Other (indicate in message) Submitted: April 19, 2023 | Updated: August 15, 2023

[See Editor’s Note] (April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to “response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 – present day.

Hello Charleston County, SC Government (Records Officer),

I'd like to make a public records request for the following information under South Carolina's Public Records Law / Freedom of Information act. Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in 1 week, if I have not heard back before then.

Here are the details of the request:

SUBJECT:
(April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies'' , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 - present day.

MESSAGE:
This request is related to Charleston County, SC Government EMS emails 07/01/2022 - present day. I’d like to clarify that I am NOT asking to receive any confidential, medical, or other personally identifying information, about patients or victims.

If such a record exists – Please provide ALL emails Sent To and Sent From any and all personnel within the Department of Emergency Medical Services [EMS]. I’m specifically requesting only emails that are related to/and/or discussing the following: “response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies'' , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. During the specific time period of 07/01/2022 through the present day (date the query is performed).

** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am not asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record [emails]. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist) such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc.

I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under public records laws, statutes, etc. **
——————

Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and any explanations upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond.

I don’t believe that I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:

Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816

The request has been sent solely from the email address “ [email protected] ”. If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.

Thank you for your assistance!”

** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.

Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.

04/19/23 Editor’s Note to Sender: We have not submitted a records request to Charleston County, SC before (although we have submitted requests to other entities in SC). We are not as familiar with records laws / fees in South Carolina as we are in North Carolina.

Please review the following information: https://charlestoncounty.streamlinegov.us/

We will submit our request using their FOIA form. However, please note the following —

☀️ Please note that we cannot pay any fees / associated costs related to any of the requests on our site. If it is not possible for a Government Agency to process our request without incurring fees, then it is the responsibility of that Agency to let us know what the potential costs may be — at which point we will ask that they cease processing the request. We will mark the request as “Completed” on our site, and the sender can contact the Government Agency directly, should they wish to further pursue a request.


Additional Note for Users: Sunshine Request does not control if / when Government entities will confirm receipt, begin processing, complete, or deny requests we submit to them via our website. If you would like to make a request that is time sensitive, we recommend that you reach out to the appropriate government entity directly for assistance with a request, rather than submitting through our site.

Sunshine Request is run by a very small team. Due to holidays, unforeseen events / scheduling conflicts, there may be times that we cannot publish or update requests for several days. We will do our best to process all requests as quickly as possible.

We review and send in requests to the appropriate entities as quickly as we are able, and it is up to the Government agency to determine the timeline and speed with which the request can be processed. We generally try to follow up on requests once every 1 – 2 weeks as we’re able, until the government agency has confirmed that the request has been received and is being processed (and there is some timeline for completion), and we will wait to follow up again during the time period they specify.

Please do not send us additional submissions asking that we “follow up on” a request on our site, or to ask for a status update on a request. If at any time you would like to track the status of your request, please “Search” for your request via the “Search box”, or by viewing the list of requests on the View All Requests page. Any updates we receive will be posted on our site as soon as we are able.

Thank you for using Sunshine Request!

Status: Completed

Activity:

  • August 15, 2023 11:56 am

    1 year ago

    from: OneRequest – Charleston County <[email protected]>
    to: [email protected]
    date: Aug 15, 2023, 11:56 AM
    subject: Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209

     

     

     

    Dear Sunshine Request Sunshine Request,

     

    Charleston County Government has received the below records request from you on April 20, 2023 pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

     

    “Hello Charleston County, SC Government (Records Officer), I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under South Carolina’s Public Records Law / Freedom of Information act. Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in 1 week, if I have not heard back before then. Here are the details of the request: SUBJECT: (April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 – present day. MESSAGE: This request is related to Charleston County, SC Government EMS emails 07/01/2022 – present day. I’d like to clarify that I am NOT asking to receive any confidential, medical, or other personally identifying information, about patients or victims. If such a record exists – Please provide ALL emails Sent To and Sent From any and all personnel within the Department of Emergency Medical Services [EMS]. I’m specifically requesting only emails that are related to/and/or discussing the following: “response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. During the specific time period of 07/01/2022 through the present day (date the query is performed). ** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am not asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record [emails]. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist) such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc. I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under public records laws, statutes, etc. ** —————— Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and any explanations upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond. I don’t believe that I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by: Sunshine Request PO Box 17391 Asheville, NC 28816 The request has been sent solely from the email address “ [email protected] ”. If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request. Thank you for your assistance!” ** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.”

     

    Charleston County has reviewed your request and determined that it cannot provide records in response to the request.

     

    These records are exempt from disclosure and will not be produced based on one or more of the following exemptions:

     

    – Regarding your FOIA request for documents and materials related to response and patient care by Charleston County EMS, those materials constitute medical records, are not subject to FOIA, and are further protected by federal HIPAA and state law provisions. You may wish to obtain a HIPAA-compliant release from the patient, HIPAA-compliant subpoena, or other request in compliance with applicable law. Thank You

     

    Your FOIA request has been satisfied. If you have any further questions, please contact us.

