January 6, 2010 MR 10-01 [Georgetown, DE] For more than 40 years, Glenn Luedtke’s life has been about public safety and public service. Now Mr. Luedtke will get the chance to do something else – enjoy his successes in retirement.
Mr. Luedtke, Director of Sussex County Emergency Medical Services, will retire Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, from the department he has led for the past nine years. Mr. Luedtke took the reins of Sussex County EMS on January 8, 2001, and since that time, has guided the organization during a period of tremendous growth and change.
The occasion is one that is bittersweet for Mr. Luedtke, whose life’s work has been in service to those around him – friends, family, and neighbors.
“While I’m looking forward to retirement, there’s also an element of sadness in knowing that I’m leaving a job that I have loved doing, and people whose friendships I truly treasure.,” Director Luedtke said. “Above all else, I am immensely proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the past nine years, and of the high quality of care our department has provided, and will continue to provide, to the citizens of Sussex County. It’s been a labor of love, done with a fantastic team of dedicated people, and I’ve been fortunate to be a part of it.”
For his efforts, the Sussex County Council on Tuesday, Jan. 5, honored Mr. Luedtke with a proclamation and plaque for his years of service and dedication to the people of Sussex County.
Mr. Luedtke is a nationally registered paramedic, and has served as a paramedic, EMS officer, educator, volunteer fire chief and EMS director during his more than 40 years of public service. He is an adjunct assistant professor of emergency medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and served as director of the Cape & Islands EMS System in Cape Cod, Mass., prior to becoming director of Sussex County EMS.
Mr. Luedtke’s leadership has gained Sussex County EMS regional, national, and international recognition as a premier advanced life support system. During his tenure, Sussex County EMS experienced a 78 percent increase in calls for emergency service. [In 2009, Sussex County EMS paramedics responded to more than 17,000 emergency calls].
In response to that growth, Director Luedtke worked with County Council and other leaders to expand the department from 54 personnel and six paramedic units in 2001 to a department of more than 100 employees and eight full time medic units today. Under his leadership, the department adopted new, state-of-the-art treatment protocols and implemented emerging technologies designed to improve patient care, including advanced airway management techniques and automatic cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices.
While serving as director of Sussex County EMS, Mr. Luedtke has continued to be involved in EMS on the national level. He is a founding member of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, and currently chairs the organization’s EMS Safety Course Development Committee. He is a member of the EMS Safety Foundation, and served as the keynote speaker at the National EMS Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., this past October. Additionally, he is a charter member of the National Association of EMS Educators, and a past member of the association’s board of directors.
In 2006, Mr. Luedtke was presented with the Sussex County EMS Administrator of the Year award by his peers, and in September 2009 was selected by the Delaware State Ambulance Association as the first winner of the Stephanie Callaway Memorial Award for Excellence in Paramedicine. The award was named for Sussex County Paramedic Callaway, who was tragically killed in the line of duty in 2008, the first such line-of-duty death in Delaware history.
While Mr. Luedtke intends to enjoy some quality down time with family and friends in retirement, his involvement in EMS will not totally end.
In addition to continuing to chair the national Safety Course Development committee, he plans to co-author a textbook for emergency medical technician training, as well as write and appear in a series of training videos for the Florida Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He also will work as a consultant for several government agencies and private consulting firms.
In his spare time, Mr. Luedtke plans to continue his other passion: music. He is an accomplished musician, and was a member of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra prior to serving as a member of The United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own) in Washington D.C., from which he retired as a Sergeant Major in 1985. He currently performs regularly with the Salisbury University Wind Ensemble, the Milford Community Band, and the “Touch of Brass” quintet.
He and his wife, Sherry Griemsman, live in Rehoboth Beach. Sherry is a registered nurse in the emergency department of Beebe Medical Center. They have two daughters, Deborah Lust and Wendy Luedtke, and one granddaughter, Eliza.
Sussex County EMS Deputy Director Robert Stuart has been named Mr. Luedtke’s replacement as acting Director. Mr. Stuart has served in several roles with the organization since he joined the department as a paramedic student in its inaugural year, 1990. Those roles have included field paramedic, quality and training manager, acting director, and, most recently, deputy director. As deputy director, his responsibilities include preparing, implementing, and managing the annual budget, coordinating with other County departments, and managing special projects.
Mr. Stuart, a Millsboro native, has served as member of both the Millsboro Fire Company and Millsboro VFW Ambulance squad, where he held the rank of ambulance captain. Mr. Stuart has been active on planning committees, including the Delaware Department of Transportation’s North-South Study Working Group, and teaches community CPR programs for Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, Del.
Mr. Stuart is married and has three grown children and ten grandchildren. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and is working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
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For more information, please contact Tim Cooper at (302) 236-4325.