The New Castle County Paramedics received notification from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (www.CAAS.org) that they have received a full three-year accreditation that will continue through December 31, 2015. New Castle County Emergency Medical Services remains one of 155 organizations and the only Delaware EMS agency to achieve national accreditation through CAAS.
CAAS accreditation verifies that the New Castle County Paramedics are compliant with over 100 standards deemed essential to a modern emergency medical service. The standards cover all aspects of emergency medical services operations and agency management. CAAS conducts an off-site review of an application, with an on-site inspection conducted by a three-person review team. Finally, the Commission reviews both the application and site review team report before granting accreditation or renewal of accreditation to an agency.
“The renewal of our accreditation is recognition of the hard work and commitment to excellence demonstrated each and every day by our paramedics as they respond to the medical needs of those who live and work in New Castle County,” said Chief Lawrence E. Tan of the New Castle County Paramedics. “It also helps to validate the public value provided by the Emergency Medical Services Division of the New Castle County Department of Public Safety through independent verification the service meets the ‘gold standard’ for delivery of pre-hospital care.”
New Castle County established the first paramedic service in Delaware in 1975. The deployment of “paramedics” enabled patients to receive “advanced life support” treatment at the scene of an emergency and throughout transport to the hospital. Paramedics, unlike basic ambulances, and provide advanced life support care which includes heart monitoring, intravenous fluid and drug therapy. New Castle County Paramedics routinely activate special hospital teams and resources even before the patient arrives to expedite care in time-sensitive situations.