07/28/2026
Smith County Rescue Squad Sixty Years of Service: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Since 1966 (It's Our Birthday)
Sixty years ago, the Smith County Rescue Squad was founded on a simple but powerful desire—to help families and people in need. Over the decades, faces have changed, equipment has evolved, and generations of volunteers have answered the call, but the mission has remained the same: serving others in their time of need.
The story began in the fall of 1966 following a drowning in the Cumberland River near Carthage. At the time, no one in Smith County possessed the equipment necessary to search for a drowning victim. Funeral homes from Lebanon and Donelson brought boats and grappling hooks to assist with the recovery.
As they stood along the banks of the Cumberland River on that autumn morning, a group of local men recognized that Smith County needed its own rescue organization. These men were members of the Smith County C.B. Radio Club, which had been organized in 1964 and met at the former Upper Cumberland meeting room on North Main Street in Carthage. Witnessing the need firsthand, they resolved to ensure their community would never again be without local rescue resources.
Twelve men stepped forward to form what would become the Smith County Rescue Squad. Those founding members were Harold Petty, Hollis Petty, Ed Stallings, Jacky Carver, Ben Herman Thomas, James Preston, Farmer Carter, Haskell Enoch, Draper Jenkins, Grant Castleberry, Fred “Catsox” Hesson, and William Gregory.
Today, Jacky Carver Sr. remains the only surviving member of this distinguished group whose vision and dedication laid the foundation for six decades of service. When asked about the rescue squad he helped establish in the 1960s compared to the organization that exists today, his response was simple: “There is no comparison to where it started and what it has evolved into.”
The early days were marked by determination, ingenuity, and hard work. Equipment was scarce, and nearly everything the squad acquired came through donations or the tireless efforts of its members. In 1967, Dixie Coach Company of Lebanon donated a 1958 Oldsmobile ambulance, which became the squad's first rescue vehicle. Members converted the vehicle for rescue operations, while the Petty brothers constructed four sets of grappling hooks by hand.
Support from the community quickly followed. In 1968, after the Smith County School System received new buses, Superintendent B. Clark Meadows, with the approval of the School Board, donated a 1959 Ford school bus to the squad.
In 1972, Sunbeam Bread Company salesman L.B. Franklin helped secure a retired Sunbeam Bread truck for the organization. The vehicle required extensive work before it could be placed into service. Smith County Motor Company generously allowed mechanics Fred Smith and Duard Carver to install a rebuilt engine that had been donated by a Nashville company managed by the son of Carthage native Johnny Hiett. Robert Wyatt volunteered countless hours repainting the truck, while squad members handled the sanding and body preparation themselves.
A significant milestone came in 1973 when the squad received a Federal Highway Safety Grant, allowing it to obtain its first set of the "Jaws of Life." With Interstate 40 running through Smith County, the need for vehicle extrication equipment had become increasingly important. This acquisition greatly expanded the squad's ability to respond to serious traffic accidents and save lives.
Around the same time, the squad became chartered through the State of Tennessee, making it eligible to receive surplus state equipment. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and into the early 1990s, surplus equipment became one of the organization's primary sources for obtaining much-needed resources. While many of those items arrived well-worn and heavily used, they provided capabilities that otherwise would not have been available. As many members would later recall, “It may not have been new, but it was far better than having nothing at all.”
As the county grew, the rescue squad grew with it. During the mid-1970s, the organization purchased its first brand-new vehicle, a rescue van. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the squad acquired its first new extrication truck, a red Dodge designated as Unit 680. That number has remained a proud tradition, being passed on to every primary extrication truck that has served the organization since.
Over the years, the demands placed upon the rescue squad continued to evolve. Population growth, increased traffic along Interstate 40, and the complexity of emergency incidents required new skills, specialized training, and advanced equipment.
What began primarily as a recovery and rescue organization has developed into a highly capable emergency response team providing vehicle extrication, technical rope rescue, swiftwater rescue, drowning recovery, and search and rescue operations. In recent years, the squad added a DJI M30T drone to assist with search operations, incident assessment, and other emergency responses. The drone requires operation by an FAA-certified remote pilot during emergency response incidents.
The evolution has been remarkable. In the early 1990s, the squad was lucky to have rope. Today, it maintains a dedicated technical rope rescue team, specialized rescue equipment, and a certified instructor who can provide training locally. The same growth has occurred in vehicle extrication, where experienced members now serve as instructors, ensuring that knowledge and skills are passed on to future generations of rescuers.
