MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE – Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong is proud to announce nine new EMR candidates completed more than 60 hours of training Wednesday and are now on their way to becoming nationally certified EMRs. Once the EMR candidates pass their certification exam, the BCSO will have more than 70 deputies who are certified Emergency Medical Responders and/or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The class was taught at the Sheriff’s Office Training Facility by members of American Medical Response (AMR), Blount County’s contracted first responder provider.

The Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course prepares EMR candidates to provide pre-hospital assessment and care for patients of all ages with a variety of medical conditions and traumatic injuries. Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical systems, roles and responsibilities of the EMR, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and more.

The Sheriff’s EMR program was developed in 2017 in conjunction with the Blount County Mayor’s Office as a way to enhance medical services in Blount County, as deputies are 80 percent more likely to arrive on a scene prior to EMS. EMR-certified deputies can provide some medical services to improve emergency medical care in the county and provide a faster response to begin lifesaving measures on our citizens. EMRs are equipped with additional lifesaving skills and equipment and they have the ability to get information more quickly when it comes to life-and-death emergencies. EMR-certified deputies are spread among all functions of the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies volunteer for the program and must pass a national certification exam to be part of the program. The Sheriff’s EMR program is the only formal program of its kind among law enforcement agencies in Tennessee.

In 2019, Blount County Government received the County Success Story Award from Tennessee County Services Association for the Sheriff’s EMR program.

EMR group photo, from L to R: AMR Instructor Giovanni DeZuani, Deputy Michael Bennett, Deputy Christian Cook, Deputy Brian Ailey, Deputy Ryan Hickman, Deputy Christian Cate, Deputy Isaiah Bourg, Deputy Joel Osterberg, Deputy Caleb Smith, Deputy Jeramey Salas, and AMR Instructor Becky Summers.