Overton County Ambulance Service Director Caleb Sells will prioritize staffing and operational evaluations as he begins his tenure leading the department.
Sells said he is currently analyzing the day-to-day functions of the service to understand what is already working well for the county. Sells said his approach involves supporting existing strengths while identifying areas where he can make thoughtful adjustments over time.
“Identify what I can improve on, just like I said whenever I was applying for the job and then just making thoughtful adjustments over time so I keep delivering the same possible best care that we got for the Overton County residents is my main, that’s my main thing right now,” Sells said.
Sells said he is specifically reviewing the call schedule and run volumes at the two existing stations. Station one is located within Livingston, while station two serves the Hanging Limb, Crawford, and Muddy Pond areas.
“Change for just making changes would just come in and disrupt things,” Sells said. “Really I’m evaluating staffing. I’m evaluating on-shift crews that’s actually working from 7am to 7pm.”
Sells said the department currently operates with four ambulances available at any given time, including three crews in town and one at the Hanging Limb station. Sells said an additional three ambulances can be made available through an on-call system if a chaotic situation occurs.
“Staffing’s probably your biggest challenge because, honestly, with the schedule that we run here, and it’s more of an Upper Cumberland schedule, we pull from about the same pool as everybody else does when it comes and then we also set a requirement that if you’re going to work down here at station one, you have to be able to pull call, and we set a 30 to 45-minute requirement to be here if you’re called in,” Sells said.
Sells said he intends to build trust with his employees by leading by example and being present at the station during unexpected hours. Sells said he is also working with the medical director to implement aggressive and effective protocols for field use.
“I’m not telling people I’m going to do something that I’m not doing,” Sells said. “I’d rather just show, I’d rather just show what I’m trying to do. And then, listening to everybody, listen to their concerns, try to implement good policy, standard operating guidelines, and then working closely with medical director here to get some protocols in place that are very aggressive, yet effective when it comes to using them in the field.”
Sells said he received a majority of the vote from commissioners during his confirmation despite an 8-6 split among the board. Sells said some members who voted against his appointment reassured him afterward that they would work well with him.
“I’m here to do the work and hopefully after some time, maybe their votes’ll change,” Sells said.
Sells said he wants to ensure the department maintains high-quality personnel and top-tier equipment. Sells said he believes his first year will be a success if his employees enjoy coming to work and the community feels confident when an ambulance arrives on a scene.
“In a year from now, if I look back and my employees and the people that I work with here are enjoying coming to work, I believe that’ll be a win altogether there,” Sells said.
Sells said the service currently utilizes a seven-day-on, seven-day-off shift rotation.