Putnam County EMS (TN)

Putnam County EMS (TN) Putnam County, Tennessee's only Emergency Medical Service provider. *This Page Is Not Monitored 24/7*

Putnam County Emergency Medical Services is the EMS agency serving Cookeville, Algood, Baxter, Monterey and the citizens of Putnam County, Tennessee. *This page is not monitored 24/7* If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

06/12/2026

Putnam County is now one of around half a dozen counties in Tennessee equipped to give blood transfusions in the field. ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yn284e83

Big News for Putnam County: Life-Saving Blood Now Available on the SceneWe are absolutely thrilled to share a monumental...
06/08/2026

Big News for Putnam County: Life-Saving Blood Now Available on the Scene

We are absolutely thrilled to share a monumental milestone for Putnam County EMS. As of this morning, we have officially launched our prehospital blood product program, bringing hospital-level life-saving capabilities directly to your doorstep, driveway, or the scene of an emergency.
In partnership with Blood Assurance, we are proud to be one of just three services in the entire state of Tennessee carrying blood products on our ambulances.

Bringing the Hospital to You

In the past, when a patient was suffering from severe blood loss, our focus was limited to building volume with fluids. Now, we are changing the game by bringing these critical treatments directly to the patient:
• Packed Red Blood Cells(pRBC): These carry the oxygen your body’s organs and tissues need to survive.
• Plasma: The liquid portion of blood that contains essential proteins to help your blood clot and stop bleeding.
• Tranexamic Acid (TXA): A medication that stabilizes existing blood clots, preventing them from breaking down so the body can better control bleeding with little to no adverse side effects.
• Calcium: An essential mineral that helps your blood clot properly and supports heart function during a crisis.

As our Medical Director, Dr. Sullivan Smith, explains: “Blood used to have to come to the hospital from Chattanooga. Now with Blood Assurance being two blocks away, we are able to get the blood much quicker. Offering it in the field makes this process even quicker and decreases the amount of blood they’ll need at the hospital.”

When asked about the impact this could have on our community, Chief Copeland stated, “We’ve identified approximately two cases every month over the last year where this intervention could have been the difference-maker. While trauma is the first thing that comes to mind, the need for blood is just as critical in medical emergencies. We are no longer waiting for the patient to get to the hospital; we are bringing the critical care to them.”

This initiative was a massive undertaking, made possible by the unwavering support of the County Commission and our County Mayor Randy Porter, and assistance from a state EMS grant. These funds allowed us to equip our fleet with specialized, climate-controlled coolers and warmers. Chief Tommy Copeland put it best: “This is not a money-making situation; this is a life-changing initiative.”

You Can Help Us Save Lives
We want to see this program thrive, and that starts with our community. Please consider donating to Blood Assurance.

“Only 3% of eligible donors do. If only 1% more donated, we wouldn’t have a shortage anymore. If 5% donated, we’d have a surplus.” — Christine Jones, Blood Assurance.

Almost every unit of blood has a green heart emblem. These hearts mean the recipients can scan a QR code and send a heartfelt thank you directly to the person who saved their life.

A special thank you to Luke Miller (Assistant Director of Hospital Services) and Christine Jones (Senior VP of Technical Services) at Blood Assurance for their partnerships in making this a reality for our neighbors.


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We showed you a glimpse into our world last week. Ready to step into it? 🚑✨Last week for National EMS Week, we took the ...
05/26/2026

We showed you a glimpse into our world last week. Ready to step into it? 🚑✨

Last week for National EMS Week, we took the time to celebrate the incredible dedication, sacrifice, and heart of our Putnam County EMS crew. We loved giving you a glimpse into who we are and the vital work our team does every day.

If you spent last week watching our personnel and thinking, "I want to be part of a team like that..."—now is your chance to answer the call!

Our upcoming EMT-B course is your open door to a career filled with purpose. We will give you the skills, the training, and the confidence to step up and serve your neighbors when they need it most.

Don't just watch the difference. Be the difference.

👉 The Details:

Applications Accepted Through: July 12th

Course Begins: August 3rd

Ready to start your journey?
Contact Major Billy Price today to apply:
📞 (931) 525-2121
📧 [email protected]

Your community. Your team. Your calling.

Remembering and Honoring Our HeroesToday, our department pauses to observe Memorial Day. We join our community in rememb...
05/25/2026

Remembering and Honoring Our Heroes

Today, our department pauses to observe Memorial Day. We join our community in remembering the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

While today is a day of families gathering and making memories together, we remember the true, solemn meaning of this day. To the heroes who laid down their lives for our freedom, we owe a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. To the Gold Star families who carry the quiet weight of that sacrifice every single day, you are not alone, and your loved ones are not forgotten.

