COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. — Cocke County officials announced they approved a new 911 ambulance contract with a Knox County-based provider in an effort to reduce ambulance wait times in the area.
The Cocke County Commission voted Monday to award Priority Ambulance with a three-year contract beginning July 1, 2022, with a possibility of an additional 5-year renewal.
First Call, which has been the county's provider for the past decade, was bought by Priority Ambulance in Oct. 2021. Priority Ambulance said First Call EMTs and paramedics currently working in the system will continue to serve the community under the new brand, and Lindsay Ellison will continue as the county's EMS director.
“We are grateful to Cocke County for the trust that it has placed in us as its new ambulance service provider,” said Priority Ambulance Vice President of East Tennessee Operations Rob Webb. “With the new contract, Priority Ambulance will add emergency resources to the community and establish a sustainable foundation for high-quality ambulance services in Cocke County.”
In February, Cocke County leaders said they were working to update and create new ambulance contract terms after learning patients had been left waiting, sometimes several hours, for ambulances during 911 emergencies.
“We’re not going to concentrate on the number of ambulances they have, but on the response times themselves because that is a service we’re looking for — how long does it take you to get from point A to point B and start on this patient and get them to the hospital," said Forest Clevenger, a county commissioner, in February.
First Call said it was contracted in 2012 to provide two 24-hour ambulances for calls, but operates three 24-hour ambulances instead and often staffs the fourth ambulance some days of the week. It said was looking forward to the county updating the contract terms.
Under the new contract, Priority Ambulance said it will staff four ambulances during peak daytime and weekday hours when the demand for services is the highest, which is an increase from the current levels. It also will include paramedic supervisors in quick response vehicles to help first responders in the county, and the company will bring in new ambulances throughout the contract term.