The Town contracts with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for off-duty deputy police coverage every day from 4 p.m. - 8 a.m. In partnership with the CCSO, the off-duty deputies work with the Town's Public Safety Director.
The Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center is the central location for emergency dispatch for the County and Charleston County sheriff’s Deputy, providing police protection for Kiawah Island.
The St. Johns Fire District provides fire protection to Kiawah Island, minimizing the risk to the community through education and prevention and for all risks which are uncontrollable. Suppression will be utilized for mitigation. The St. John’s Fire District has allocated its suppression resources based on geographic locations in an effort to provide an adequate response to areas of each island. Kiawah Island comprises District Four.
The Town contracts with Barrier Island Ocean Rescue (B.I.O.R) for the provision of beach patrol and open water lifeguard services for Kiawah Island. B.I.O.R is certified by South Carolina DHEC as an Advanced Life Support Rapid Response Agency and an Advanced United States Lifesaving Association Accredited Organization. Beach Patrol employees have also been deputized by the Town as after-hours code enforcement officers and are authorized to issue citations for any violation of the Town's ordinance (843-531-6780).
In 2016, the Town established an agreement with Meducare Air, giving each Kiawah Island resident a county-wide limited membership, covering the cost of emergency air medical transport. Meducare Air is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network, the largest air ambulance membership network in the United States. AirMedCare Network participating providers have more than 320 air medical bases across 38 states, providing air ambulance services for residents who suffer a life-threatening illness or injury.
Resident Defined:
Any individual who owns a home on the island, regardless of whether it is their primary residence, would be considered a “resident” and eligible for coverage under the Town’s plan. Coverage also applies to renters, provided that it is their primary residence.
So what does this mean for residents? If an insured Kiawah Island resident is flown by Meducare Air or any AirMedCare Network participating provider for a life-threatening emergency from within Charleston County, the cost of the transport not covered by their insurance provider will be covered under the Town Agreement. If the resident transported is uninsured at the time of transport, Med-Trans Corporation will bill the uninsured person at the “Medicare Allowable Rate” for the transport.
Under the agreement, any individual who is transported for medical necessity by MEDUCARE Air (or any AirMedCare Network provider) will be covered under the terms and conditions of a standard AirMedCare Network membership, if the transport originates from a location in Kiawah Island. Members have no out-of-pocket costs if flown by a AirMedCare provider and membership covers anyone who resides in your home. Currently, the landing sites used on Kiawah Island are Night Heron Park, the Ocean Course, and Freshfields.
As an optional benefit of the Town’s agreement, Kiawah Island residents may take advantage of upgrading to a full AirMedCare Network membership. If you upgrade to a full coverage membership for $45 annually, you will also have coverage in across 39 states (in participating service locations) so coverage may extend while you’re traveling; please review the service areas to know where you are covered in each state.
To receive this coverage, Kiawah Island residents can:
- Call 843-962-3476;
- Fill out the membership application form here and return via mail to AirMedCare Network, P.O. Box 948, West Plains, MO 65775; or
- Fill out the form online here.
The informational flyer on full membership details is available here, and their coverage area map is available here.
For questions about membership in the AirMedCare Network program, please contact AirMedCare’s Local Membership Sales Manager Keith Davis at 843-962-3476 or [email protected].
