January 11, 2007 MR 07-01 [Blades,DE] - On Wednesday January 10, 2007, in a ceremony at the Nanticoke River Yacht Club in Blades, Delaware, the Nanticoke Rotary Club honored Sussex County Paramedics Valerie Elkins, Keith Bennett, Jay Shine, and Jeremy Goldman for outstanding community service.

Each Paramedic was selected by his or her District Supervisor for this award.

Valerie Elkins is assigned to A-Shift in the Eastern part of Sussex County. Valerie currently serves as a Field Training Officer (FTO) and Special Events Team (SET)/Bike Coordinator. As the SET/Bike Assistant Coordinator last year, Valerie was responsible for assigning and scheduling over 100 special events last season. In her role as an FTO, Valerie has numerous responsibilities which include training new employees and students. In addition, FTO’s are tasked with helping other employees maintain our high standard of care through quality improvement and critical skill updates. Valerie has been with Sussex County EMS since 2002. Valerie lives in Millville with her family

Keith Bennett is assigned to B-Shift on the eastern side of Sussex County. Keith has been active on the Special Events/Bike and Hazardous Materials Teams. Keith has obtained certification as a Hazardous Materials Technician and Tox Medic. Keith is committed to improving our department whenever possible according to his supervisor. Keith is working towards his Associates’ Degree from Delaware Technical and Community College. Keith is an Eastern Shore native from Preston, MD where he has been a volunteer fire fighter for the past fifteen years. Keith has two sons ages 5 and 14.

Jay Shine is an active member of the Hazardous Materials SET/Bike Teams. Jay also serves as the training officer for the Hazmat Team. As Training Officer, Jay has been assisting with placing Hazmat equipment in service and instructing other team members in the use of new equipment and technologies. Jay is currently working on his associate’s degree at Del Tech. Jay has been a Paramedic since 1998 and he lives in Millsboro with his wife and two children.

Jeremy Goldman is assigned to the eastern portion of Sussex County and has been with Sussex County EMS since 2003. Jeremy was selected for this award because of his dedication to improving SCEMS and his ability to help mentor new employees. Jeremy is an active member of the Hazmat team. Jeremy serves the team as a Hazmat Duty Officer and HazMat Technician. Jeremy also represents the HazMat Team for the equipment committee which is a group of employees that plan and purchases new technologies and equipment for SCEMS. Jeremy lives in Harrington with his daughter, Jen, and his wife, Lori, who is also a Sussex County EMS paramedic.