Why Tennessee Children’s Hospital?

Safe Industries calls Tennessee home...

That’s why we made it our duty to ensure a timely and quality delivery of the finest RR Ultramedic Neonatal Critical Care Transport Unit to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital of Knoxville.

“East Tennessee Children’s Hospital put their trust into Safe Industries for a product that you truly cannot put a price tag on.” -Jeff LeBeda 

East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville has an exceptional and devoted mission critical team. Their first responders are dedicated to serving and caring for children cross-regionally; giving kids access to treatment from West Virginia to Kentucky, North Carolina to Tennessee. Being in the business of critical care, their teams see a lot…premature babies,  children who need complicated procedures such as heart or brain surgeries, conjoined twins; these are the sickest of children who require specialized care and transportation to a hospital capable of providing. Many of us have either known a child who needed treatment from a critical care unit, or have a friend who does. East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, or ETCH, is a place we know we can count on to take care of our loved ones. And as a company who strives to serve others, we are proud and excited to share about a way we were able to serve this beloved hospital, in hopes of serving and saving children all across our region – our home.

So why did Safe Industries get requested to build one of the most advanced and indispensable units ETCH needed? It started with service. One of the biggest blessings of having Safe Industries locations all across the nation is the gift of being involved and getting to know all kinds of places, communities, and teams. Safe Industries being in Knoxville meant having close proximity to ETCH, and that meant getting to establish personal and professional relationships to the hospital. After years of the hospital partnering with and utilizing our Knoxville service center, ETCH found out we are the exclusive dealer for Road Rescue in Tennessee. At the time, the hospital had a large increase in service needs and was working with a lot of outdated equipment. They were in need of something stronger, more capable, and full of unique and custom features for their specialization. It was because of the outstanding service our Knoxville team was committed to giving, that ETCH decided to trust us with a solution. This wasn’t a request for just any run-of-the-mill ambulance, this unit may have been the largest and most technical apparatus our team has been involved with, pertaining to its design and manufacture since Safe Industries began selling ambulances in 2022. This ambulance was complex with an incredibly unique design requiring the latest and most up-to-date, high-tech features obtainable. It was especially designed for the transport of pre-mature babies, not in stretchers, but in neonatal isolettes and incubators. This was an RR Ultramedic Neonatal Critical Care Transport Unit, a highly mission critical apparatus, and therefore imperative for our team to deliver the finest of our capabilities.

The design and production of this ambulance was meticulous and required all of our teams to work together for its success. The original design did not include a backup generator, which later became a huge challenge. That meant our teams needed to re-build half the truck in the middle of production. This required talent. Manufacturers and engineers quickly got involved, and our sales team, namely our Regional Apparatus Sales Manager, Jeff LeBeda, was able to facilitate dozens of thin strings to move in the right direction. The service team, including Dillon Hurst and Gabe Galbraith, worked hard to meet safety checks, complete last minute fixes, and get the product to pristine, ready condition. Between navigating backlogged parts, ensuring we built with the utmost precision, and working with such incredible and experienced teammates, the three-year long-awaited apparatus request was fulfilled; and it was worth the wait. This apparatus showed RR quality and capabilities in exceeding measures, which certainly showcases our talents at Safe Industries, and was our first ambulance apparatus that Safe Industries sold. The partnership between sales and service was stellar, and we are so proud of our team for making this dream a reality.

The communities of Tennessee are the communities we call home – the place we are devoted to serving in every season. It’s important to us to provide our first responders with the best tools and resources we can find, so that they can continue to serve our homes. Being able to deliver this apparatus is the result of that effort. We are excited to know that ETCH is overwhelmingly pleased with the product, with our service, and with displaying their mission as quickly as possible. It is with great joy that we share this story this month, and thankful for the reminder that our team is devoted to building for others just as we are built for others.

“Wherever we go, whatever we do, Safe Industries is committed to delivering the Finest Service — to our team, to our customers, and to the communities we call home.”