IAEP Local R7-11

We’re going to start a new “Did you know?” series this week. Today is all about the kinds of fire and EMS departments in Delaware county.
In Delaware county there are mix of different kinds of departments that may respond to your emergency. Let’s break them down!

1. Fire departments that have both fire apparatus and ambulances. This makes up 6 departments in Delaware County. These departments respond to both fire and all EMS emergencies.
2. Fire departments that do not have an ambulance. These departments do not transport sick patients to the hospital, but still may respond to certain EMS calls, along with all fire calls. There are 7 fire-only departments in Delaware county.
3. EMS only departments that only have ambulances. These departments may still respond to fire related emergencies, but their primary duties are responding to all medical emergencies. Delaware County EMS is the only department in Delaware county that is EMS only.

Thank you to the Commissioners for recognizing our efforts, and we hope they remember the service provided by our hard working EMTs and medics when it comes time for contract negotiations! DCEMS needs to retain our staff, and that comes from fair wages!

This morning in session, the Commissioners took time to recognize and honor the hardworking professionals of our Delaware County EMS. This is Emergency Medical Services Week and we salute our EMS team for the quality of care they provide to so many residents and visitors of our county every day.

Happy to be in the station with our partners at BSTG, serving our residents and visitors!

As EMS week 2026 comes to a close, we want to thank everyone for following along. We also want to take a moment to thank our past members of Delaware County EMS. Those who have worked here and moved on to other departments, those who have retired from DCEMS, and those we have lost in the line of duty.
Thank you! Without your contributions this department would not be where it’s at today. From Chief’s to paramedics each person has played an important role in our departments history. While there are too many people to name (I don’t want to leave anyone out), please know you are remembered- the dinner table is constantly filled with stories of our past!

Tonight we held our annual awards ceremony. This ceremony highlights the hard work of DCEMS emts and paramedics as well as those from our partner agencies. Tonight we honored multiple DCEMS providers, as well as firefighters from BSTG, Berlin Twp, Tri Twp, and Elm Valley fire for their clinical excellence and contributions to the department. We also welcomed new EMTs and paramedics to the department with a swearing in ceremony and the promotion of new LTs with a badge pinning.

Proud of our friends and coworkers at BSTG for their hard work!

EMS Star: Troy Township Fire Department The Troy Township Fire Department was awarded an EMS Star of Life award.

Dinner time in the world of fire and EMS is typically 6pm. After dinner we do “house chores”. Living in the station 24/7, it becomes our second home. So we mop, sweep, do the dishes, and take out the trash just like our own homes.
Tonight, we also celebrated two special milestones with ice cream and cake! We end the night with family time. Some nights that means sitting outside enjoying the weather, other nights that means movie time.

Another part of our day is training. We train on various medical emergencies to ensure we are prepared for any scenario we may face. We will also partner with other departments and do joint training. Today’s training was on one of our most common calls- cardiac emergencies, including a cardiac arrest where we got to put our new Zoll monitor through its paces.

So what exactly is a morning check?
Each morning we check the ambulance to be sure all equipment is in working order and present. This includes our cardiac monitor, first in bag, and airway bag. We also have medications that we check, as well as general medical supplies.
Is there any equipment you’d like to know more about? Let us know in the comments!

Today is the start of our “day in the life”!
For DCEMS, we switch crews at 6am. Typically at 6am we eat breakfast and do our truck and equipment checks. However, some days we get runs right at shift change. That was the case today for Medic 11 (currently in backup 10x) who started with an early morning trip to Grady.

(Picture taken after transport completed)

Come back tomorrow at 6am and all throughout the day to follow along on a “day in the life” of the paramedics and EMTs of DCEMS🚑 It’s gonna be fun!