GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP/WBOC)- Sussex County will have additional around-the-clock paramedic coverage in the the western part of the county after a pilot program took off.
The Sussex County Council earlier this week voted to approve its $143 million budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which includes increased funding for life-saving paramedics in the Seaford/Blades area. According to Sussex County EMS deputy director Robbie Murray, three years ago, the county launched a pilot program in 2014 to increase paramedic coverage in the area and shorten response times. Murray says the program provided relief to Bridgeville and Laurel units, and proved so successful they have now secured funding to add an additional around the clock paramedic unit to that area.
Murray says after the funding comes through and the hiring process is complete, they expect the new unit to start in January of next year. Having more paramedics available, he says, will allow them to respond to more calls quickly and administer life-saving aid before ambulances arrive. Murray says the paramedics will respond to calls including broken limbs, overdoses, or trouble breathing--the most common call paramedics receive, he says.
Copies of the Sussex County Fiscal Year 2018 budget, as well as an accompanying budget presentation, can be downloaded from the county’s website at www.sussexcountyde.gov/county-budget.
