Residents and visitors to the south end of Hardeman County may begin seeing an increased presence of ambulances and EMS vehicles in that area. Hardeman County Ambulance Service (HCAS) is partnering with the University of Tennessee’s Lone Oaks Farm to station an ambulance at one of the Farm’s residences, located at 9385 Lake Hardeman Road, in Middleton, near the Lake Hardeman and Sain Road intersection.
Since assuming the position in April of this year, EMS Director Rusty Thigpen has worked on ideas for establishing an “EMS South Station” to improve coverage.
“Residents on the south end of our county have faced extended EMS response times for nearly 30 years. After completing our initial risk assessment, an ambulance stationed down south was imperative for our strategic planning and future goals. There were several excellent offers from other municipalities in the county that we were interested in using. However, all of the offers presented to us were in need of significant repairs and/or upgrades, which takes substantial money and, more importantly, time.” Said Thigpen.
The new station placement at Lone Oaks Farm was critical and comes at a good time, given the unplanned and abrupt Sain Road closure and bridge replacement. This location not only improves EMS coverage south of Bolivar; it also supports growing activity at Lone Oaks Farm, including the 4-H Camp, “The Clays” target shooting facility, increased daily school visits, and the planned WET Center.
There is no set date for when an ambulance will be permanently stationed at this location, but there will be a growing EMS presence in the area until that date is established.
“The quickness of how this all came together did not afford me the opportunity to schedule sufficient staffing, but with this firm confirmation, we can now begin organizing shift coverage. Our goal is to have an ambulance stationed here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, before the end of October,”Director Thigpen added.
This short-term arrangement was made possible through the leadership and support of Hardeman County Mayor Todd Pulse.
“I want to thank Commissioner Johnny Lanier and Director Thigpen for identifying this opportunity and initiating the process to secure a more central location that better serves our citizens,” said Mayor Pulse. “Their groundwork allowed me to then collaborate with Lone Oaks Farm Director Jeremy Burnett to work out the final details.” Mayor Pulse added, “To me, that’s what it’s all about — no one person taking credit. It’s about working together, finding solutions, and doing what’s best for our citizens. When you’ve got people willing to roll up their sleeves and work together toward a common goal, good things happen. At the end of the day, our citizens are the ones who benefit, and that’s what matters most.”
While this current arrangement provides an effective short-term solution, all parties involved are hopeful that more permanent accommodations may become available in the near future.
