Statements
Mission
Our primary mission is to deliver Rescue Services to the citizens of Cannon County. The secondary mission of our organization is to provide disaster relief and support operations of our mutual partners in emergency services in Cannon, surrounding counties, and throughout the great State of Tennessee.
Background
The Cannon County Rescue Squad, Inc. was founded in May 1978 and is comprised completely of community volunteers. Since 1978, our Squad has been the only organization providing Rescue Services to all of Cannon County. The Rescue Squad also responds to the cities of Woodbury and Auburntown. We respond to our contiguous Counties when requested. The Cannon County Rescue Squad, Inc. started with little more than a vision to provide Rescue Services to the citizens of Cannon County. The first home for the Squad was in the basement of a building on Lester Street in Woodbury. In the early years, the Squad held meetings at what is now the R.E.A.C.H. Center. The very first emergency response vehicle was an old, worn-out station wagon. Later the Squad acquired a pick-up truck which had a utility bed attached. The members converted it to a Rescue Response Vehicle also known as a Crash Truck. In 1983, the Rescue Squad and the Cannon County Fire Department together moved and worked out of a building in the Mooretown Community. This building today is known as the Mooretown Fire Department. In 1994, the Rescue Squad headquarters was moved to the city of Woodbury. We have been housed in the former EMS station at the fairgrounds ever since. Since 1992, the Cannon County Rescue Squad, Inc. has sustained a volunteer membership base of a least twenty members. These men and women live throughout the county. Each member is notified of an emergency by the E911 dispatch center. Some members respond to emergency scenes in their personal vehicles, while others are responding with the Extrication (Crash) Truck.
Impact
Our Vision is to provide coordinated multi-agency teamwork and response to the citizens of Cannon County and the residents of the State of Tennessee. Our primary response area encompasses all of Cannon County, which is an area of 266 square miles with an estimated population of nearly 14,000 (figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 estimation). Each year we respond to all requests for help not only within Cannon County, but we respond outside of our county as well. Our secondary response area, which includes the contiguous counties of Rutherford, Wilson, DeKalb, Warren and Coffee, has a collective land mass of approximately 2,972 square miles. This area also has an approximate population of 505,377 (figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 estimation). Our Squad is an Active Member of the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads; and through interoperability agreements, we are requested to respond throughout counties in the Upper Cumberland and Middle Tennessee Region, as well as other areas of the State. We respond to these requests to aid our neighboring departments during natural or man-made disasters, to assist with search and rescue efforts, or to assist with overwhelming call volumes.
Needs
The top pressing needs for our organization is to expand our services and strength our resources through diversity in training and rescue equipment acquisition. Maintaining a high level of readiness to respond during times of disasters to local, regional and state wide emergencies is an on going goal of our department. Below is a list of current equipment needs. 1. Replace/upgrade emergency radio communications2. Replace/upgrade rescue equipment (i.e. Jaws-of-Life) 3. Construct a remote station
CEO Statement
Our County is a contiguous County to Rutherford County TN, which has been one of the fastest growing Counties in the State of Tennessee. Schools and other critical infrastructure such as water and roads, are absorbing what little bit of tax dollars that are available in our community. Unfortunately, the Rescue Squad is one of the last organizations to be considered when it comes to funding. Only a small portion of our operation revenue comes from taxes. Most of our revenue comes from fundraising and donations. We feel that we do a good job given the constant budget limitations we face from year to year. Our citizens cannot afford more taxes; yet our costs to operate are soaring astronomically. A long-range plan by which the organization strategically thinks about its vision and direction for the future has been adopted. Our strategic plan will help to unify our Executive Officers, volunteer responders, donors, local government and the general public. The future for the Cannon County Rescue Squad is one that is strong. People are what make an organization. Our membership base continues to grow. Community support for our efforts continues to grow. Our mutually supporting partnership with other emergency service agencies continues to grow. Whenever and wherever someone is in need of our services we hope to always have the ability to respond.
Board Chair Statement
The Cannon County Rescue Squad, Inc. is a Tennessee State Chartered, non-profit, emergency service organization. The Squad is recognized as a tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Our goal is to save lives. Since 1978 our Squad has been the only organization providing Rescue Services to all of Cannon County. The Rescue Squad was founded in May 1978 and is comprised completely of community volunteers. Since its inception, the Squad has been the leader of Rescue Services in Cannon County. We play a vital role in the region's overall emergency response network. Our Squad responds to emergencies not only within Cannon County, but we also respond throughout the Middle Tennessee area when requested. Our dedicated volunteer emergency responders are on-call 24hrs a day, 7 day a week, 365 days a year. Our responders are compelled to provide emergency care and community support. They provide rescue services during local emergencies, man-made or natural disasters, or when a coordinated regional response is required. Our responders spend a tremendous amount of time training in emergency care and rescue. This training benefits the entire community and region. A well trained team that is adequately funded and equipped can make a difference. Strategic planning for our organization and our region will allow us to continue to service well into the future.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief - Disaster Preparedness and Relief Service |
| Secondary Category: | Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief - Search & Rescue Squads |
| Tertiary Category: | Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief - Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief NEC |
Areas Served
Cannon and surrounding counties.
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wilson |
