By Matt Wilson
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Hamilton County commissioners took a Thanksgiving “time out” Wednesday morning to give thanks to the county’s emergency medical technicians.
In particular, they thanked two who helped Commissioner Greg Beck about two weeks ago.
“A couple weeks ago, I had an accident. Someone hit me from behind,” Mr. Beck said. The first responders “treated me with so much care and professionalism,” he said.
Mr. Beck was unable to attend the Nov. 12 commission meeting because of the car accident. He was uninjured, but emergency services workers took him to the hospital, just in case.
Mr. Beck presented the EMTs who helped him, Allen Smith and Jerry Coleman, with a distinguished service award Wednesday.
County Mayor Claude Ramsey said he appreciates the chance “to say nice things about our employees.”
“We all have good days and bad days,” he said. “But in the case of the service these gentlemen provide, they’re not allowed as bad a day as we have sometimes.”
Mr. Ramsey said he has received at least one complaint from a constituent, however, not about the EMTs, but about ambulances.
“She’d noticed in our agenda session, a few days before, we were buying two new chassis for ambulances,” he said. “And she said, ‘Well, when you’re buying new ambulances, why don’t you try to get some with some round tires on them? Those square ones about beat me to death.’”
The audience laughed. Mr. Beck added, “I won’t tell what that ride was like.”
Commissioner Bill Hullander also thanked the emergency workers and said the holidays remind him of their work.
Mr. Hullander’s son-in-law, Chris Horne, was killed in a car accident in Mexico two years ago on the day after Thanksgiving.
Copyright 2009 Chattanooga Publishing Company