A College EMS Squad Rises to COVID’s Challenge

The University of Rhode Island’s Emergency Medical Services has dealt with almost every medical emergency imaginable, from heart attacks to car accidents and the flu to sports injuries. However, the 85 student volunteers who are the backbone of the service never expected they would be dealing with a worldwide pandemic in their undergraduate years.

Even so, as one of the oldest collegiate emergency medical services in the country, providing on-site EMS care and ambulance transport to area hospitals, the team wants the URI community to know it has the skills needed to serve the university’s emergency medical needs throughout this demanding time.

“Our student members are extremely driven and dedicated people who thrive on challenges,” says Commander Robert Hart, a lieutenant with the Warwick Police Department who graduated from the university in 2004. “As scary as this pandemic is, they view it as a challenge to tackle and overcome. When we recruit new members, we look for traits that show us they’ll be fighters and embrace the challenges of public safety work. This way, when something as prolonged as the COVID-19 pandemic or something as acute as an immediate life-threatening situation arises, they can grasp the situation and handle it.”

The volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and majors. For some students their service with the corps may not directly relate to their intended career path, but the volunteers nevertheless believe the skills they gain will benefit them throughout their careers and lives. This year their selflessness reached a new level as they put themselves in harm’s way.

A Risk That’s Closer to Home

According to Lt. Emma Ceres of Wilmington, Mass., a graduate student studying developmental science who has been with URI’s EMS team for six years, “We’re seeing numbers that are worrisome to everybody. We have seen that not everybody is entirely cooperative all the time with masks and distancing, which has a ripple effect, and we see numbers go up. That’s frustrating and puts everyone’s health at risk. Everybody on the team signs up for EMS, and you understand it comes with risks, but this year has posed a different risk that’s a little bit closer to home, so it’s been challenging to say the least.”

Despite the unique struggles this school year has presented, none of the program’s volunteers have left the corps due to COVID-19.

“URI EMS has been an instrumental part of the university’s COVID-19 plan,” says Ellen Reynolds, assistant vice president for health and wellness and director of URI Health Services. “The volunteers have responded to our call for assistance throughout the semester in many ways, from staffing the move-in testing center in August to coordinating a schedule of drivers who, seven days a week, are transporting students to our off-campus isolation and quarantine space, all while ensuring the ambulance is staffed and ready to handle medical emergencies on campus. The EMS team is a point of pride for URI: These first responders are always willing to serve the university and community, and this has been further exemplified during their COVID response.”

In addition to the typical medical calls to which URI EMS responds, it also provides nonemergency transport for students who need to get to university-allocated isolation and quarantine locations. The team closely follows the evolving state COVID-19 guidelines, as well as university guidance and policies.

As of now corps members are required to always wear a surgical mask. But if a dispatcher learns a patient has symptoms of the virus, EMS members upgrade their gear to N-95 masks and goggles. If the patient has received a positive COVID-19 test, team members wear gowns, face shields, and N-95 masks.

Being In the Streets

When asked why students volunteer so much of their time, Hart responded, “Some students volunteer at EMS for clinical hours, but many of them grew up volunteering or have an interest in emergency medicine. We have students who are studying kinesiology, psychology, marine affairs, and some who are premed. Some want to join the medical field, some just love prehospital emergency medicine and being in the streets, so to speak.”

URI EMS responds to all calls from the URI community, with the most common being sports injuries, mental health issues, alcohol-related concerns, cardiac-related incidents, and car crashes. Additionally the teams respond to requests for mutual aid when area towns need assistance.

Only the commander, vice commander, two captains, and a student administrative assistant receive small stipends for their service.

For Michael Brennan, a senior from Manasquan, N.J., studying cell and molecular biology, joining URI EMS his freshman year was a career move, one he could see benefitting him as he prepared for medical school. While he feels the decision has already benefited him educationally, volunteering has also come to mean more than simply being a resume-booster.

“I really appreciate that EMS has created a little family,” he says. “There’s a strong sense of camaraderie fostered by the fact that we see a lot and do a lot together. It’s also the perfect experience for me, being able to learn how to talk to patients and treat them on a basic level. Working with other people who have been doing it longer has prepared me perfectly for medical school.”

According to Ceres, “If you never need us, we are glad about that, but if you do, we are right there. We are absolutely essential to the university, and in COVID times it has become really clear that we are needed here.

“I find not many people know we exist at URI and that agencies like this exist, period,” she adds. “Students think they will call upon the town municipal agency [when they dial 9-1-1], but we do it all. We love doing this. Everybody is here because they enjoy helping people.”

Great to Give Back

Not many students realize their EMS team exists on campus and that serving is a unique experience.

“Not many students can say that in between classes they walk down to EMS and respond to two 9-1-1 calls and then go back to class like nothing happened,” says Ceres. “URI EMS is a unique operation because we are students ourselves, but we get to respond to the calls of our fellow students on their worst days.”

Despite additional challenges this school year, it’s clear that the members of URI’s EMS team are no less passionate and devoted to their service to the university. According to Brennen, “The majority of the people we see and treat are URI students and staff. I love the school, so it feels great to give back.”

In addition to providing emergency medical aid to URI and the larger community, the corps is also the official medical provider of WaterFire, the popular festival based in Providence, and staffs local events such as the Blessing of the Fleet road race in Narragansett, as well as all the university’s musical and sporting events.

“We are volunteers here for the community 24/7, 365 days a year, providing 9-1-1 emergency medical services to our campus partners and our larger community,” adds Hart. “This is not a full-time job for any of us, but it’s a passion for all of us.”

Learn more about URI’s Emergency Medical Services team by visiting its website or Facebook page.

Lauren Poirier is an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI, where she is majoring in public relations and English.