Background / Who We Are / What We Do
For those new to Kahite, the Kahite EMRs (Emergency Medical Responders licensed by the state of Tennessee) were formed in 2004 (back when the neighborhood was in its infancy!) to respond to emergency situations in Kahite. Monroe County EMS maintains 4 ambulance crews in the county (one each in Madisonville, Vonore, Sweetwater and Tellico Plains). We are lucky to be located pretty much halfway between the Vonore and Madisonville stations, so we usually don't have to wait much longer than 10-15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. That being said, since the Kahite EMRs actually live in the neighborhood, we can often get to a home 5-10 minutes sooner than the ambulance. When seconds counts, that can be an eternity. I can state that all the EMRs are happy to provide this service. We also assist the local fire departments by helping to get some of our less agile neighbors back to standing when they have fallen, but not hurt themselves, and by responding to fire alarms sent by a security service who has been unable to reach the homeowner. In both these instances, we can save the fire engine the trip.

Join the Team
Whether we have nearly 100 calls per year or not, we need more EMRs. It is obvious that the neighborhood is not getting any smaller, or younger. Ideally, if we can get 12-14 EMRs on our team, we could break up the responsibilities, so we could turn off our radios part of the month. That would be nice. Becoming an EMR requires 64 hours of training, followed by passing a national exam. Then one must undergo 6 hours of additional training per year, as well as keeping CPR up to date. Anyone interested in helping your neighbors through some tough times? Please contact the current First Responders Coordinator found in the Kahite Contact List.

Other Ways To Help
We do not carry lights and sirens on our vehicles. So when we are on a call, we put on our emergency flashers, and off we go! If you see someone driving through the neighborhood at an unusually high rate of speed, with their flashers on, assume it is one of us and get out of the way. The neighbor we are hurrying to will be grateful. Remember, if you have an emergency, do not call your friendly neighborhood EMR first. Call 911! That gets the system activated, and covers us (and you!) for liability. And remember your emergency street number.