Today, we stand in humble salute. We honor, we remember, and we promise to never forget.

Have a safe, meaningful, and blessed Memorial Day. 🇺🇸

Wrapping Up EMS Week 2026 🚑✨What a phenomenal way to close out National EMS Week! Tonight, we wrapped up a week of celeb...
05/24/2026

Wrapping Up EMS Week 2026 🚑✨

What a phenomenal way to close out National EMS Week! Tonight, we wrapped up a week of celebration with our favorite event of the year: our Annual Family Night.

Our personnel dedicate so much of their lives to serving this community, but we know we couldn't do it alone. Tonight was all about celebrating our incredible employees and honoring the families and friends who support us everyday behind the scenes, they are the true backbone of our department.

This evening, we handed out our peer-nominated awards. From the lighthearted and comical to our highest honors, these awards reflect the unique bonds, humor, and unparalleled dedication of our team.
Please join us in celebrating and congratulating this year's award winners! We are so incredibly proud of you all. 🎉

(Note: A few of our award winners weren't able to attend or be photographed tonight, but we are celebrating them just the same!)

🏆 Excellence in Service Awards

These individuals were recognized by their peers for outstanding clinical excellence, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to our mission over the past year.

•Paramedic of the Year: Ethan Burris
•EMT of the Year: Ashley Sanders
•Crew of the Year: Tony Waters & Patrick Matthews

😂 The Peer-Nominated Character Awards

Our team voted on these lighthearted titles for the colleagues who keep everyone smiling on shift:

•Psych Whisperer: Brad Evans (For his unmatched ability to calm any patient—famously using a kitten video and a 7 Brew promise.) ☕🐱

•Slumber Master: Jordan Matheney (For mastering the art of sleeping absolutely anywhere, at any time, in any position.) 😴🛌

•Late Ponderer: Robert Murphy & Kerstian Kelsey (For spending 3 a.m. calls questioning life choices and impulse buys.) 🦉🌙

•New Old-Timer: Dakota Martin (Won by a 24-vote landslide for dropping "back in my day" stories despite being a newer EMT.) ☕⏳

•Restocking Blister Award: Cole Maynard (For his uncanny ability to vanish during truck checkoffs and reappear once the work is done.) 🧼🚚

•Jiminy Cricket Award: Emma Cary (The department's official conscience, keeping everyone kind and grounded even on call number 12.) 🦎❤️

We also couldn’t let the night end without a special shout-out to Victoria Ford for treating us to her incredible homemade biscuits and gravy.. our admin team is wonderful, but she is the true master chef behind the scenes! Another massive thank you went out to Allie Burris for the countless hours of hard work she put in to make this entire EMS Week such a phenomenal success.

To our award winners, our entire staff, and the families who stand beside us: Thank you. We are profoundly proud of this team, and we are honored to stand ready to serve our community every single day.

🌧️ Even with today's rainy weather and storms, spirits have been sky-high at PCEMS!We kicked the morning off in the abso...
05/23/2026

🌧️ Even with today's rainy weather and storms, spirits have been sky-high at PCEMS!

We kicked the morning off in the absolute best way possible: another massive, phenomenal home-cooked breakfast courtesy of our incredible admin team! Seriously, it is next-level leadership when the bosses willingly roll out of bed at 4:00 AM just to come in and chef it up for the crews. We are incredibly blessed to have a leadership team that takes such amazing care of us! 🍳🥓✨

As we prepare to wrap up 2026 National EMS Week, we are feeling immensely grateful for all the love and support Putnam County has shown us. We are so proud to serve this community!

Tomorrow night, we’re capping off the week with our annual family night, which means it’s time for our annual peer-nominated awards! Make sure to stay tuned to our page to see which of your local heroes took home the honors. 🏆🚑❤️

From Hearses to Mobile ICUs: Honoring Our Past, Leading Our Future 🚑Today’s National EMS Week theme is EMS Recognition D...
05/22/2026

From Hearses to Mobile ICUs: Honoring Our Past, Leading Our Future 🚑

Today’s National EMS Week theme is EMS Recognition Day, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a service. We look back with deep gratitude at the pioneers who laid the foundation and paved the way for the life-saving medicine we practice today.

Emergency Medical Services looks radically different than it did a few decades ago. Nationally and locally, EMS evolved from a time when funeral homes ran the ambulances, and the goal was simply a fast ride to the hospital with little to no treatment along the way.

When Putnam County government assumed direct operations of PCEMS at midnight on July 1, 1980, we started out in the fairgrounds' Home Economics building with 5 ambulances, 12 employees, and a very limited scope of practice. Every medication required calling an ER doctor first.

