GAFFNEY, S.C. (WSPA) – Thorne Ambulance Service is now the emergency medical services provider for Cherokee County.
The company was set to take over the service in January but wound up starting early.
“It’s been a huge learning curve for really everybody who works here,” Christopher Spencer, a Field Operations Supervisor, said. ” With Thorne coming in as a new service provider here in Cherokee County and taking some of the employees from the previous provider. So, it’s been a huge learning process for everybody.”
Its ambulances are on the road 24/7 and answer an average of 30 to 40 calls during a 24-hour shift.
The Thorne Ambulance Service supervisors said they’re also trying to create a family atmosphere.
“We’ve really worked on some ways to make it more of a family atmosphere. We do family dinners, we cook, and we all come together try to plan things off-duty as well,” according to Spencer.
Michael Martin, another Field Supervisor, is attempting to help the crews deal with what they face on the job.
Martin is a veteran; he was with the Charleston Fire Department at the time of the tragic sofa store fire in 2007. He came to Gaffney from working in the field in Atlanta.
“One of the biggest things we deal with in EMS is the pressure of the calls,” Martin said.
“Some people don’t know how to react to it, don’t know how to respond to it, and deal with it internally. So, to be able to have that family atmosphere, where you’ve got not just a co-worker you can talk to but a co-worker, that is invested in you personally.”
Cherokee County is a rural area and ambulances can be as far away as 45 minutes from a call. However, these supervisors believe they have a strong team in place.
“The good thing here is the paramedics, the field staff we have here are great,” Spencer said.
“I’m definitely partial to them, but I’d put them up against anybody.”
