Maryville, Tennessee – Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong is proud to announce that two Sheriff’s deputies recently graduated from EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) school and also passed the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.
Deputy Christian Peagler and Deputy Amanda Fritz are now licensed through the State of Tennessee as well as part of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. The deputies join two other EMT-certified deputies, Paige Craig and Katie Coutts, and they are now part of the Sheriff’s Office medical program that includes more than 70 EMR-certified deputies. The six week accelerated program was administered through AMR Ambulance Service and was instructed by Chris McClain, Clinical Manager at AMR, as well as other instructors. During the class, which ended on November 20, students undertook 240 hours of classroom and clinical instruction. The class was held at the Blount County Rescue Squad.
“I am extremely proud of Deputy Peagler and Deputy Fritz for achieving this certification,” Sheriff Berrong said. “I realize how tough it was for them to go through this accelerated course and the hours and hours of classwork, clinicals, and homework they endured. I look forward to seeing the impact they have on our community with the use of their new skills.”
Deputy Christian Peagler joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2015 and served as a corrections deputy until 2016. He was selected to attend the Sheriff’s Regional POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) academy and graduated from Academy Class 013 in June 2016. Deputy Peagler now serves as a patrol deputy. Deputy Amanda Fritz began her career at the Sheriff’s Office in December 2022 and attended the Sheriff’s Regional POST training academy in 2023, graduating from Academy Class 026. Deputy Fritz served as a patrol deputy before transferring to the Traffic Safety Unit in November 2024.
The Sheriff’s Office medical program began in 2017 in partnership with the Blount County Mayor’s Office and AMR Ambulance as a way to enhance medical services in Blount County. The agency’s EMRs and EMTs are equipped with additional lifesaving skills and equipment and they have the ability to obtain information quickly when it comes to life-and-death emergencies. EMR and EMT certified deputies are spread among all patrol shifts and other operations within the Sheriff’s Office. This program is one-of-a-kind among law enforcement agencies in Tennessee.
