Committees

Active Assailant Committee

The Active Assailant Preparedness Committee was established to enhance the community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from active assailant and mass casualty incidents. Recognizing the evolving public safety challenges facing communities across the nation, the committee is dedicated to improving education, planning, and coordinated response through training and outreach.

Committee members are certified Stop the Bleed® Instructors and provide bleeding control education to civilians, schools, businesses, public safety agencies, and healthcare partners while promoting the placement and use of public access bleeding control kits throughout Sussex County. Members are also trained through Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Active Attack Integrated Response (AAIR) programs, which emphasize unified, multidisciplinary response by law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, and other public safety partners during active assailant incidents.

Through public education, responder training, and collaborative exercises, the committee helps strengthen the preparedness of Sussex County’s paramedics, fire service personnel, law enforcement partners, and the community, ensuring a coordinated response when seconds matter most.

Cardiac Arrest Improvement Committee

Every year, more than 350,000 people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States. Immediate recognition, bystander CPR, early defibrillation, and high-quality advanced life support are critical to improving survival, with bystander CPR capable of doubling or even tripling a person’s chance of survival. Through community initiatives such as Take 10 and Hands-Only CPR education, the committee works to empower citizens to take action before EMS arrives.

The Cardiac Arrest Improvement Committee is dedicated to continually improving Sussex County EMS’s response to cardiac arrest by evaluating every cardiac arrest patient encounter and identifying opportunities to strengthen each link in the American Heart Association’s Chain of Survival. The committee monitors key performance measures, including the department’s Heart Outcomes Tracker (HOT) Score—a comprehensive quality improvement metric that evaluates resuscitation performance, guideline compliance, CPR quality, and patient outcomes.

Committee members receive specialized training in Stryker’s Cardiac Arrest Review software, allowing them to collect, analyze, and benchmark resuscitation data while providing meaningful feedback to field providers. Through continuous review, education, and performance improvement, the committee helps ensure every cardiac arrest receives the highest standard of evidence-based care while advancing the department’s mission to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest.

Banquet Committee

The Banquet Committee plans and coordinates the annual Sussex County Public Safety Awards Banquet, recognizing the outstanding achievements, dedication, and service of members across the Division of Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, and our public safety partners.

Through this event, the committee helps celebrate excellence, honor exceptional performance, and recognize those who go above and beyond in service to our community. By acknowledging the accomplishments of our personnel, the committee reinforces a culture of appreciation, professionalism, and pride throughout the department.

Fitness Committee

The Fitness Committee promotes the health and wellness of Sussex County EMS personnel by helping ensure stations and the Public Safety Complex are equipped with the fitness equipment and resources needed to support an active workforce. Committee members evaluate equipment needs, recommend upgrades, and develop initiatives that encourage healthy lifestyles and physical readiness.

The committee supports the department’s overall wellness efforts but does not replace the expertise of certified fitness trainers, health professionals, or nutrition coaches. Instead, it serves as a resource for identifying employee needs, improving fitness facilities, and fostering a culture that values health, wellness, and readiness.

SOP Committee

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Committee meets bimonthly to review, evaluate, and improve the department’s policies and procedures. Comprised of field providers and department leadership, the committee ensures that operational guidelines remain current, practical, and reflective of today’s EMS environment.

Committee members provide valuable frontline feedback on existing SOPs, identifying what is working well, recommending improvements, and helping develop new procedures when operational or clinical needs evolve. By involving those who use these policies every day, the committee helps ensure Sussex County EMS maintains clear, effective, and evidence-based standards that support both patient care and operational excellence.

CORE Committee

The Community Outreach, Recruiting & Education (CORE) Committee serves as the public face of Sussex County EMS by connecting the department with the communities we serve and the future professionals we hope to recruit. Focused on education, engagement, and workforce development, committee members represent the department at schools, colleges, career fairs, community events, and public safety programs throughout Sussex County.

