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Tag: TN

Andy Hardy

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Commitment to patient care and service are just a couple of reasons why William “Andy” Hardy has received local, state, and national awards.

As a paramedic since 2014 with AMR, Andy strives to provide the highest standard of patient care and goes above and beyond to ensure his patients receive the medical attention they need while treating them with the utmost respect. He also draws upon his experience to bring valuable ideas to the attention of AMR leaders, providing insight on how to improve operational excellence and patient experiences. He also acts as a mentor for his fellow team members while constantly striving to add to his own skills and capabilities, as well. Andy is a role model for every employee and leads by example.

As a lifelong resident of McMinn County, Andy has dedicated his life to local emergency services. From starting as a volunteer firefighter to obtaining his EMT and Paramedic licenses, he has spent thousands of hours of personal time bettering his community, including volunteering with the McMinn County Rescue Squad and Helen Ross McNabb Foster Center.

Jason Nugent

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Jason Nugent has been a paramedic at Puckett EMS for almost 12 years and a supervisor for ten of those years. He worked as a Chattanooga medic before becoming ideally suited for the field supervisor position.

Jason was born and raised in Marion County, Tennessee. He has served as part of Kimball Fire & Rescue. He is active in his community and is a frequent attendee at Marion County Commission meetings. Marion County Mayor David Jackson has said he views Jason as the liaison between Marion County Commissioners and Puckett EMS.

Jason is well-known and well-liked in his community and within our Puckett EMS community. Any time there is a catastrophic event, Jason is on scene to assist—even when it means coming in on his day off from work.

Jason is fortunate that his wife is a long-term dispatcher for Marion County, so she is understanding of the business and Jason’s connection to the community.  

Teighlor Clark

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Teighlor has served Cocke County, TN, since August 2023. She is from a tiny town in Southern Ohio. Watching the care her grandparents received following a stroke and lung cancer planted the seed and grew Teighlor’s love for EMS. She began her career in Huntington, West Virginia, in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The area was rampant with addiction and poverty, and Teighlor set a goal to treat each patient just as her grandparents had been treated. 

Teighlor believes it does not take much to make a difference in someone’s life. Since working in Cocke County, she has “adopted” one of our repetitive dialysis patients. Teighlor spends her free time brightening the individual’s day, helping with tasks ranging from grocery shopping to painting fingernails—small gestures that illustrate Teighlor’s big heart.

Wendy Unmacht

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Wendy Unmacht is being honored as a Star of Life for a career that has featured more clinical saves than her supervisors can count. Throughout her tenure, she has consistently worked to ensure that her patients are all well taken care of. That same level of compassion extends to her colleagues as well. In fact, it is her selfless approach that has made her so successful in her EMS career. She is affectionately known as “Mom” and lives up to that name with her heart, her understanding, her helpfulness, and her caring. She can also be authoritarian when the situation calls for it. As a leader herself, she molds other leaders, sharing her experiences, good and bad, with junior crew members. But mostly she leads by example. She’s on the truck in the community or on the phone putting out fires in the office, generally working 12-36 hours straight. She is tireless, fearless, and an inspiration to all around her.

Wendy has been with AMR for 19 years. In that time, she has done BLS, IFT Transports, 911 ALS, Critical Care, Fire Strike Teams, ER Technician, and the list goes on. She constantly strives to continue to better herself through continuing education, as well as sharing that education with her junior staff members.

Eric Bradshaw

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Eric Bradshaw saved a patient who had suffered multiple wounds on April 19, 2021. Eric and his engine company responded to a motor vehicle accident in which a patient suffered multiple serious injuries that threatened her survival. The patient was also at risk of having her leg amputated near her hip. By providing fast, life-saving interventions, Eric managed to stabilize the patient and control her bleeding, ultimately transporting her to a trauma center, where she was able to receive further treatment. The patient has since recovered and is able to lead a normal life, including full use of the leg that was initially considered for amputation. This is just one example of Eric’s heroism. He knows the value of working with a team and the importance of staying focused, especially when a life is at stake.

 

Frank Berlanga

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Frank Berlanga has contagious enthusiasm and a caring spirit. He is being honored for his leadership in founding an Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program at his operation in Tennessee.

Frank is described as a “team-builder” who promotes an environment that is friendly and dedicated to excellence in service. His peers respect him for taking the initiative on issues ranging from long-to-short-term needs. He is a go-getter who cares deeply for his fellow EMS colleagues as well as for his community. If he sees a problem, he finds a way to organize an effort to address it. For example, Frank raised funds for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at a local swimming pool. Frank is also an ardent believer in skill development and finds ways to help his coworkers in their professional growth. Frank’s EMS knowledge and expertise are described as “top-notch.” He is always willing and happy to help where he can, especially when it comes to teaching.

 

Anastasia Huddleston

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Paramedic

Rural Metro Fire | Knoxville, Tennessee

“Exceeds all expectations,” “nurturing,” “loves to teach,” and “nothing is too overwhelming”—that’s how Anastasia’s co-workers describe her.

In December 2014, she served as medical commander at one of Knox County’s biggest mass casualty incidents. Two full school buses collided, killing three. Several of the patients were kindergarten age. Her leadership helped to ensure that every patient was sent to a hospital which could provide the level of care needed. She also made sure the uninjured were taken to a secure, comforting location.

Called “our most accomplished paramedic field training officer,” every trainee she works with asks again and again for more shifts under her guidance. When Education Days approach, she is among the first to sign up to brief her colleagues, novice and veteran alike, about new equipment and tricks of the trade.

At scenes with more than one patient, she often takes the worst injured, in part to spare her subordinates the stress that can come with working major trauma. Anastasia provides excellent care for her patients and exceptional support for her teammates.

Bob Moye

Written by Aaron Director on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Bob Moye’s affiliation with Rural Metro Fire began as a fire explorer for Post 453 in 1978 in West Knoxville.

Bob became a reserve firefighter in 1982 after starting as a part-time dispatcher the previous year, and his service continues to the present day. Bob was one of the founding members of Rural Metro’s Station 15 in the Cedar Bluff community where he lives with his family.

In his full-time profession, Bob is a Doctor of Pharmacy for the University of Tennessee Medical Center, working as both clinician and faculty member.

He frequently combines both worlds, conducting classes and in-service training for EMTs and paramedics working for Rural Metro Fire and Rura lMetro EMS in Knoxville.