On Monday Night Football last week, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed on the football field. He stopped breathing, and his heart stopped beating. His distraught teammates and tens of millions of television viewers watched, worried whether he would survive.
And Wednesday, he walked out of the hospital.
Those paramedics and first responders who saved Damar’s life are truly heroes.
And here in New Castle County, we’re helping everyone get access to the same life-saving treatment Damar Hamlin received.
You don’t see this type of life-saving heroism on national TV very often. But for New Castle County paramedics, this is what they see and do every single day. They are out there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, saving lives in our communities.
As your County Executive, I will never stop doing everything I can to help our brave, hardworking first responders come to the rescue with high-quality emergency medical care. Here are some of the things we’ve done to ensure county residents can get fast and effective emergency help:
- Faster 911 call response. For the first time in county history, we met the national standard, answering 90% of calls in ten seconds or less. And we have now exceeded that standard for five consecutive years.
- Text 911. In an emergency, call 911 if you can. Text if you cannot. In domestic violence and active shooter situations, and for those with speech, hearing and other disabilities, this technology has been critical to saving lives and keeping our community safe.
- PulsePoint. Our PulsePoint app alerts anyone who knows CPR to come help a nearby victim. Learn CPR. Call 302-395-2736 to attend one of our community CPR courses. Then download the PulsePoint app and become part of the “chain of survival” for cardiac arrest incidents. It is saving lives.
- Vial of Life. Imagine for a minute that you are a paramedic. When you initiate emergency response, you usually know very little about the victim. The Vial of Life is a small pill bottle with a medical information sheet. You fill out the information sheet, put it in your refrigerator and put the Vial of Life magnet on your fridge. This enables paramedics to learn what medicines you take and other health conditions to be aware of as they administer care in an emergency. Pick up a free Vial of Life at your local New Castle County library.
And we will continue to make it a top priority to recruit and retain the highest quality EMS personnel to save Delawareans’ lives.
We have given unprecedented financial support to our paramedics, providing them with the increased pay that they deserve. During the Covid pandemic, we provided paramedics, 911 operators, and other emergency personnel with “Hero’s Pay” for going above and beyond in serving our communities.
And a few months ago, in collaboration with a united New Castle County Council, we gave county paramedics their largest pay increase ever.
Let’s all work together, learning CPR, putting Vial of Life in the fridge and supporting our paramedics.
In Delaware, everyone deserves to be treated like Damar Hamlin.
Matt Meyer is New Castle County Executive.
