KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — State and community leaders gathered at the American Medical Response headquarters in Knoxville to celebrate the graduation of around 40 new EMTs.
Officials said the new EMTs will go to work on ambulances. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Lt. Governor Randy McNally spoke at the graduation, and officials said that the graduates will be performing important work during a challenging time.
The graduates joined AMR under the "Earn to Learn" program, which paid them to attend EMT school under the agreement that they would stay with the company for at least two years.
Officials also said that it has been even more challenging to find people to take on an EMT job during the pandemic, and so these new graduates may face new challenges as first responders.
Graduates were joined by their families during the ceremony.
