Public SafetyThursday, November 12
Horry County Fire Rescue Chief Joey Tanner is out, and the county won't say why
The 5AM Socastee team
If you rely on Horry County Fire Rescue, here's what we know. Chief Joseph "Joey" Tanner is no longer with the agency, and spokesman Tony Casey declined to say whether he was terminated. Tuesday, Nov. 10, was his last day.
Tanner has led the department since December 2015 and was named the state's best chief in 2023 by the South Carolina State Association of Fire Chiefs. Before Horry County, he spent 31 years in Georgetown, 18 of them as chief.
Tanner spent 31 years in Georgetown fire service before Horry County
- 31
- years with the Georgetown Fire Department
- 18
- of those years as chief
- Over 2,000
- acres burned in the Carolina Forest wildfire his team contained
Sources: Myrtle Beach News, Post and Courier
The same day, the county council's public safety committee met in executive session, behind closed doors, on what county attorney David Jordan called "employment matters." Casey wouldn't say whether that session was related to Tanner.
- Interim chief: Deputy Chief Mike Norket
- Search for a permanent chief: expected in the coming weeks
- Closed session: over an hour, with no votes taken
Tanner's last day came the same day as a closed-door committee session
- Dec. 2015Tanner begins leading Horry County Fire Rescue.
- 2023State fire chiefs' association names him the state's best chief.
- March 2025Officials praise his team for containing the Carolina Forest wildfire.
- Nov. 10Tanner's last day; the public safety committee meets in closed session.