COLUMBIA, Columbia State Community College celebrated 41 new emergency medical services graduates during its Fall 2025 EMS Pinning ceremony, held in the Cherry Theater on Hampshire Pike. The class included 13 emergency medical technicians and 28 advanced emergency medical technicians, each earning their certification after completing a rigorous program of classroom instruction, practical skills training, and clinical rotations. Among the Maury County AEMT graduates recognized were Craig Heimbold, Lulani Murphy, and Jacob Beard. Maury County EMT graduates included Miguel Ponce, Kevin Medina, Justin Hyde, Joshua Byers, Ethan Pitton, and Chandler Bachan.
The results speak for themselves. Fall 2025 EMT completers achieved a 100% first-attempt pass rate on the national registry exam, a benchmark that reflects both the quality of instruction and the dedication of the students who showed up, put in the work, and earned their place in the profession. Students in the accelerated AEMT certificate track, which compresses training into a single semester and requires 144 hours of clinical rotations, also posted a 100% first-attempt pass rate. Greg Johnson, Columbia State's EMS Academy program director, said the cohort trained hard, stayed focused, and proved they are ready to serve.
An EMT provides basic life support at the scene of illnesses and injuries and assists with patient transport. Advanced EMTs add a higher level of pre-hospital care to that foundation, bridging the gap between basic life support and full paramedic-level intervention. In communities across Maury County and surrounding areas, these men and women will be the first faces a family sees in a crisis, the ones who show up when the call comes in at 2 a.m., or when a car goes off the road on a wet night outside Culleoka. Dr. Kae Fleming, Columbia State's dean of the Health Sciences Division, noted that EMS completers provide essential care at moments when every second counts, and called Columbia State's program the best EMS education available in Tennessee.
For those interested in following the path these graduates have taken, Columbia State's EMS program is open and accepting students. More information is available at ColumbiaState.edu/EMS or by contacting the EMS Academy directly. In a county growing as fast as Maury County, the need for trained first responders only increases, and Columbia State is doing its part to meet that need, one pinning ceremony at a time.