May 20, 2014
The City of Loudon is proud to announce Priority Ambulance as the city’s exclusive emergency and nonemergency ambulance service provider. The one-year agreement empowers Priority Ambulance to respond to emergency 9-1-1 calls and to provide nonemergency medical transportation to and from all residences, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and medical facilities within the city limits.
“We selected Priority Ambulance as our exclusive provider because they share our passion to protect the residents of the City of Loudon,” Mayor Judy Keller said. “Priority Ambulance’s expert team is made up of local EMTs and paramedics that are experienced in providing medical transport service to our area.”
Priority Ambulance will serve Loudon with state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz ambulances. One ambulance will be stationed around-the-clock at a building shared by the Loudon Fire Department and Loudon Police Department. Each ambulance is staffed by highly skilled, licensed EMTs and paramedics and provides residents with cutting-edge technology, including LIFEPAK cardiac monitoring devices. Priority Ambulance will work closely with first responders at the Loudon Fire Department.
“For the first time, the City of Loudon will have ambulances and personnel located permanently within our city limits,” Keller said. “In case of an emergency, Loudon citizens can rest assured that a capable team and state-of-the-art ambulance are minutes away.”
Jennifer Stanley, a Loudon County native with more than 16 years of emergency medical services experience in Loudon County, will directly oversee the operations. Stanley is also charged with operations in neighboring Lenoir City.
The City of Loudon will be served by the latest computer automated dispatch (CAD) software, RescueNet CommCad. The system allows dispatchers to manage and track every ambulance and incident on an interactive map. The map-centric display allows dispatchers to visualize the surroundings almost as if they were on the scene, assess the quickest route and notify the closest ambulance. Advanced CAD technology increases dispatch efficiency and lowers emergency response times.
Priority Ambulance will also install automated external defibrillators (AED) – devices used in emergency cardiac situations – in public buildings and spaces to protect the health and safety of the Loudon community. In cardiac emergencies, time is critical, and immediate access to an AED helps save lives. Priority Ambulance and the City of Loudon will work together to ensure that AED placements provide the highest level of coverage to the community.
“Our community is our priority. That’s our company motto at Priority Ambulance, and we mean it,” said Dennis Rowe, Priority Ambulance’s director of East Tennessee operations. “From providing excellent emergency coverage to donating AEDs and participating in local festivals and events, we invest where we serve. Residents know our names, know our faces and know that we care.”
The City of Loudon is Priority Ambulance’s second emergency contract in Loudon County. An exclusive emergency and nonemergency contract was signed with the City of Lenoir City on April 14.
To schedule nonemergency transports in East Tennessee, call Priority Ambulance at 865-688-4999. In an emergency, dial 9-1-1.
The only national ambulance company headquartered in East Tennessee, Priority Ambulance has more than 300 highly trained EMTs, paramedics and telecommunicators serving communities in Tennessee, Alabama and New York. In addition to Lenoir City and the City of Loudon, the company provides emergency and nonemergency medical transport options to Knox and Blount counties in East Tennessee.
Operating as Shoals Ambulance in Alabama, the company is the exclusive E-911 ambulance provider for the city of Florence and Lauderdale County and provides nonemergency transport options for Birmingham and Bessemer in Jefferson County. Priority Ambulance is also the official emergency services provider in Utica, N.Y., operating as Kunkel Ambulance.
For more information, visit https://priorityambulanceaz.com.