Department of Emergency Services
The mission of the Department of Emergency Services (DES) is to provide high quality, timely, and effective emergency services to all residents and visitors to Dorchester County. DES has three divisions: Emergency Communications, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Emergency Management.
Leadership
Director, Anna Sierra
Emergency Communications Division Chief, Kimberly Vickers
EMS Division Chief, Andy Robertson
Medical Director, Dr. Steven White
Emergency Management Planner, Steve Garvin
Emergency Medical Services Division
Dorchester County Emergency Medical Services (DCEMS) is a career department with five 24/7 advanced life support (ALS) units in four stations across the county. EMS in Dorchester is supported by dedicated volunteers who maintain their own ambulances as well. All DCEMS providers are certified and licensed by the State of Maryland and complete a rigorous precepting program to ensure the highest quality of care is provided within our county. Led by Chief Andy Robertson, the EMS division is committed to providing a professional environment that fosters excellent medical care and a service-first attitude for our community.
Stations
Station 100 – Cambridge houses two units: Paramedic 100 and Paramedic 101
Station 200 – Eldorado-Brookview houses one unit: Paramedic 200
Station 500 – Madison houses one unit: Paramedic 500
Station 600 – Hurlock houses one unit: Paramedic 600
Hospitals
Maryland Medical Protocols set by the state define the types of conditions that may be transported to specialty hospital centers in the region or the state. The State designates hospitals as certain specialty centers through a standardized application and review process. A full list of designated specialty centers can be found on the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) website.
University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Dorchester (commonly referred to as Dorchester General Hospital) is typically the closest, most appropriate facility for emergency medical transports in the county. The facility is located at 300 Byrne Street, Cambridge MD and can be contacted at 410-228-5511.
Stroke
University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton and Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD are the closest designated stroke centers to Dorchester County.
STEMI
Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, Delaware and Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD are the closest designated Cardiac Intervention Centers, which are capable of treating ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients (STEMI; a specific type of heart attack which requires immediate cardiac catheterization), to Dorchester County.
Trauma
Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD is a Level III trauma center. Medevac via the Maryland State Police is also a common method of transport in trauma situations in Dorchester County due to our remote location and limited trauma resources. Patients requiring advanced trauma treatments are transported via helicopter to one of the designated Level I trauma centers in Maryland. For adults, University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center and Johns Hopkins Adult Trauma Center are both designated facilities and both located in Baltimore. Johns Hopkins Pediatric Trauma Center is the designated location for pediatric trauma cases, and is also in Baltimore. On rare occasions, patients may be transported to other designated trauma centers in Maryland, Delaware, or the District of Columbia, based on weather or the status of the receiving facility.
Burns
Adult burn patients requiring specialty, life-saving care may be transported via medevac to the Johns Hopkins Burn Center/Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore or the Burn center at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC.
Pediatric burn patients may be transported to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore or Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Other Specialty Centers
MIEMSS designates a variety of other specialty centers, including for patients with severe eye trauma, hand/upper extremity trauma, hyperbaric medicine, and perinatal complications. A full list of designated specialty centers can be found on the MIEMSS website. For questions about specialty centers, please contact the EMS Office.
Quality Assurance/Improvement
Our commitment to excellence in EMS is bolsters by our quality assurance and improvement program. Quality assurance in Dorchester routinely reviews medical charts, conducts hospital follow ups to determine outcomes, and provides feedback to the training officer for areas that an individual or the entire division could improve upon.