Fentress Highway Department Opens Fuel Reserves For Emergency Services

Fentress County has taken extra precautions to ensure there is enough fuel for emergency services.

Highway Superintendent Joey Reagan said he and EMA director James Bilbrey collaborated with TEMA out of concern there would be a shortage related to the Colonial Pipeline Shortage.

“Since we’ve got a fuel reserve and got their pumps,” Reagan said. “We just wanted to make sure the emergency traffic wheels keep rolling.”

Reagan said the highway department has 8,000 gallon tanks of regular and diesel fuel reserved. He said without a hospital in the county, there was concern about transporting patients, with only three hospitals being within 35 miles of the now closed JRMC.

Reagan said there was no indication from TEMA about whether this was being allowed because fuel might actually run out in the county.

“No, they never said any time,” Reagan said. “It’s just that we made the arrangements in case there was.”

Fentress County is currently looking to remedy the problem with medical service access. The county is waiting for federal approval in an attempt to establish a stand alone emergency room through a partnership with the UT-Medical Center.