Tag Archives: EMS

Vol State’s Cookeville paramedic class completed its national registry exam with a 92 percent first attempt pass rate. The rate nationally is 69 percent. Paramedic Instructor Karen Billingsley said this is the type of success she expects from the Cookeville class. Billingsley said she is proud to see the class complete their journey after times when it would have been ... Read More »

Putnam County’s new 911 system has sped up the process for connecting callers to responders. 911 Director Penny Foister said it has been a smooth transition over the last three months, with only a few speed bumps. Foister said the biggest benefit is they can now connect callers to responders who used to be more difficult to reach. “This is ... Read More »

Emergency Services Appreciation Day in White County will give the community the chance to build relationships Friday. The July 30 event is being put on by American Legion Post 99 and the White County Anti-Drug Coalition. Post Commander Ron Lapierre said agencies from the local rescue squad to overdose prevention specialists will be in attendance at White County Middle School. ... Read More »

Overton County, like many Upper Cumberland Counties are struggling to find and retain employees. County Executive Ben Danner said there was a time when the benefits included with a county job were viewed highly. However, with the push to raise wages in the private sector even falling flat in some industries, it is difficult to bring people in for emergency ... Read More »

Van Buren County has approved its final budget and property tax rate for the fiscal year. Mayor Greg Wilson said the comptroller’s office gave a tax rate recommendation of $2.3992, which the county rounded to $2.40. Wilson said this was the rate necessary to maintain current revenues. Wilson said he’s optimistic about revenues. “In the last few weeks, couple of ... Read More »

Cumberland County E-911 is undertaking major changes to improve emergency services across the county. Director Eric Ritzman said that among those changes, is a new website. Ritzman said the site has launched and gives residents a survey to provide needed information before an emergency happens. “If they have someone living there that has dementia or they have oxygen canisters stored ... Read More »

The Cumberland County EMS team wants to save more lives through the creation of the region’s first Tactical EMS team. The team will go with SWAT teams into tactical situations, like school shootings or hostage situations, to provide more immediate care. Paramedic Training Officer and Special Ops Unit Commander Daniel Coleman said the formation of the team could help prevent ... Read More »

Putnam County 911 will look to increase its department by adding two full-time dispatchers. Director Penny Foister said if the employees are included in the county budget this would bring the dispatch staff to 14. Foister said that calls are increasing across the board and funds are finally available to add staff. “We get money from the surcharges that you ... Read More »

Putnam County’s EMS has seen a 7 percent increase in calls over the last year. Putnam County Chief of EMS Tommy Copeland said the reasons for the increase in call volume can be attributed to a number of things, ranging from population increase, to calls for overdoses, to simple convalescent transportation. Copeland said that despite the steady increase in calls, ... Read More »

Fentress County Interim EMS Director Jonathan Beaty’s temporary contract is set to expire Tuesday. Beaty told county commissioners Thursday night that if a new agreement for his salary can not be met, Tuesday will be his last day. “The $65,000 for my salary, I am not pending on that,” Beaty said. “If you don’t think I am worth it, just ... Read More »