Overton Adds Ambulance Driver To County Staff

The Overton County Commission approved the addition of a new ambulance driver position to the county staff Monday night.

Commissioner and Ambulance Service Director Shane Walker said the driver would only be permitted to assist other medical staff and drive the ambulance. Walker said the plan was approved by the state as a solution to the staffing issue affecting EMS departments across Tennessee.

“And that’s all it is,” Walker said said. “It’s no patient treatment, anything like that. It’s just helping the EMT, paramedic, whoever they may be partnered up with at that time getting the patient on the cot, into the ambulance, and just driving them to the hospital. Like I said, there’s no, no hands-on treatment at all.”

Walker said the driver will have one year from when they are hired to become licensed as an EMR or EMT, otherwise they will forfeit their position. He said many ambulance services are hosting EMT classes themselves.

“We’re trying to get one started up here in Livingston,” Walker said. “Looking at hoping to start that in May just for a basic EMT class at the Vol State Campus.”

Walker said the new position will not impact the county’s ambulance service budget.

“It’s coming out of the same line item as the other salaries,” Shane said. “There’s no additional money made to come from anywhere else.”

In other business, County Executive Steven Barlow said the county’s solid waste department updated its ten-year plan to put more effort into the separation between trash and recycling.