, training academy, special operations, vehicle storage, and a logistics warehouse. According to The Charleston County development, over 30 people move to the region daily, and they expect that by 2028, over a million people will have migrated to the tri-county.

Officials said creating the EMS building is one step closer to saving a life and reducing response times since all the emergency services will be under one roof.

“With population growth and more people coming to Charleston moving here or living here as well as working here, the growth of the business and development is going on around Charleston County also, and of course, tourism as well increases the demand for 911 services and us to provide the medical service to the community, so we see with that with increased call volumes,” said Fehr.

As the population continues to rise, leaders say their main concern is improving public safety, and they believe this new building will do just that. 

“We have great partners within the police department telecommunications to make sure that we’re providing that service to the community so that they can get help in their time of need.”

Officials said they hope to break ground by the end of 2026.