Horry County Fire Rescue looks to add 2 more harm reduction specialists to its team

Savannah Denton
·2 min read

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County Fire Rescue is looking to add two more harm reduction specialists to its team.

The two current reduction specialists, Kristian Edwards and Ricky Covington, have added more than 200 people to the department’s harm reduction program since they started in November.

Assistant Chief Ben Lawson said Edwards and Covington have been extremely busy, helping a wide range of individuals in Horry County impacted by an overdose.

“We’re finding is that not only the patients that we respond to suffer, but also the family members,” Lawson said. “Not necessarily with substance use disorder, but with the mental anguish and the psychological impact it can have on their lives as well.”

The specialists visit the home of the person who overdosed within 24-48 hours to try and find the root cause of the issue.

“We have a couple of individuals who are actually in recovery inpatient or outpatient rehab. So, we’ve got a lot of good success there and a lot more to come on that,” Lawson said.

HCFR received its first stamp of approval from the county’s Public Safety Committee Tuesday.

The funding for the potential new hires would come from the $6 million opioid settlement fund.

Officials said the department could use 10-15 more in those positions.

“The more we have, the more of a difference we can make. I do think that’s a realistic number,” Lawson said. “Not quickly, but over the next 12 months or so, I would say that this program is going to take off and we’re gonna make a huge difference.”

The resolution from the public safety committee will go to Horry County Council for a vote next week.

Lawson said HCFR should find out about the fund approval in late March and they hope to hire the two new harm reduction specialists by April.

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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here. 

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