Thank you for visiting our website and exploring our great system. Whether you are an employee, prospective employee, resident, or visitor I hope that you find the information that you are looking for. Our motto “Caring People, Quality Service” is lived every day by every one of our employees. We hope that you appreciate our commitment to you with every interaction that we have.
Sussex County EMS (SCEMS) is a government service, providing advanced life support (ALS) care primarily for Sussex County, Delaware. Founded on January 15, 1991, we work closely with fire department-based BLS services, non-fire department-based BLS services, state, and local police, and are a part of the Delaware State-Wide Paramedic Program.
SCEMS is a non-transporting EMS agency, using specially designed rapid response vehicles. Our staff of 117 paramedics and support personnel provide ALS service to a 938 square mile area (the largest of Delaware’s three counties) and to a year-round population of 232,000. Our summer population dramatically increases as 8 million tourists annually come to enjoy our beautiful Atlantic beaches. Our dynamic system handles more the 32,000 ALS responses each year, and due to our geography, 30 to 45-minute transport times are not uncommon. Transportation of patients is provided by 21 BLS transport services (with a SCEMS Paramedic on-board if the patient meets ALS criteria), or by ALS helicopter service provided by the Delaware State Police or Christiana LifeNet, each stationed in Sussex County. In certain cases, the SCEMS Paramedic will fly with the patient to the appropriate medical facility.
SCEMS is a progressive, growth-oriented system, which requires a high degree of competency and dedication from its members. Our paramedics rely on a comprehensive set of standing orders to provide ALS care, establishing direct contact with the Medical Control Physician for consultation and additional orders when needed. In addition to the standard paramedic interventions, all our units are equipped with pre-hospital ventilators, IV pumps, LUCAS CPR assist devices, AirTraq video intubation cameras, capnography, and over 40 different prehospital medications. We were the first service in the State to utilize Rapid Sequence Induction/Drug Facilitated Airway procedures and continue to be a pioneer for new EMS products and procedures.
Because of the progressive nature of our protocols and the high degree of reliance on the paramedic’s individual judgment, we are very selective in our hiring practices. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and are required to have an oral interview, written test, practical interview, and a comprehensive medical evaluation to include mental health assessment, essential job functions test and physical examination. As a minimum, we require National Registry as a Paramedic and current BCLS, ACLS, ITLS/PHTLS, and PALS Certifications. Criminal background checks are required, and the applicant must have a current and valid driver's license. If you are interested in exploring employment opportunities with our employee centric department, we encourage you to visit that section of the website or reach out to us directly.
SCEMS values being visible in the community and engaged in providing education to our customers. Our paramedics routinely visit local schools and provide age-based education to our youth. SCEMS participates in over 100 Special Events annually. In many cases, while at those events our paramedics will provide “Take 10” CPR training, “Stop the Bleed” training, Naloxone training, or provide equipment demonstrations and our staff is always available for questions.
I hope that as you get to know our department, you realize that, as our mission statement indicates, we are “committed to improving your quality of life”. Thank you for visiting our website. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little better. If you have any additional questions, I encourage you to reach out to us.
Respectfully,
Robert Murray, Director
Sussex County EMS
Sussex County Emergency Medical Services is currently accepting applications for Nationally Registered Paramedics
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