As Loudon County EMS director, Travis Estes oversees Loudon County paramedics and EMTs, monitoring efficiency and response times and conducting community outreach through events and public education initiatives. Estes joined Priority Ambulance in 2015 with 10 years of experience working at an ambulance service and 10 years of experience as a flight paramedic with UT LIFESTAR.
A Loudon County native, Estes graduated from Lenoir City High School in 1991. He joined Loudon County Fire & Rescue in 1992 as a firefighter. After earning his EMT license in 1994, he began working full-time for Fort Sanders Loudon EMS, which provided the county with 911 ambulance transport at that time. He concurrently went through the fire academy and worked full-time as a firefighter with the Lenoir City Fire Department. While working with the EMS agency, Estes twice was promoted to supervisor and captain. He continued in his role as captain when the ambulance service transitioned to Rural/Metro in 2003.
In 2005, Estes joined UT LIFESTAR as a flight paramedic and, in 2011, became the base manager at the Sweetwater location, managing 12 employees.
Throughout his career, Estes has received several national awards for his lifesaving efforts and community outreach. In 1998, Estes was selected by EMS Magazine as a runner-up for the national Paramedic of the Year award for going above and beyond the call of duty as the first paramedic on-scene in a mass casualty bus wreck in Loudon County. In 2000, Estes was honored by the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services for Children for organizing community days for Loudon County schools. Additionally, Estes was honored in 2005 with the national Star of Life Award from the American Ambulance Association.