College EMS

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by Bradley Wilson, EMT-P It seems that some 30 years ago when metropolitan governments and rural areas were starting their own emergency medical systems, colleges and universities had the same idea. Shorter response times, an opportunity to provide real-life experiences for their students, and lower costs provided all the necessary reasons for such services. One or two student activists and a catalyst were all the campuses needed.

According to Scott Savett, an EMT-B with Clemson University's EMS system, all of those things came together when Clemson's EMS system started in 1976.

"A student was struck by an auto on campus in 1976, and it took 40 minutes for the local ambulance to arrive," Savett said, noting .that the service was first actually formed in 1971, re-established in 1976 and moved under the jurisdiction of the university's fire department in 1979.

Bob Audet , EMT-CC with Rural/Metro in Syracuse and EMS Manager for Syracuse University, said Syracuse University Ambulance started in 1975 when he said students were concerned about the cost of an ambulance ride and about response time. He also said the stabbing of a student on campus may have served as a catalyst for the movement.

"It was a student activist type of movement. Students wanted to get involved. They did not have an easy fight."

After more than 20 years, Syracuse now operates two ambulances, one on call with medics 24 hours a day every day that the Health Center is open and one available as a backup. Standby crews also work large campus events and events at the Carrier Dome. SUA also operates a Medical Transport Service to help students who need transport to or from campus or local medical facilities and maintains a computerized dispatch service. And Syracuse is only one of some 150 campus-based EMS systems according to the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF).

At other universities, the number of different types of student EMS services is almost as varied as the campuses themselves.

George Washington University in the District of Columbia, for example, dispatches BLS medics on mountain bicycles 24 hours a day, Thursday - Monday.

"We begin patient care long before any DCFD units arrive (a typical call that requires transport x it can take 20-60 minutes for a DCFD ambulance to respond)," said Daniel Kaniewski, EMT-B, public relations liaison with George Washington University's Emergency Medical Response Group. "Our bikes allow us quick response times (1-3 minutes) and also our service prevents unnecessary patient costs."

Kaniewski also said this saves the students a minimum of $200 for unnecessary ambulance rides. The University Police transport non-critical patients to the emergency room accompanied by an EMT. In contrast, Texas A&M University operates a 24-hour MICU-capable service and provides mutual aid to surrounding towns.

"Since we are entirely a volunteer service, the University must only pay for equipment and operating

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costs," Aaron Segal, TAMU Director of EMS and student majoring in Computer Science. "Our ambulances , in addition to providing 911 service to the University , also provide non-emergency and emergency transfer service from the student Health Center."

Segal admitted that it's sometimes difficult to find volunteer paramedics and that they've been short-staffed on occasion this year forcing senior medics to work long hours.

"We strive to keep the service running constantly," he said, "but this requires great sacrifices at times."

Regardless of the type of service students say the education they get is worth the commitment and effort.

"There are few things I could have done which would better prepare me for the 'real world,"' said Jean O'Connor, NREMT-I with Emory University First Responder Unit in Atlanta. "With the campus group, I get exposed to how EMS works, in sort of a scaled down version, and with the county I get to run serious calls with a paramedic. It also provides an incredible opportunity to not only see emergency medicine but to be exposed to people that I otherwise never would have met."

Audet says this exposure to how HIV affects health-care, to child abuse and to alcohol abuse is an eye-opener for many medics.

"EMS is a real-life application of what is sometimes only a moral discussion," he said. "You learn a lot about how people live."

This training to work with people and to deal with unexpected situations is, according to Audet, one of the benefits of EMS at the college level.

"We have also taught them how to think under pressure, how to communicate, how to document, and how to see the big picture," Audet said.

Further, he said student leaders in his organization, learn a lot about running an EMS system well-beyond running calls, including how to maintain a fleet of vehicles, how to maintain a personnel roster, how to conduct performance reviews, how to do a budget and even how to sit through a meeting.

Savett, a graduate student in chemistry, says students at Clemson are learning all that and more especially since administrators are considering discontinuing or privatizing the campus EMS service. ¡"Imagine the backlash when parents start getting ambulance bills from the county for $300," Savett said.

Of course, who knows what will happen when a few student activists get together behind a cause.

About the Author: Bradley Wilson is a Texas-certified EMT-I and former member of Wimberley EMS near Austin . Mr. Wilson is currently an EMT and volunteer with Syracuse University Ambulance where he is emolled in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and is planning on receiving his master's degree (MP A) in June. Mr. Wilson may be contacted by Email at: Wilsonbrad@aol.com

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