MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Mayor Shane McFarland recognized Rutherford County Paramedic Tara Melton and EMT Maclin Eckhardt with ‘Special’ STARS Awards, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Melton and Eckhardt were honored before the regular City Council meeting for their compassionate response to a patient emergency on April 5, 2022. 

“Every day, first responders in our community devote themselves to medical emergencies of all kinds, from administering CPR and airway support to controlling bleeding and lifesaving technologies and applications, said Mayor Shane McFarland.  “Many of us take these trained professionals for granted until we experience an emergency ourselves or benefit from their compassion and caring response. As Mayor, I am grateful for the service provided by men and women like Tara and Maclin and wanted to highlight their caring service with a special STARS recognition.”        

The following description was provided to Mayor McFarland by Chris Clark:

“On April 5th, 2022, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Rutherford County EMS received a call for a possible fall at a residence. When Paramedic Tara Melton and EMT Maclin Eckhardt arrived on the scene, they found a patient on the floor in her home. The patient stated that she accidently scooted out of her chair and fell to the floor. The patient could not get up on her own. It took the patient a couple of hours before she could summons help. Luckily, the medics evaluated the patient and determined that the patient was not injured, and the patient did not want to be transported to the hospital. Even though the patient did not require lifesaving actions, the medics provided a lift off the ground, provided a true caring attitude, empathy, and provided a true professional approach to the patient’s emergency. We appreciate the quick response, professional medical attention, and the caring attitude by these medics. We are grateful for all our first responders in Rutherford County, especially these responders.”

STARS stands for “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.”

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The STARS Service Excellence program is intended to recognize outstanding City employees who embody the city’s standards for service excellence and exemplify the city’s core service values. The purpose of the STARS award is to recognize and reward those employees who go above and beyond their normal job duties in providing outstanding customer service to internal and external customers.

This is the first time a non-City employee has been recognized with the STARS award. 

Congratulations to Rutherford County EMT Maclin Eckhardt and Paramedic Tara Melton for receiving Special STARS Awards from Mayor Shane McFarland.