The committee plays a key role in delivering community education initiatives, including Take 10 CPR, while supporting recruitment efforts by introducing prospective employees to careers in emergency medical services. Members also assist with public information and social media initiatives alongside the department’s Public Information Officers (PIOs), participate in special operations outreach, and help educate the public on the many services and programs offered by Sussex County EMS. Through these efforts, the CORE Committee helps build stronger community relationships while inspiring the next generation of EMS professionals.

Equipment Committee

The Equipment Committee works closely with the Logistics Division to evaluate the medical equipment, technology, vehicles, and operational tools used throughout Sussex County EMS. Drawing on the experience of frontline providers, committee members review existing equipment, evaluate new products, and provide recommendations that help improve patient care, provider safety, and operational efficiency.

In addition to equipment evaluations, the committee plays an active role in department initiatives such as ambulance design, vehicle outfitting, and the implementation of new technologies. By combining field experience with collaborative decision-making, the committee helps ensure the department continues to equip its providers with the safest and most effective resources available.

Phoenix Committee

The Phoenix Committee celebrates one of the greatest successes in emergency medicine—the survival and recovery of a cardiac arrest patient. Named after the mythical phoenix, a symbol of renewal and rising from the ashes, the committee recognizes survivors by reuniting them with the dispatchers, bystanders, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, hospital staff, and others whose actions helped save their lives.

These reunions honor the teamwork required for successful resuscitation while highlighting the importance of immediate bystander intervention. They serve as a powerful reminder that early recognition, calling 911, performing CPR, using an AED, and providing high-quality emergency care all contribute to the Chain of Survival. By sharing these stories, the committee celebrates lives saved, recognizes those who made a difference, and inspires more members of the public to learn CPR and be prepared to act when every second counts.

Protocol Committee

Medicine is constantly evolving, and Delaware’s statewide EMS protocols are updated on a biennial basis to ensure providers continue delivering the most current, evidence-based patient care. The Protocol Committee helps keep Sussex County EMS at the forefront of prehospital medicine by actively participating in the research, development, and refinement of these clinical standards.

Working closely with the department’s Quality & Standards Division and Medical Direction, committee members evaluate emerging evidence, review current practices, and develop recommendations to improve patient care. These proposals are presented at statewide protocol meetings coordinated by the Delaware Office of EMS, where EMS agencies, physicians, and stakeholders collaborate on future protocol revisions. Approved changes are reviewed by the State Medical Director before being submitted to the Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline for final approval. Through this process, the committee helps ensure Sussex County EMS continues to influence and advance emergency medical care throughout Delaware.

Safety & Preparedness Committee

The Safety & Preparedness Committee is dedicated to promoting a safe, healthy, and prepared workplace for every member of Sussex County EMS. Committee members review safety initiatives, evaluate workplace practices, and provide recommendations that help reduce risk, improve operational safety, and ensure personnel have the tools and resources needed to perform their duties safely.

The committee also supports department preparedness initiatives by promoting emergency readiness for both employees and the community. Working alongside the Division of Emergency Management when appropriate, members encourage personal, family, and workplace preparedness while helping foster a culture where safety and readiness remain a shared responsibility. Through continuous evaluation and employee feedback, the committee helps strengthen the department’s commitment to protecting both its personnel and the communities they serve.

Station Point Person Committee

The Station Point Person Committee helps ensure each Sussex County EMS station remains safe, organized, and well-maintained. Each year, a field provider is assigned to serve as the liaison between their station and the Logistics Division, promoting station pride while helping identify facility, equipment, and operational needs.

By providing consistent feedback from their assigned station, committee members help improve communication between field personnel and logistics staff. They assist with identifying maintenance concerns, recommending improvements, supporting department initiatives, and ensuring stations and equipment remain ready to serve the community. Their ongoing involvement helps foster accountability, consistency, and pride in the places our providers call home throughout their shift.