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Delaware County EMS wins CAPSY accreditation; commissioners praise training and field performance
Summary
Delaware County EMS received CAPSY accreditation for prehospital education and training, county EMS leaders told commissioners March 19, who commended staff and noted the accreditation is uncommon nationally.
Delaware County EMS has earned CAPSY accreditation for its prehospital education and training program, Director of EMS Jeff Fishell told the Board of Commissioners on March 19.
"CAPSY accreditation assures that all content is relevant, medically accurate, properly referenced and supported by learning objectives," Fishell said, summarizing the standard and telling commissioners the agency had expanded its training staff since 2019. He credited Ben Burgerer, Capt. Scott Gano and Capt. Glenn Keating for leading the work and said frontline providers carried the program’s results in the field.
Assistant Chief Jeremy Miller, who has served on CAPSY review teams nationally, said the accreditation is not awarded lightly and requires a rigorous third-party review. Capt. Glenn Keating added the review identified only a single deficit — a misspelling copied from a website — and emphasized the role of the county’s quality-assurance program in meeting standards.
Commissioners applauded the team’s work. "Our residents should feel very comfortable when they go to bed at night that we have people of this quality," Commissioner Jeff Benton said. The board offered formal congratulations and requested a future certificate presentation and photo when the accreditation paperwork is issued.
What this means: CAPSY accreditation signals that Delaware County’s EMS education, training and quality programs meet national standards for prehospital instruction and documentation. County staff said CAPSY accreditation is uncommon among ambulance services and that staff will receive a formal certificate after the accrediting organization’s next administrative meeting.
The next steps: EMS will finalize certification paperwork and present the formal accreditation to the board once the accrediting body issues it; there was no formal vote attached to the update because it was an informational item.
