Anderson County EMS gets a state safety grant
Anderson County Emergency Medical Service Paramedic Eric Sowanick, Director Nathan Sweet, Jason Baggett with Tennessee Risk Management Trust, Paramedic Kaison Brockman, AEMT Paul Kondrit, CC/Paramedic Devin Burnett, and EMS Assistant Director Scott Thomas.
Totaling $2,151, the grant will cover the cost of a 145-pound training manikin and half of its shipping cost.
The manikin will be used in the EMS team’s Injury Prevention System training program.
From a previous safety grant, EMS introduced the Injury Prevention Systems course to teach employees safe lifting and movement techniques.
This grant will help enhance the course training, allowing providers to practice lifting, transferring, and team-based movement in realistic scenarios.
“Anderson County is appreciative of the partnership with [the state] to help us reduce injuries to our team members,” County Mayor Terry Frank said.
“ACEMS is committed to protecting both our patients and our providers,” Director Nathan Sweet stated in the grant application.
Incorporating weighted manikins into the Injury Prevention Systems training reflects the differing patient sizes and weights that EMS and other first-responder crews encounter day to day.
“Training manikins are durable and designed for long-term use, ensuring ongoing benefit to EMS personnel and first responders across our community,” Sweet said. “This investment helps us continue building a safer, healthier workforce, while improving the quality of patient care.”
Over the past five years, several workers’ compensation claims have resulted from injuries sustained while lifting and transferring patients, the agency said.
Such injuries not only affect the health and safety of employees, but also create financial and staffing challenges for the department. Preventing such injuries requires both education and realistic, hands-on training.
The Tennessee Risk Management Trust was created in 1987 to provide insurance services to public entities in Tennessee.