But our department has always had a fierce passion for excellence. Thanks to visionary leaders, dedicated crews, and the launch of community CPR initiatives that trained thousands of local students and citizens, we didn't just grow; we led.

Look how far the journey has brought us:
•1990s: We opened our first substations in Monterey and Baxter, and became the first pre-hospital service in Tennessee to transmit 12-lead ECGs from the field.

•2000s & 2010s: We implemented life-saving capnography and IO devices long before they were national standards, launched Critical Care paramedic protocols, and grew to meet a call volume that has nearly tripled.

•Today: We cross into an entirely new era of clinical excellence.

Pushing the Clinical Frontier
Every single one of our frontline trucks is now akin to a Mobile ICU. We are no longer just transporting patients; we are bringing advanced hospital-level interventions directly to your driveway. We have deployed advanced transport ventilators and field ultrasounds across the fleet to manage our most critical patients with absolute precision. But we aren't stopping there: we are currently beginning our next progressive frontier: carrying blood products in the field to give trauma patients a fighting chance before they ever reach an ER.

None of this advancement would be possible without our team of Medical Directors. We want to extend a sincere thank you for the continuous support, guidance, and trust that allows us to maintain this highly progressive scope of practice and stay at the top of our game.

We stand on the shoulders of the paramedics, EMTs, and leaders who built this foundation from humble beginnings. To our veterans, our current crews, and the community that has trusted us for 46 years: Thank you.

We are incredibly proud of our history, and equally excited to see how PCEMS will continue to innovate and save lives tomorrow.

Happy EMS Week! ❤️✨

Thursday of EMS Week was filled with incredible support and generosity for our Putnam County EMS crews.We would like to ...
05/22/2026

Thursday of EMS Week was filled with incredible support and generosity for our Putnam County EMS crews.

We would like to sincerely thank McDonald’s of Cookeville for delivering breakfast to our crews and helping us start the day off right.

Thank you to Signature HealthCARE in Algood for the thoughtful goodie baskets and for taking the time to recognize our EMS professionals during EMS Week.

Thank you to Vanderbilt LifeFlight for providing lunch and for being such a valued partner in emergency and critical care throughout our region.

And a very special thank you to Strong Kitchen in Cookeville for delivering supper for our crews. We later learned they normally close at 2:30 PM, but they stayed specifically to make sure our crews received a great meal. That kind of support and generosity truly means a lot to our team.

We are incredibly thankful for the businesses and organizations in our community that continue to support EMS and first responders. Your kindness and appreciation do not go unnoticed.

3 Lifesaving Skills Everyone Should Know (No Medical License Required) 🛑⚡Today is Save-A-Life Day for EMS Week, and it’s...
05/21/2026

3 Lifesaving Skills Everyone Should Know (No Medical License Required) 🛑⚡

Today is Save-A-Life Day for EMS Week, and it’s the perfect reminder that you don't need a medical license to help save a life!

When a critical emergency like cardiac arrest strikes, every second counts. As we shared this past March, when bystanders step in to help before we arrive, our community saw an incredible 50% cardiac arrest survival rate, shattering the national average of 34%. That milestone represents a perfect chain of survival. It begins with the courage of everyday citizens, and it is anchored by the exceptional clinical expertise and high-stakes care our PCEMS EMTs and Paramedics bring to the scene as they act as the calm in the storm for our neighbors.

Fifty percent is amazing, but we want to work together to push that survival rate even higher this coming year. Even if you aren't certified yet, knowing these three basic skills can help in saving a life until our trucks arrive:

❤️ The "Hard & Fast" Rule: If someone collapses and isn't breathing, hands-only CPR keeps oxygen flowing to the brain. Push down hard (about 2 inches) in the center of the chest, 100 to 120 times a minute (to the beat of "Stayin' Alive"). Don't worry about rescue breaths, you just need to keep the blood moving.

🩸The Pressure Principle: Severe bleeding can be fatal in minutes. Apply firm, direct pressure to the wound with both hands, using a clean cloth or gauze, and push down hard until our crews or first responders arrive.

⚡️The Voice Box: Next time you are in a public building, look for the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). If an emergency happens, open it up, the device will literally speak to you and guide you through every step. It will never deliver a shock unless the patient's heart rhythm requires it. You cannot do it wrong.

We are so proud to serve a community that stands ready to step up and look out for one another. Let's keep setting the standard together. Thank you for helping us keep Putnam County safe!

Address

700 County Services Drive
Cookeville, TN
38501

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 11am
12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 11am
12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 11am
12pm - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 11am
12pm - 4pm
Friday 8am - 11am
12pm - 4pm

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