Who we are
At Integrity EMS, our mission is simple: To provide professional medical care and transport in a timely manner, and to keep our word to patients, employees and clients.
The owner and founder, Bill Kelleher, has over 31 years of industry experience, including 24+ years in 911 and 7+ years in convalescent service. He has a history of success in business, having started and run an electronic medical records software and medical equipment company in the Buffalo, NY area prior to relocating to Tennessee, and currently owns and operates a successful CPR training center here in the Nashville area. Mr. Kelleher also has degrees in Business Administration and Health Planning & Management, and is Adjunct Faculty in the EMS Division for a local community college. With a wife, 5 children and 1 grandchild, family is of the utmost importance. Integrity EMS is here and has made a commitment to treat employees, patients and clients properly and to operate with something that has been lacking in some EMS Organizations: Integrity.
Some words from Mr. Kelleher:
“After many disappointments working for other EMS services and management teams, I was faced with a choice– retire from EMS and focus on my Training Center, or find a way to continue in the field that I love. I love working with people and taking care of patients, as well as training new people in the industry, but I came to the realization that I could no longer do that for someone else. My wife and I discussed it, and she ultimately told me she knew there was only one choice for me, so Integrity EMS was born. I’ve had a great career– it started in 1990 with a baptism by fire. A classmate in my college Tae Kwon Do class collapsed after taking a belt test. I rushed to his side and determined he needed CPR. Another classmate joined me and we continued CPR until the local rescue squad arrived.
Unfortunately at the time, BLS ambulances were not able to carry defibrillators, and the nearest hospital was 25 minutes away. My classmate did not make it. That day, I joined the University Rescue Squad and soon after registered for the first available EMT course. Once completed, I registered for Advanced EMT course and became a Certified Lab Instructor and then a Certified Instructor Coordinator. After completing my college degrees in 1993, I went on to Paramedic school and continued pushing forward to be the best that I could be. By the mid nineties, the instructor group I belonged to rolled out a pilot project in NY State to bring defibrillator capability down to the First Responder level, training over 900 Buffalo Fire Fighters on AED use and getting them online within 2 years. This also opened the door for public access defibrillation in NY. This remains one of my proudest achievements. I also had the honor of serving in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero immediately following 9/11.
I’ve done other things throughout my career such as pharmaceutical sales and medical equipment and software sales, but I always stayed current working at least part time as a Paramedic and teaching. Some of the things I’ve done have earned me more money, but I’ve always gravitated back to EMS. It is where my heart, soul and passion are. It’s been a great ride so far, but I’m no where near finished. The best is yet to come. I hope you consider joining me on this journey.”