     

    If you have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for your attention.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Charleston County Government FOIA Division

    [email protected]

    (843)-202-6100


    Status: Response Received from Government
  • May 3, 2023 3:35 pm

    1 year ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: FOIA <[email protected]>
    date: May 3, 2023, 3:35 PM
    subject: Re: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Thanks for your reply.

     

    I’m unaware of any laws / rules that spell out a specific limit on the number of keywords or search terms for a public records request.

     

    It’s not clear to me whether you’re saying that you would just prefer not to have to search for so many terms, or, if there’s an actual limitation to the # of hours or searches that can be performed by your office.

     

    If the request is “overly broad” or “unclear” and cannot be fulfilled — then it really would be helpful for future reference if you could explain how it should be narrowed to meet the limitations you’re describing, or what the specific issue is.
    (For example: Did you perform an initial search, and found there to be 100s or 1000s of results — and it would take hundreds of hours to review and fulfill the request)?
    ——

     

    In any case — I do not have any further clarifying information that I am able to provide about this request. The records requested are as is, as was submitted in the original request.

     

    For reference, you can see all updates and communications regarding this request, posted at the following URL:
    https://www.sunshinerequest.com/records_request/see-editors-note-april-2023-request-for-charleston-county-sc-government-all-emails-sent-to-and-sent-from-ems-personnel-related-to-response-times-staffing/

     

    I will go ahead and mark this request as “Completed”.

     

    I will encourage anyone wishing to pursue a similar request to reach out to your office directly, and they can provide clarification about the exact records they’d like to receive.

     

    Thank you for your help!

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team


    Status: Completed
  • May 3, 2023 12:09 pm

    1 year ago

    from: FOIA <[email protected]>
    to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    date: May 3, 2023, 12:09 PM
    subject: RE: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    There are too many key words. Each one requires a different search, and it’s too broad. If you explain what information you are looking for I can try and assist in narrowing down the search.


    Status: Clarification Provided
  • May 3, 2023 12:41 pm

    1 year ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: FOIA <[email protected]>
    date: May 3, 2023, 12:41 PM
    subject: Re: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Good Afternoon,

     

    Thank you for providing this information.

     

    I’m not sure, however, what is meant by “This email search is too broad for our system. Can you please be more specific — Do you mean that the request was “too vague” or something is “unclear” about it as written currently?

     

    Any specific information you can provide about how and why the request should be revised or narrowed so that it can be fulfilled, will be helpful.

     

    Once I receive those details, I will note that information on our website for future senders, and I will mark this request as “Completed”.

     

    Anyone wishing to pursue a similar request will be encouraged to reach out to you directly.

     

    Thank you!


    Status: Clarification Requested
  • May 3, 2023 10:58 am

    1 year ago

    from: FOIA <[email protected]>
    to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    date: May 3, 2023, 10:58 AM
    subject: RE: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Good morning,

    Charleston County’s fee schedule is listed in the attachment above according to SC FOIA laws Section 30-4-30 B. It is also posted in the online forum where the FOIA was submitted.

    https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c004.php.

    This email search is too broad for our system. If you would like to continue, please narrow down the search in order for me to generate a quote for the amount of time the search will incur.

     

    **Editor’s Note: Please also see the referenced file, 1 file was attached, (“Terms-and-Conditions.pdf”) at top left in our Documents section.


    Status: Clarification Provided
  • May 2, 2023 2:32 pm

    1 year ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: FOIA <[email protected]>
    date: May 2, 2023, 2:32 PM
    subject: Re: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Good Afternoon,

     

    Thanks for checking re: Public Records Request – #FOIA-2023-00209

     

    I do not have any additional or further clarifying info that I wish to provide.

     

    I am not agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any request. Please let me know the itemized potential costs, and any explanations for those charges — and I’ll consider my response from there.
    Please include a copy of Charleston County Government’s public records request policy, as well as a copy of the policy for charging fees for requests.

     

    Thank you!


    Status: Clarification Requested
  • May 2, 2023 1:46 pm

    1 year ago

    from: FOIA <[email protected]>
    to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    date: May 2, 2023, 1:46 PM
    subject: FW: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Good Afternoon,

    Charleston County Government’s IT vendor charges $70/hour to conduct an email search using a key word. Please clarify if you would like to search all the key words below as the time it takes to search each one will increase the amount of time it takes. Once clarification is received, we can get you a quote for the search and follow up with payment information.


    Status: Response Received from Government
  • April 26, 2023 5:18 pm

    1 year ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: [email protected]
    date: Apr 26, 2023, 5:18 PM
    subject: Follow up. “Fwd: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209 ”

     

    Good Afternoon Charleston County Government FOIA Division,

     

    I submitted the following Public Records Request via your portal on Wed, Apr 19, 7:11 PM.

     

    SUBJECT:
    (April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 – present day.

