Sussex County EMS team earns gold medal in international contest
Sussex County paramedics are the new gold standard in prehospital emergency medical care, and they have the hardware to back it up.
A Sussex County Emergency Medical Services team earned a gold medal March 4 for the members’ performance in the 2011 Journal of Emergency Medical Services Games in Baltimore, Md. The competition among elite groups of first responders was held March 2-4 during the EMS Today Conference, an annual educational gathering and exposition for prehospital care providers.
This year’s competition included 16 teams from EMS agencies across the United States, as well as one international team from Australia. Sussex County’s team included paramedics Jeff Cox, Stuart Hensley, Jill Wix, and Jessielyn Woolbright.
Sussex County’s most recent win is the second gold medal and fifth overall since 2005.
“I am extremely proud of this team because I know how hard they have worked to bring home the gold again to Sussex County,” Sussex County EMS Director Robert Stuart said. “Once again, little Sussex County, Delaware has shown that we have some of the best paramedics in the business.”
Sussex County was in third place following the preliminary round earlier in the week, heading into the finals with only two other teams. The final phase of the competition included a hazardous materials incident.
Paramedics were judged on their ability to effectively perform simulated patient care, which included triage (prioritizing injuries), treatment, and transportation of patients.
Joining Sussex County EMS in earning medals at the JEMS Games were Surry County, N.C., and Miami-Dade County, Fla., which earned silver and bronze, respectively.
This year’s gold medal win adds to Sussex County’s previous successes. Past Sussex County EMS competition teams in the JEMS Games earned a gold medal in 2005, 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.
Stuart Hensley, the Sussex County EMS competition team captain, said he and his teammates were proud to be once again bringing home gold to Delaware.
“We feel phenomenal. Every year we do the best we can, and we have captured medals five out of the last seven years,” Hensley said. ”It’s just an exceptional feeling to compete against the best in the world and consistently place in the top spots.”
Sussex County Administrator David B. Baker congratulated the team on its continued success and said the win is more than just a victory for the squad. “This is a win for the people of Sussex County, because this demonstrates the high-caliber professionals that we have on staff and the quality service they provide to the citizens of our community each and every day,” Baker said.
