Sussex EMS team among the best in the nation

A team of Sussex County paramedics taking part in a national emergency medical service competition brought home honors from a recent competition.

The team earned a bronze medal in the 2013 Journal of Emergency Medical Services Games in Washington, D.C. The competition among elite groups of first-responders was held March 5-8 through during the EMS Today Conference, an annual educational gathering and exposition for pre-hospital care providers.

This year’s competition included 10 teams from agencies across the United States. Sussex County’s team included paramedics Jill Wix, Andrew Vickers, Jessielyn Woolbright and Kevin Erb.

Sussex County’s most recent win is the first bronze medal and sixth overall since 2005. “I am extremely proud of this team because I know how hard they have worked to bring home the bronze to Sussex County,” Sussex County EMS Director Robert Stuart said. “Once again, Sussex County, Delaware, has shown that we have some of the best paramedics in the country.”

Sussex County was in third place following the preliminary round earlier in the week, heading into Friday’s finals with only two other teams. The final phase of the competition included a mass casualty incident with several medical and trauma patients.

Paramedics were judged on their ability to effectively perform simulated patient care, which included triage, treatment and transportation of patients.

Joining Sussex County EMS in earning medals at the JEMS Games were Fire Department of New York City with the gold and Cumberland County, N.C., EMS, with the silver.

This year’s bronze medal adds to Sussex County’s previous successes. Past Sussex County EMS competition teams in the JEMS Games earned a gold medal in 2005 and 2011, as well as silver medals in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Sussex County EMS also placed third during the Magen David Adom 2008 Olympics, an international EMS competition held in the Dead Sea region of Israel.

Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson said Sussex County residents should be proud of the dedicated professionals who make up the squad and the larger EMS organization. “Our paramedics have shown once again that the standard of care and quality of service in Sussex County is among the highest of anywhere in the United States, or the world for that matter,” he said. “We are proud of our Sussex County EMS team, not just for their success in the JEMS competition, but because of the success they achieve in saving lives here in our community each and every day.”