     

    I received a confirmation from “OneRequest – Charleston County <[email protected]>” immediately after submitting my request. (See that email, forwarded below).

     

    I followed the URLs I was given to create and activate an account to view my Public Records Request – #FOIA-2023-00209 . I’m logged into my account now to “View My Public Record Requests”, and there is no request showing. There’s a message that says “! No Records Found” . Therefore, it’s not possible for me to view or track the status of the request.

     

    Please advise.

     

    Thank you!

     

    ———- Forwarded message ———
    From: OneRequest – Charleston County <[email protected]>
    Date: Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 7:11 PM
    Subject: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209
    To: <[email protected]>

     

     

    Dear Sunshine Request Sunshine Request,

     

    Charleston County Government has received the below records request from you on April 20, 2023 for records pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

     

    “Hello Charleston County, SC Government (Records Officer), I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under South Carolina’s Public Records Law / Freedom of Information act. Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in 1 week, if I have not heard back before then. Here are the details of the request: SUBJECT: (April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 – present day. MESSAGE: This request is related to Charleston County, SC Government EMS emails 07/01/2022 – present day. I’d like to clarify that I am NOT asking to receive any confidential, medical, or other personally identifying information, about patients or victims. If such a record exists – Please provide ALL emails Sent To and Sent From any and all personnel within the Department of Emergency Medical Services [EMS]. I’m specifically requesting only emails that are related to/and/or discussing the following: “response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. During the specific time period of 07/01/2022 through the present day (date the query is performed). ** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am not asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record [emails]. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist) such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc. I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under public records laws, statutes, etc. ** —————— Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and any explanations upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond. I don’t believe that I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by: Sunshine Request PO Box 17391 Asheville, NC 28816 The request has been sent solely from the email address “ [email protected] ”. If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request. Thank you for your assistance!” ** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.”

     

    Documents in response to your FOIA request, if they exist, are subject to disclosure under the FOIA. We will provide a determination response by May 4, 2023. (10 business days from date received).

     

    Please log in to the Public Records Center at the following link to view the details of the Public Records Request – #FOIA-2023-00209

     

    If you have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for your attention.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Charleston County Government FOIA Division
    [email protected]
    (843)-202-6100

    Status: Clarification Requested
  • April 19, 2023 7:11 pm

    1 year ago

    from: OneRequest – Charleston County <[email protected]>
    to: [email protected]
    date: Apr 19, 2023, 7:11 PM
    subject: Acknowledgment of Public Records Request of April 20, 2023, Reference #FOIA-2023-00209

     

    Dear Sunshine Request Sunshine Request,

     

    Charleston County Government has received the below records request from you on April 20, 2023 for records pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

     

    “Hello Charleston County, SC Government (Records Officer), I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under South Carolina’s Public Records Law / Freedom of Information act. Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in 1 week, if I have not heard back before then. Here are the details of the request: SUBJECT: (April 2023) Request for Charleston County, SC Government: All emails Sent to and Sent from EMS personnel. Related to response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. 07/01/2022 – present day. MESSAGE: This request is related to Charleston County, SC Government EMS emails 07/01/2022 – present day. I’d like to clarify that I am NOT asking to receive any confidential, medical, or other personally identifying information, about patients or victims. If such a record exists – Please provide ALL emails Sent To and Sent From any and all personnel within the Department of Emergency Medical Services [EMS]. I’m specifically requesting only emails that are related to/and/or discussing the following: “response times” , “staffing” , “vacancies” , “pay increases” , “salary increases” , “recruitment” , “retention” , “unit hour utilization ratios” , and “zero units available status”. During the specific time period of 07/01/2022 through the present day (date the query is performed). ** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am not asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record [emails]. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist) such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc. I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under public records laws, statutes, etc. ** —————— Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and any explanations upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond. I don’t believe that I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by: Sunshine Request PO Box 17391 Asheville, NC 28816 The request has been sent solely from the email address “ [email protected] ”. If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request. Thank you for your assistance!” ** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.”

     

    Documents in response to your FOIA request, if they exist, are subject to disclosure under the FOIA. We will provide a determination response by May 4, 2023. (10 business days from date received).

     

    Please log in to the Public Records Center at the following link to view the details of the Public Records Request – #FOIA-2023-00209

     

    If you have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for your attention.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Charleston County Government FOIA Division
    [email protected]
    (843)-202-6100


    Status: Government Processing Request
  • April 19, 2023 6:58 pm

    1 year ago

    **Editor’s Note 04/19/23: The submission above (as written) was sent in via Charleston County, SC’s FOIA request form on their website, at 7:10pm EST.

     

    FOIA-2023-00209

     

    Please see screenshots with additional info about the submission, at top left in our “Documents” section.

     

    We will post any updates we receive on our site.

     

    Thanks for using Sunshine Request!


    Status: Sent to Government
  • April 19, 2023 6:57 pm

    1 year ago

    Submitted to Sunshine Request
    Status: Pending