Last night at the Farragut / Bearden football game during the third quarter defensive player Robby Leonard went down with a terrible injury. Now, the trainers were there and began an IV on the field. However, there was NO Rural Metro ambulance on site. The Knoxville/Knox County Volunteer Rescue Squad was nearby and came on the field. Leonard was ultimately loaded onto a backboard from the rescue squad’s truck and then transported off the field on a Farragut gator type cart. Once off the field the injured player and personnel were still forced to wait another 10 minutes for the Rural Metro ambulance to show up to transport Leonard to a hospital. So, he was on the ground for 15-20 minutes and another 10 minutes. So, Rural Metro’s response was nearly 30 minutes to get to Farragut High School.

The Knox County Commission awards the ambulance contract every few years for Knox County. As Knox County homeowners that are not served by a Volunteer fire department, we are obligated to contract with Rural Metro for fire protection. In the Knox County contract there are mandatory response times, which Rural Metro clearly violated last night. Sources close to Knox County’s EMS department have informed me that it is understood that Rural Metro has been in non compliance with response times for some time.

Rural Metro hires a local (popular to government bureaucrats) PR firm and also has a former Knox County Commissioner on their payroll as a Government Relations employee, code word for Lobbyist and deal maker. This is an unacceptable practice.