The equipment fleet has continued to expand as well. Today, the Smith County Rescue Squad operates five specialized rescue units. Unit 680 serves as the primary extrication truck. Unit 690 functions as an off-road light extrication vehicle. Unit 691 serves as the water rescue unit, while Unit 693 supports rope rescue operations. The newest addition, Unit 692, was acquired through a Community Development Block Grant and is stationed in Gordonsville.
In addition to its vehicle fleet, the squad maintains a variety of specialized equipment that supports its diverse rescue missions. Water rescue operations are supported by a Zodiac rescue boat, a primary rescue boat which is a 17ft aluminum vessel, along with a rescue raft used in swiftwater and specialized rescue situations. The squad also operates a mobile command post that provides coordination, communications, and operational support during large-scale incidents, search operations, and extended emergency responses.
Unit 692 represents another significant milestone in the organization's history. For the first time, the rescue squad has been able to permanently station a rescue vehicle outside of Carthage. Because a large percentage of emergency responses occur in the southern portion of the county and along Interstate 40, the Gordonsville location allows for improved response times and enhanced service to residents and travelers alike.
Looking toward the future, the organization recently acquired 2.3 acres of property in Gordonsville through the generosity of the late Virginia Agee and her family. It is hoped that this property will one day become the permanent home of the Gordonsville rescue unit and additional emergency response equipment, further strengthening the squad's ability to serve all areas of Smith County.
While equipment, training, and capabilities have changed dramatically over six decades, one challenge has remained constant: sustaining a volunteer emergency service organization. Funding has always required careful planning and responsible stewardship.
Support from Smith County government, donations from citizens, businesses, contributions received during the squad's annual roadblock fundraiser, and generous gifts from private-sector partners have made it possible for the organization to continue operating and growing. In 2025, the squad received a historic $40,000 donation from the River City Ball, the largest monetary contribution ever received from a private-sector donor in the organization's history. Without this continued support, the squad would not have reached this milestone.
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the future is one shared by volunteer organizations across the nation: recruiting and retaining volunteers. From its first day of operation, the Smith County Rescue Squad has been staffed entirely by volunteers who receive no compensation for their service. Yet these men and women stand ready twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year to respond whenever they are needed.
At one point, we considered highlighting a number of major calls over the years. There have been many, but instead of listing them individually, it is important to understand this: every call responded to over the years has affected members in different ways. The impact of each incident can vary greatly from one member to another, and each experience leaves its own lasting impression.
There have been many happy endings, and there have also been many difficult outcomes. Unfortunately, that is part of the job. These are the kinds of experiences that stay with you long after the call is over—things you carry for the rest of your life. It is something you understand when you join, or something you quickly learn once you begin serving. Over time, those experiences shape every member who has ever worn the Rescue Squad patch.
One thing readers may notice is that, apart from the founding members, no individual members names are mentioned throughout this history. That was intentional. Over the course of sixty years, so many men and women have contributed to the success of the Smith County Rescue Squad that it would be impossible to recognize them all within a single article.
Every generation of members has played an important role in building and sustaining the organization. Even today's members are simply the latest group of volunteers entrusted with carrying forward a tradition that began in 1966. The squad that exists today is the result of the dedication, sacrifice, and service of countless individuals who answered the call over the past six decades.
The history of the Smith County Rescue Squad is ultimately not a story about trucks, equipment, or buildings. It is a story about people helping people. It is the story of twelve men who saw a need along the banks of the Cumberland River and chose to do something about it. It is also the story of every member who has served since then, giving their time, talents, and dedication to help others during some of life's most difficult moments.
As the organization celebrates sixty years of service, it does so with sincere gratitude—not only for its current members, but for every volunteer who has ever worn the Rescue Squad patch, answered a call, attended training, worked a fundraiser, maintained equipment, or sacrificed time away from family in service to their community. Their collective efforts built the organization that exists today.
The one thing that has never changed is the commitment of those who respond. Their dedication to preserving life, protecting the well-being of others, and serving their neighbors remains as strong today as it was in 1966.
People often ask what it takes to become a member of the Smith County Rescue Squad. The answer is simple: a willingness to respond and a sincere desire to help others on what may be the worst day of their lives. Everything else can be taught.
As the squad looks toward its future and the milestone of a 75th anniversary, it does so with hope that the tradition established by those twelve founding members will continue. Sixty years after its beginning, the Smith County Rescue Squad remains committed to the same mission that inspired its creation—neighbors helping neighbors when they need it most.
