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Hamilton County paramedics are recognized for their service, including responders to the Woodmore Elementary crash
From heart attacks to bus wrecks, Hamilton County's paramedics handle medical emergencies constantly on the worst days of their patients' lives, and on Saturday they were recognized for another year of service.
An afternoon awards ceremony was hosted by Hamilton County Medical Emergency Services in a small park on Shallowford Road. Paramedics and their families socialized while administrators doled out hard-earned plaques, ribbons and bars to wear on their uniforms.
In addition to 2016 Paramedic of the Year and Medical Call of the Year, special recognition was paid to the first responders at the Woodmore Elementary School bus crash in November that killed six children and injured dozens.
"That's something none of us ever want to encounter," said Deputy Chief John Combes. "But they called for the appropriate help and the place was flooded by EMS."
In all, 32 people received nods for their work in the aftermath of the crash, which department administrators said was far and away the most significant trauma call of the year.
Terrence Turner, an advanced emergency medical technician and a lieutenant with the Chattanooga Fire Department, was one of the first on scene. He said that when his group first got the call, they thought a bus had crashed into a mailbox or something similarly minor.
"It wasn't until we came around the curve and saw it on its side that we realized what the situation was," he said.
Turner said they immediately reported mass casualties and got to work. He tried separating the victims into the critically injured, the walking wounded and those who miraculously were uninjured.
"It's a lot of muscle memory," he said. "You forget the magnitude of the event because you're there to do a job. It's patient first and everything else is secondary."
It was five minutes before other responders arrived and hours more before he was able to make it home to his wife and 2-year-old child. Walking through his front door was the first time he was able to begin processing what happened.
"When I got home that night, I finally broke down when I saw my wife," he said. "It takes a toll mentally."
Turner said the strain is a reality of the job and paramedics have to be careful to handle it well.
"If you internalize it, it will eat you up," he said.
But not every day involves something as horrendous as a bus crash. Michael Chaigne, winner of the Paramedic of the Year award, said the job can be its own reward when he gets to improve someone else's situation.
"Every now and then, you get that feeling that you made a small impact on someone's life," he said. "Those few times make it worth it. You never know how much of an impact you may have on someone."
Chaigne is entering his 17th year with Hamilton County EMS. He said that although the job can be a lot of hurry up and wait, when it's time to go, everything clicks.
"You feel like years of training and work is being put to use, doing what you're supposed to be doing as a medic," he said. "That's the cool part of the job."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.
2016 awards
2016 Medical call of the year› Sharon Smith, AEMT› David Sinclair, paramedic› Lt. Billy Burnette2016 Trauma call of the year (Woodmore bus crash)› Mike Jones, paramedic› Maggie Novak, AEMT› Robert Burnham, paramedic› Linda Kilgore, paramedic› Bob Bennett, paramedic› Chris Harper, paramedic› Derrick Truitt, paramedic› Sam Conmuill, paramedic› Alberto Gutierrez, paramedic› Doug Evans, paramedic› Trevor Wheeler, paramedic› Chris Vanalstyne, paramedic› Thomas Mundy, paramedic› Stacie Liles, paramedic› Terrance Turner, AEMT› Marc Puglise, paramedic› Steve Scott, AEMT› Ken Fryar, paramedic› Paul Bobenhausen, AEMT› Kevin Gebicke, paramedic› Ivan Miller, AEMT› Tim Hixson, AEMT› Bob Williams, AEMT› Lt. Tony Sylvester› Lt. Billy Blea› Lt. Greg Allen› Lt. David Burdett› Lt. Brandy Rogers› Capt. Wade Batson› Capt. Eric Ethridge› Deputy Chief John Combes› Director Ken Wilkerson2016 Paramedic of the year› Michael Chaigne2016 Runner-up paramedic of the year› Charles “Scobey” Newman2016 AEMT of the year› Natasha Whitmire