Delaware Basic Life Support Protocols - Guidelines and Standing Orders - Statewide Standard Treatment Protocols (Effective November 1, 2024)

Sep 23, 2026

Delaware Basic Life Support Protocols provide statewide standard treatment protocols and basic life support standing orders for prehospital and interfacility patients, effective November 1, 2024. The document outlines EMT standard of care, telephone report guidelines, and general patient care for adult and pediatric cases, along with condition-specific protocols such as chest pain, acute respiratory distress, allergic reactions, altered mental status, suspected opioid overdose, sepsis, suspected stroke, and cardiac arrest. It further covers triage for mass casualty incidents, restraint and infection control guidance, and multiple appendices including diversion scripts, EMT pharmacology, reference charts, monitoring tools, and hospital contact resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages103

Reading Time4 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and EMT Standard of Care

EMT Telephone Report Guidelines

General Patient Care – Adult

Nausea/Vomiting

General Patient Care – Pediatric

Refusal of Service

Chest Pain

Acute Respiratory Distress – Adult

Acute Respiratory Distress – Pediatric

Albuterol

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

Allergic Reaction

Altered Mental Status

Suspected Opiate Overdose

Sepsis

Suspected Stroke

Initiation of Resuscitative Efforts

Adult Cardiac Arrest

Ventricular Assist Device (VAD or LVAD)

Pediatric Cardiac Arrest

Do Not Resuscitate Orders

Pediatric and Adult Trauma

Pain Management – Adult

Selective Spinal Motion Restriction

Burns

Triage for Mass Casualty

Taser Probe Removal

Water Related Emergencies

Eye Injuries

Bites and Envenomation

Heat Emergencies

Cold Emergencies

Obstetrics

Patient Restraint

Fire Ground Rehabilitation

Non-Emergency/Interfacility/Device Dependent Transport

Medical Treatment for Chemical Exposure

Suspected Emerging Infectious Disease (EID)

Appendix A – Diversion Script

Appendix B – EMT Pharmacology

Appendix C – Reference Charts

Appendix D – Infection Control

Appendix E – Non-Invasive Gas Monitoring

Appendix F – Hospital Contact List

Appendix G – Van Stroke Assessment Tool

Appendix H – DMOST Forms

Appendix I – Mass Casualty Triage Chart

Appendix J – Best Practices for Pediatric Transport

Statewide Standard Treatment Protocol Delaware Basic Life Support Protocols, Guidelines and Standing Orders For Prehospital and Interfacility Patients Effective: November 1, 2024 Approved by State EMS Medical Directors: March 20, 2024 Approved by ALS Standards Committee: May 31, 2024 Approved by the Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline: July 9, 2024 Adopted by the State Fire Prevention Commission: July 9, 2024 State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Health Office of Emergency Medical Services 2024 Statewide Standard Treatment Protocols and Basic Life Support Standing Orders Steven Blessing, MA Director Division of Public Health ______________________________________ Robert A. Rosenbaum, MD, FACEP, FAEMS State EMS Medical Director, Office of Emergency Medical Services Emergency Medical Services & Preparedness Section Medical Director Division of Public Health This treatment protocol for basic life support has been adopted and is enacted by the State Fire Prevention Commission pursuant to Delaware Code, Title 16, Chapter 98, Section 9802 (24 ) . Ronald Marvel Chairman State Fire Prevention Commission TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND EMT STANDARD OF CARE 7 EMT TELEPHONE REPORT GUIDELINES 13 GENERAL PATIENT CARE – ADULT 14 NAUSEA/VOMITING 16 GENERAL PATIENT CARE – PEDIATRIC 17 REFUSAL OF SERVICE 20 CHEST PAIN 21 ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS – ADULT 22 ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS – PEDIATRIC 23 ALBUTEROL 25 CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE (CPAP) 26 ALLERGIC REACTION 27 ALTERED MENTAL STATUS 29 SUSPECTED OPIATE OVERDOSE 31 SEPSIS 33 SUSPECTED STROKE 34 INITIATION OF RESUSCITATIVE EFFORTS 36 ADULT CARDIAC ARREST 38 VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE (VAD OR LVAD) 39 PEDIATRIC CARDIAC ARREST 40 DO NOT RESUSCITATE ORDERS 41 PEDIATRIC AND ADULT TRAUMA 43 PAIN MANAGEMENT – ADULT 46 SELECTIVE SPINAL MOTION RESTRICTION 47 BURNS 49 TRIAGE FOR MASS CASUALTY 50 TASER PROBE REMOVAL 52 WATER RELATED EMERGENCIES 53 EYE INJURIES 54 BITES AND ENVENOMATION 55 HEAT EMERGENCIES 56 COLD EMERGENCIES 57 OBSTETRICS 58 PATIENT RESTRAINT 61 FIRE GROUND REHABILITATION 63 NON-EMERGENCY/INTERFACILITY/DEVICE DEPENDENT TRANSPORT 64 MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE 67 SUSPECTED EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE (EID) 68 APPENDIX A – DIVERSION SCRIPT 71 APPENDIX B – EMT PHARMACOLOGY 72 APPENDIX C – REFERENCE CHARTS 88 APPENDIX D – INFECTION CONTROL 91 APPENDIX E – NON-INVASIVE GAS MONITORING 95 APPENDIX F – HOSPITAL CONTACT LIST 96 APPENDIX G – VAN STROKE ASSESSMENT TOOL 97 APPENDIX H – DMOST FORMS 98 APPENDIX I – MASS CASUALTY TRIAGE CHART 101 APPENDIX J – BEST PRACTICES FOR PEDIATRIC TRANSPORT 102 INTRODUCTION AND EMT STANDARD OF CARE Delaware Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Protocols Issued by the State of Delaware EMS Medical Directors In cooperation with the Delaware State Fire Prevention Commission and the Office of Emergency Medical Services The Delaware Emergency Medical Technician protocols and the standing orders contained within have been developed as an adjunct to the standards of care as contained in the United States Department of Transportation Educational Standards and verified through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians certification process. All Delaware certified EMS providers administering patient care are doing so under the provisions of the State EMS Medical Director's medical license in accordance with Delaware Code Title 16, Chapter 98 Section 9802. These protocols are not all-inclusive. They address in particular those patients for which EMTs may assist with previously prescribed medications such as nitroglycerin, invasive procedures such as automatic external defibrillation, and complex clinical situations such as refusal of treat

FAQs

What is the effective date and scope of these protocols?

The statewide standard treatment protocols and basic life support standing orders are effective November 1, 2024, and apply to prehospital and interfacility patients.

Who is authorized to allow deviations from standing orders?

Deviations may be undertaken only by direct order from an approved base station physician serving as Medical Control Physician within a Delaware Office of EMS approved facility, or by a state EMS medical director directly involved in the patient’s care.

Which major clinical topics are covered in the basic life support protocols?

The table of contents includes protocols for general adult and pediatric patient care, chest pain, acute respiratory distress, allergic reactions, altered mental status, suspected opioid overdose, sepsis, suspected stroke, initiation of resuscitative efforts, adult and pediatric cardiac arrest, trauma, burns, and mass casualty triage.

Sep 23, 2026

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