Saturday August, 30 2025 @ 19:43

Nature: Medical Emergency

City: Orchard Manor

On Saturday evening, August 30^th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company was alerted to assist with a medical emergency in Orchard Manor off Oak Orchard Road.

Emergency response units from Indian River included Chief 80-15 and Rescue 80 from the Oak Orchard faciity, Utility 80-11 from the Long Neck facility as well as the Sussex County Paramedics and a Millsboro EMS Unit.

Volunteers from the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company assist with specific medical emergencies, such as cardiac arrest episodes, as part of their emergency medical services (EMS) role. All first responders work alongside other local and county EMS agencies to provide critical care. The specific actions taken by the first responders depend on the situation, but all personnel involved are trained to certain state standards.

Here is an illustration of how first responders typically assist in a cardiac arrest situation, based on standard Delaware protocol and fire department EMS functions:

Standard procedures for a cardiac arrest episode

• Initial Response: Indian River volunteers, along with Mid Sussex Rescue Squad, or other designated basic life support (BLS) provider, and county paramedics, are dispatched to the incident location.

• Medical Equipment: As first responders, Indian River personnel may arrive with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and other basic life support equipment.

• Patient Evaluation: Upon arrival, responders from different agencies assess the patient's condition.

• CPR and AED Use: Certified volunteers initiate Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and deploy an AED as needed, following Delaware's Basic Life Support Protocols.

• Team Coordination: Responding fire volunteers coordinate with medical units, and the initial fire response may be reduced to just the medical units once the scene is assessed and stabilized.

• Advanced Support: Care is then transferred to more advanced medical personnel, such as paramedics, who can provide advanced life support (ALS).

Training and certification for volunteers         

To participate in emergency medical responses, Indian River volunteers must maintain several certifications according to Delaware state requirements which include:

• CPR/AED: Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) is required for EMS responders, with renewal needed every two years.

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR): Volunteers responding to pre-hospital situations are often certified as EMRs, which prepares them to manage a patient until more advanced units arrive.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): Volunteers may also be certified as EMTs, which involves more extensive training, background checks, and an age requirement of 18.

First Aid: Standard certification in First Aid is also a requirement for all firefighters.