Moore County EMS earns statewide honor

‘Size of your service has nothing to do with the size of your impact’

2:57 p.m. Feb. 20, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County’s small rural ambulance service, staffed by only 10 full-time employees, has received one of the top honors in Tennessee emergency medical services.

Metro Moore County Ambulance Service has been named the 2026 TASA ALS Service of the Year. The award recognizes their clinical excellence, community involvement, and dedication to patient care that goes far beyond responding to 911 calls.

John Fitzsimmons, retired Lincoln County EMS director and one of the founding members of TASA, noted Moore County “is proof that the size of your service has nothing to do with the size of your impact.”

A Rural Service with a Wide Reach

The service was established on Feb. 2, 1974, and has stayed the main 911 provider even as the county became a metropolitan charter government in 1989. Today, it serves about 6,600 residents across 129 rural square miles, and there is no hospital in the county.

Even though the service is small, it handles a large workload. Besides serving local residents, it also supports over 250,000 visitors each year who come to see the Jack Daniel’s Distillery and visit Lynchburg’s historic Square.

The Advanced Life Support (ALS) service runs one ambulance around the clock, supported by a medic chase vehicle and a standby call-in crew. About 90% of patients are taken to Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital, where EMS leaders say they have a strong partnership with the emergency department staff.

This partnership stood out during a recent critical-care transport. When Harton officials could not arrange air or ground transport for a STEMI patient due to bad weather and limited options, Metro Moore County crews adjusted their staffing to quickly transport the patient to a PCI-capable facility. Harton President Rich Ellis sent a written thank-you for their effort.

“Metro Moore County EMS is a small service with limited resources, but continues to strive to be its best on the patient’s worst day,” Metro Moore County Public Safety Director Jason Deal said.

Building Survival Before the Call Comes In

Fitzsimmons pointed out that what really sets the service apart is the work they do between emergencies.

“They’ve distributed 30 AEDs to schools, parks, and every deputy’s patrol car in the county,” he said. “This year alone, they issued 190 CPR certifications to school staff, volunteers, and first responders.”

The AED program has already saved lives. In March 2022, a 15-year-old Moore County High School student collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest at school. Thanks to trained teachers and a nearby AED, lifesaving actions began immediately.

“That student survived,” Fitzsimmons said. “A direct result of what this team built.”

Because of these efforts, Moore County Schools earned Project ADAM status, a national recognition for being prepared to respond to sudden cardiac arrest in schools. So far, Metro Moore County EMS has provided all CPR training for the school system and local organizations.

Specialized Programs in a Rural Setting

In addition to regular EMS work, the service also runs a K9 search-and-rescue team with Metro Moore County EMA. The bloodhound program helps find vulnerable people, such as those with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or children with autism or other conditions that might cause them to wander.

Teams practice collecting information about missing people and use scent-trailing techniques to find which way they went. This helps emergency managers use resources more effectively during urgent searches.

Commitment to Clinical Excellence

Although the department is small, its staff holds numerous certifications, including PALS, ACLS, AMLS, ITLS, NRP, and BLS. They meet for case reviews and training on the third Wednesday of each month to discuss recent calls, debrief, and improve their procedures.

The service provides its providers with advanced equipment, including LP35 cardiac monitors, LUCAS mechanical CPR devices, and McGrath video laryngoscopes. Starting in January 2026, Critical Care Paramedic protocols will add Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI), ventilator management, and surgical cricothyrotomy, with more improvements planned later in the year.

Moore County Sheriff Tyler Hatfield nominated the team, praising them for both their clinical skills and their positive internal culture.

“Every individual on this team puts their program above average – not just for their community, but for each other,” Fitzsimmons said.

Small Team, Uncommon Results

In a county with no hospital and limited resources, Metro Moore County EMS stays focused on one mission: to be at its best when patients need it most.

Deal noted one of his favorite quotes applies to the crew members: “Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results.”

For Metro Moore County Ambulance Service, that teamwork has now brought statewide recognition and, more importantly, real impact across Moore County.

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