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Montgomery County EMS expands training, tuition support and peer‑support services
Summary
Chief Brian McNeely described expanded in‑house training pipelines, a decision to cover full paramedic tuition in exchange for service commitments, a proposed medical‑legal death investigator role, and a growing peer‑support and wellness program for EMS staff.
Chief Brian McNeely said Montgomery County EMS has been building its own training pipeline, partnering with local programs and paying for paramedic education as a recruitment and retention strategy.
“We just decided, listen, there's a leadership group. Let's advocate to get their whole tuition paid,” the host said, and McNeely confirmed the approach, noting recipients must commit a few years of service in return.
McNeely described the department’s role running basic, advanced and paramedic programs through Austin Peay and said those in‑house programs help the county “grow your own” staff and reduce historical vacancies.
He said the department is also pursuing a medical‑legal death investigator position to take specialized death‑scene duties off front‑line crews, and that the county morgue sits with the department’s logistics and facilities group, an operational responsibility staff do not always train for.
On staff wellness, McNeely highlighted a new peer‑support team and a county health and wellness coordinator (Nicole), calling the program a substantial change from 20 years earlier and an important resource for employees coping with career stress.
McNeely framed these measures as part of a longer plan to sustain staffing, protect employees’ health and preserve operational capacity as call volumes rise.
