Local emergency responders answer the call of help in Cannon County every day. Whether the call is for a fire, to assist EMS, or someone is in need of the Rescue Squad, local volunteers are ready to respond.
Each year volunteer responders in Cannon County take time out of there busy lives to take emergency service training, this training benefit citizens of Cannon County. On November 17th the Rescue Squad, Cannon County Fire Fighters, and Cannon County EMS personnel complete training in Vanessa K. Free (VKF) and Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC).
Tennessee was the first State in the Nation to require that emergency responders take a yearly driver’s training program of this nature. In 2005 the Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed legislation in both the House and Senate to require this training. The law, which took effect January 1, 2006, requires that every emergency service responder in Tennessee take an annual driver’s training program. This law is known as the “Vanessa K. Free Emergency Services Training Act.”
The Cannon County Rescue Squad has four Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads State Certified VKF/EVOC and Vehicle Extrication Instructors. These instructors teach local emergency responders, as well as responders from surrounding counties, in various emergency response training programs. The instructors are Michael Underhill, Chuck Holt, Adam Hayes, and Tim Bell.
Instructor from the Rescue Squad started teaching EVOC back in the late 1990s. These instructors have led the way for this type of training in Cannon County ever since. In 2012, the Rescue Squad taught 70 responders in Vehicle Extrication and VKF/EVOC for a total of 550 hours of instruction.
Local responders also take many hours of training at their local departments. Training benefits the responder by allowing them to sharpen their skills in emergency techniques. Emergency vehicle operations, fire suppression, vehicle extrication, search and rescue, CPR, and many other areas of emergency response are just a few of the things that local volunteers train for each year. Cannon County is fortunate to have Fire Departments and a Rescue Squad that is staff by such a dedicated crew of local volunteers.
For more information on volunteering with your local fire department, contact Cannon County Fire Chief Michael Underhill at MUnderhill@CannonCountyRescue.com or by calling 615-904-5002.
For more information on volunteering with the Rescue Squad, contact Chief Operating Officer Tim Bell at TBell@CannonCountyRescue.com or by calling 615-849-2730.
