Mt. Juliet looks to create city ambulance service

The Mt. Juliet City Commission has taken the first step toward creating a city-funded ambulance service with the addition of $1.9 million for the creation of Mt. Juliet Medical Emergency Services in the city’s upcoming fiscal year budget. The new ambulance division would include an EMS chief, four ambulances, 12 paramedics, and six advanced emergency technicians. If approved on final reading, the measure would allow the city to lease four ambulances with three for emergency services and one for convalescence services, doubling the amount of ambulances in service in the city. At present, the city of Mt. Juliet is served by the Wilson Emergency Management Agency, who also serves much of south and eastern Wilson County with the same ambulances and staff. The growth of Mt. Juliet’s population as well as the number of overlapping calls two WEMA ambulances must serve has raised concerns among city officials that a city service is needed to keep down response times to emergencies.