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RCEMS Honored by Tennessee Ambulance Service Association

Feb 22, 2025 at 10:27 am by WGNS

(L-R) RCEMS Training Captain Trey Cook, RCEMS Paramedic Aubrey Lukis, RCEMS Shift Captain Austin Meador, RCEMS Field Training Officer/ Critical Care Paramedic Jamie Wesley, RCEMS Field Training Officer / Critical Care Paramedic Zach Scalf, Smith County EMS Director (presenter of the award) Jeff Crockett, RCEMS Director Brian Gaither, RCEMS Supervisor Scotty Blackburn, RCEMS Accounting Supervisor Debbi Wright, RCEMS Assistant Director Steve Hart

Gatlinburg, TN - Rutherford County Emergency Medical Service (RCEMS) earned the  Tennessee Ambulance Service Association (TASA) Bob Thomas Advanced Life Support Service of the Year Award for 2025.

TASA presented the award to RCEMS during their Mid-Winter Leadership Conference awards recognition ceremony Wednesday held in Gatlinburg. 

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RCEMS Director Brian Gaither accepted the award and commended his team, “This recognition from the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association means a lot to us,” Gaither said. “I want to thank TASA for acknowledging the hard work of our entire team.  We have worked hard to build a service that puts both patient care and provider well-being first. From our 24/72 schedule that gives our crews more time to recover, to training programs that help them grow, to standardizing our ambulances for better efficiency we are always looking for ways to improve. And we will keep pushing forward to serve our community even better.”

TriStar Health Regional Director of EMS Relations Bo Phillips recommended RCEMS for the award because of the professionalism, knowledge, and skills displayed by the paramedics and emergency medical technicians.  Phillips stated with over five decades of service, RCEMS consistently evolved to meet the needs of its growing community. 

According to TASA, the award is named after Bob Thomas because of his dedicated years of service to Maury County. He was the first TASA president and also served as Secretary/Treasurer over the years. He is often referred to as the “Father of TASA.” 

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