HORRY COUNTY

FIRE/RESCUE DEPARTMENT
PROUD * PREPARED * PROFESSIONAL

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

APPROVED BY GARRY B. ALDERMAN, FIRE CHIEF:

DATE: June 12, 2006

SOP 724

PHARMACEUTICAL POSSESSION & DISPOSAL POLICY

PURPOSE OF THIS STANDARD

To establish a policy and procedure governing the handling and record keeping of prehospital
pharmaceuticals.

Any deviation from the following, the employee is to call the Division Chief of Materials
Management.

This SOP does not govern the possession or waste of a controlled

substance and does not supercede SOP 711. Failure to follow SOP 711,
as written, will result in disciplinary action.
Section 1 – Possession

1. At the beginning of each shift, the senior medic from the on-coming crew shall inventory
all pharmaceuticals being accounted for as “on-hand” on the Ambulance Inventory Check
Sheet. Once the senior medic indicates that a pharmaceutical is present he/she shall be
considered as being in possession of that medication until the next on-coming senior medic
accounts for the pharmaceutical on his/her Ambulance Inventory Check Sheet.
Pharmaceuticals maintained on fire apparatus will be the possession of the assigned
driver/operator until the apparatus is turned over to the next on-coming driver/operator.

2. The on-coming senior medic or driver/operator shall also ensure that all “on-hand”
pharmaceuticals are not expired, damaged beyond use, or placed in inappropriate vessels.

Possession and Waste of Pharmaceuticals Policy SOP 724

Revised June 12, 2006
 3. Any pharmaceutical that is not acceptable for use shall be reported to the Division Chief of
Materials Management. Except:

A. After 1700hrs Monday through Friday

B. On a county observed holiday
C. On Saturday or Sunday

4. During the time period of any of the exceptions listed above, the Shift Medical Officer is to
be advised of the unacceptable pharmaceutical so that they may try to replace the
medication if a suitable replacement is available.

Section 2 - Disposal

1. On the second Sunday of every month, during station inventory of medical supplies, all
pharmaceuticals present on both departmental apparatus and in the station supply will be
checked for date of expiration. Any pharmaceutical that is expiring on either the last day of
the current month or first day of the next month is to be reported on a separate piece of
paper and faxed with the supply inventory to the Division Chief of Materials Management.

2. You are not to waste either Morphine or Valium. If either of these Controlled
Substances expire, you are to maintain them in the Controlled Substance Lock Box,
notify the Division Chief of Materials Management, and wait for a replacement of your
current stock before surrendering the Controlled Substance to the Division Chief of
Materials Management or his/her designee. Once a pharmaceutical, other than a
Controlled Substance, has expired it is to be disposed of in a sink or toilet, at the Medic
unit’s assigned station, and appropriately recorded on the Station Pharmaceutical Waste/
Transfer Log. Station Pharmaceutical Waste/Transfer Logs are to be faxed to the Division
Chief of Materials Management on the second (2nd) day of each month if a pharmaceutical
waste/transfer has occurred. All pharmaceutical wastes/transfers will be witnessed by
another member of the station who is to initial the Station Pharmaceutical Waste/Transfer
Log. Once a pharmaceutical is appropriately wasted, it should be placed in a sharps
container if the pharmaceutical container contains a needle. Wasted Pharmaceutical
containers not posing a “sharps” risk may be placed in the station trash.

3. Other than Controlled Substances, expired Pharmaceuticals may be requested by the Horry
County Fire Rescue Training Division. If a pharmaceutical has been requested, it should
be placed in the “out-going paperwork” box at the station. The Pharmaceutical should be
recorded on the Station Pharmaceutical Waste/Transfer Log as having been reassigned to
the Training Division.

4. Any pharmaceutical removed from a station’s stock or departmental apparatus for the
purpose of reassigning that medication to another Horry County Fire Rescue apparatus
must be recorded on the donor station’s Station Pharmaceutical Waste/Transfer Log.

Possession and Waste of Pharmaceuticals Policy SOP 724

Revised June 12, 2006
 Horry County Fire Rescue Station Pharmaceutical Waste/Transfer Log

Station #___________________ Month________________ Year_________________

Person wasting/ Witness

Date Pharmaceutical Wasted/ Dose/ Date of Date of transferring Person To
wasting / Waste/
Transferred Concentration Expiration Waste/ Pharmaceutical Transfer Transfer
Transfer (Print Name) Initials Initials