Non-political Committee Will Study Hawkins Ems Franchise Options

ROGERSVILLE — The Hawkins County Commission’s Public Safety Committee wants to make sure politics doesn’t play a role in awarding the county’s lone ambulance franchise. That’s why on Monday the County Commission will be asked to approve an out of order resolution appointing an exploratory committee of medical and public safety professionals to study both franchise applications, and make a recommendation to the full commission. Current franchise holder Hawkins County EMS's two year ambulance franchise expires on June 30. The non-profit HCEMS is seeking renewal of that franchise, and the for-profit Lifeguard EMS has applied for the franchise as well. Lifeguard operated in Hawkins County briefly until 2015 when the County Commission, in a politically charged atmosphere, voted to exclude Lifeguard from receiving an ambulance franchise. A year later Church Hill EMS folded, leaving HCEMS as the county’s only ambulance service provider. On the heels of CHEMS folding in August 2016, the county commission appointed an EMS Exploratory Committee to review the existing EMS situation and to make a recommendation to the full commission. That recommendation was presented on Nov.