COASTAL OBSERVER
January 9, 2025
To the editor:
My thanks to Clint Elliott, our Murrells Inlet County Council member, for his successful efforts to fully fund $212,451 in accommodations tax grants to the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District for marine/beach safety and bike week emergency medical response.
The need for these programs is driven by tourism, so it’s very appropriate that they be funded by accommodations taxes that are paid by tourists. The Murrells Inlet Marine Safety Initiative will fund lifeguard/EMTs and paramedics who patrol Garden City Beach during our peak tourism season with medically equipped specialized beach response units that also tow a rescue Jet Ski. Rescue boat patrol is funded as well, rescuing tourists and intercepting charters with equipped paramedics.
The initiative will also fund the certification and recertification of more lifeguards for patrol and
tourist safety. Georgetown County had no staffed lifeguards on their beaches until the implementation of the Murrells Inlet Safety Initiative.
The initiative operates under the unwavering belief that our tourists should never lose a family
member while visiting our beaches. There were many drownings in Georgetown and Horry counties last year.
None of those occurred in the Murrells Inlet/Garden City area. This was due to the success of
this accommodations tax funded safety initiative.
For the spring and fall motorcycle rallies, the grant will fund a dedicated ambulance with para-
medics and EMTs for the event. It will also fund the operation of a special events triage trailer for basic first aid. These paramedics and EMTs will be dedicated to providing emergency medical treatments to anyone who is attending these very large-scale events.
After the county accommodations tax committee recommended cutting grant funding to the fire district, Councilor Elliott took the lead in getting County Council to fully fund the grants.
Again, my thanks to Councilor Elliott for his support of the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District and its first responders.
Brad Bemis
Murrells Inlet
The writer is a captain/medic with Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire.