Are We the Redheaded Stepchild?

I normally try to keep a low profile when expressing my personal opinions. I believe there is a time to speak and a time to listen. But there comes a point when keeping your mouth shut is no longer an option.

For years, I have watched McKenzie get treated like the proverbial redheaded stepchild. I’ve seen it firsthand during my time on the McKenzie City Council.

When I was elected to the Carroll County Commission in August 2022, I tried to roll with the punches, pick my battles and avoid making unnecessary waves.

The ongoing problems surrounding ambulance availability in Carroll County have pushed me past the point of being polite. When lives are at stake, I refuse to sit quietly and pretend everything is fine.

Before going further, let me make one thing clear. My problem is NOT with Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County or the EMTs and paramedics.

I have no intention of dragging local employees into a fight that belongs elsewhere.

My problem is with Priority Ambulance/Baptist Ambulance Services and those responsible for ensuring emergency ambulances are available when Carroll County residents need them.

Please don’t take your frustrations out on local staff. The people who need to hear our complaints are higher up the corporate ladder.

On Monday, I sat through a two-hour county commission meeting where first responders, primarily from McKenzie, expressed their concerns about ambulance availability. These were men and women who stood over patients, watching the clock and wondering when an ambulance would arrive.

Priority Ambulance Regional President Reg James heard those concerns. We were told changes would be made, additional coverage provided and the situation would improve.

We’ve heard these promises before.

A few years ago, following a severe tractor accident, we faced the same situation: No ambulance available.

In 2024, a former co-worker and mentor suffered a fatal heart attack. The response? No ambulance available. Just a few weeks ago, I lost another friend to a heart attack. Once again, I was told no ambulance was available.

I’m not claiming an ambulance would have saved either man’s life. Nobody can determine that. But when someone is fighting for their life, they deserve every possible chance of survival.

And “no ambulance available” is not an answer any family should have to hear.

Thank God McKenzie had the foresight to establish its Emergency Medical Responder program. Without those dedicated first responders, I shudder to think how many situations could have turned out differently.

Apparently, Monday’s meeting didn’t fix anything.

On Tuesday, just one day after Priority representatives assured county officials improvements were coming, I left my Rotary Club meeting around 1:15 p.m. and saw McKenzie Fire Chief Brian Tucker and other first responders rushing toward Bethel University. When I reached The Banner office, I learned someone had reportedly fallen and struck their head.

Guess what? No ambulance available.

Then Friday, I received another call from a first responder concerning a slip-and-fall incident. Once again, no ambulance available.

This time, the closest ambulance was reportedly coming from Benton County with an estimated arrival time of 50 minutes.

Fifty minutes.

If that were your mother lying on the floor, your spouse having a heart attack or your child seriously injured, would you find a 50-minute wait acceptable?

I wouldn’t, and I don’t believe any reasonable person would.

I received an email on October 5, as did other commissioners, from Priority’s regional president explaining the company’s position.

“Baptist Ambulance has historically provided Carroll County with three advanced life support ambulances staffed around the clock. During the recent response delays, the company said all three were staffed but occupied on other emergency calls.

“The proposed solution is to dedicate those three ambulances exclusively to 911 emergencies and add a fourth staffed unit for hospital-to-hospital transfers.

“The company also plans to establish an EMS Oversight Committee consisting of local officials and community stakeholders to review performance and provide input on future decisions.”

That’s a start. But here’s my question.

Why did it take public outrage, frustrated first responders and a room full of county officials to get to this point?

Why wasn’t this addressed before families were left waiting? Why did emergency personnel have to stand before the county commission and practically beg for dependable ambulance coverage?

And who will hold Priority accountable when the next ambulance isn’t available?

Another committee and another round of promises won’t mean a thing if nothing changes on the street.

I have asked to serve on the oversight committee, not because I have all the answers, but because I want to help find them.

There are plenty of smart people in Carroll County and in the right positions to find solutions.

We have capable first responders, elected officials, medical professionals and community leaders who understand what’s at stake.

We have to fight for the coverage Carroll County deserves.

And make no mistake, this is bigger than just McKenzie; this is a county-wide problem.

I worry about residents in Westport, Macedonia, Lavinia and every rural community where help may already be miles away.

A medical emergency doesn’t care where you live, how much money you make or whether your community carries enough political influence to get someone’s attention. Neither should our ambulance service.

Maybe it’s time Carroll County seriously considers establishing its own ambulance service.

Would that be easy? Absolutely not. Would it be expensive? You better believe it.

It would require personnel, equipment, facilities and potentially significant tax increases. Establishing such a service would be a monumental undertaking.

But the question we all have to consider is, what is your life worth; and what about your children’s and friends’ lives?

We can debate taxes, budgets and contracts until we’re blue in the face. None of that means much to a family standing over a loved one waiting for help that isn’t coming.

I’m not advocating for blindly throwing taxpayer money at the problem. I’m saying every option needs to be considered, including replacing the current ambulance provider if it cannot consistently deliver the service Carroll County needs.

If Priority wants to keep serving this county, it needs to prove it deserves that responsibility.

Not with carefully worded emails, corporate talking points or another promise to do better.

Prove it with staffed ambulances, measurable response times, transparent reporting and actual accountability. Oh, and prioritizing emergency calls over convalescent non-emergency transports.

The oversight committee needs real numbers.

How often are all ambulances unavailable? Well, so far in 2026, out of approximately 4,500 ambulance requests received through Carroll County E911, there were approximately 200 times where the ambulance was unavailable or significantly delayed.

How many times must another county send a unit? How long are patients waiting? Are we receiving the coverage we’ve been promised?

If reasonable performance standards cannot be met, there must be consequences.

For too long, McKenzie has felt like the redheaded stepchild of Carroll County. But Monday’s meeting proved this isn’t just McKenzie’s fight.

The entire county suffers when emergency ambulance coverage fails its citizens.

I’m tired of hearing no ambulance is available. I’m tired of watching first responders placed in impossible situations. And I’m tired of promises that sound good in a meeting room but mean nothing when someone is lying injured on the roadside.

If you’re frustrated, make your voice heard. Contact Priority Ambulance’s leadership. Ask questions. Demand answers. Let them know Carroll County expects better.

Priority Ambulance/Baptist Ambulance

9595 Macon Road

Cordova, TN 38016

833-827-3770

Priority Ambulance Corporate Headquarters

9721 Cogdill Rd., St. 302

Knoxville, TN 37932

865-888-5195

Baptist Hospital

Corporate Office

350 N. Humphreys Blvd.

Memphis, TN 38120

901-227-4500

Again, my complaint is with ambulance service leadership, not local hospital employees or the crews responding to emergencies. They deserve our respect.

I don’t claim to have the perfect solution. But I refuse to accept that this is simply the way things have to be.

Carroll County deserves better. McKenzie deserves better. Every citizen who dials 911 deserves better.

There’s an old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, it’s time for Carroll County to start squeaking so loudly that Priority’s corporate offices can’t ignore us.

Because the next person waiting 50 minutes for an ambulance might be someone you love.

And by then, all the promises in the world won’t mean a darn thing.