Putnam EMS’ Eddy Haynes Named 2022 TASA EMT Of The Year

Putnam County EMS’ Eddy Haynes was named the 2022 Tennessee Ambulance Service Association’s EMT of the year.

Haynes has been serving the department for some 35 years. He said that he got his start because of now-director Tommy Copeland.

“I was friends in high school with Tommy Copeland and Tommy was on the rescue squad, and I wound up joining the rescue squad,” Haynes said. “And Tommy wound up getting into EMS, he’s the director now, so I kind of followed him into the career also.”

Haynes said that while there are good days and bad days, the toughest part is the physical aspect of moving patients. He said that EMTs are sometimes known as “professional people movers.”

“You’ve got to get people out of vehicles, and up embankments, and up and down the stairs of people’s houses,” Haynes said. “So I’d say the physical demands are the toughest, we’ve had a lot of people injured. Fortunately, I’ve never had to have any surgeries or anything like that but you are moving quite a bit of weight.”

Haynes said that despite the tough times, the career is rewarding because he gets to help his community. He said that with solid hours, solid pay, and the reward of helping others, he’d recommend the career to those who are interested.

“Plenty of room,” Haynes said. “Tennessee is experiencing a reduction in staffing in EMS. There are a lot of opportunities to go to EMT school to get your license. There are a lot fo employment opportunities, so if anyone is interested in doing it find an EMT class and enroll in it.”