Campus Collaboration

On August 17, 2022, a bomb went off in the Fine Arts Building at Binghamton University, which is part of the State University of New York system. The resulting blast may have caused injuries and 9-1-1 was called. The first due unit, Harpurs Ferry Student Volunteer Ambulance Service (HFSVAS), was notified of a single patient with an uncontrolled finger laceration.

While en route to the scene, the ambulance was notified by dispatch that campus law enforcement officers on the scene advised the crew to stage away until the scene was clear. After a few minutes of staging, dispatch advised the crew that there were multiple patients, the scene was safe, and they could continue into the scene. The duty crew advised dispatch that they were establishing command, beginning triage, and requesting additional resources from both their own agency and additional responders.

Multi-Agency Participation

While this scenario sounds horrific, the scene was part of a carefully planned drill hosted by HFSVAS. The drill was organized and planned by HFSVAS Assistant Chief & Operations Director Marissa Canty, who is an AEMT and a graduate student at Binghamton pursuing an MBA degree.

Joining HFSVAS in the exercise were vehicles and personnel from Binghamton University’s Office of Emergency Management, Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service (from the State University of New York at Albany), SUNY Geneseo First Response (from the State University of New York at Geneseo), and Syracuse University Emergency Medical Services. Nearly all 60 participants were volunteers and current undergraduate or graduate students at their respective universities.

Canty shared that the goal of the drill was “...to provide the opportunity for all of our members to develop comfort in utilizing SMART triage protocols and ICS implementation in an especially high-stress environment.” She added that since 2019, HFSVAS had been unable to conduct a large-scale MCI exercise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, HFSVAS has never hosted a large-scale MCI drill in collaboration with other collegiate EMS agencies.

Conducting the Drill

The MCI drill designed by Canty and her fellow agency officers consisted of 45 mock patients, all with chief complaints varying from life-threatening injuries to anxiety. The second floor of the university’s Fine Arts Building was utilized and simulated patients were placed throughout classrooms, restrooms, hallways, and stairwells.

A separate radio channel was used so not to interfere with ongoing emergency traffic. Keith Chason, an HFSVAS alumnus, served as a simulated “dispatch center” stationed off-site from the drill.

Two HFSVAS ambulances, other colleges’ ambulances, and an ATV ambulance were used to transport patients to the simulated “Harpur’s Ferry Hospital,” which was located at the HFSVAS station. At the “hospital,” three experienced HFSVAS alumni acted as charge nurses for the nearby three hospitals in the area. They were each given a patient capacity for their respective hospital and providers transporting patients to the hospital practiced their skills in providing a nurse's report when they arrived with the patients.

Canty felt that one of the most favorable outcomes was “The opportunity to work alongside other collegiate EMS providers whom we’ve never met in person before. Seeing the power of individuals who all have a passion for continuing to learn more techniques and skills to pursue helping others was a truly inspiring experience.”

Another positive outcome was the availability of feedback to those in varied ICS roles. Members of the university’s Office of Emergency Management and experienced Harpur’s Ferry alumni provided feedback during the debrief. HFSVAS alumni Meir Berkman and Wegman’s supermarket donated food and alumni Elizabeth Bekerman and Canty funded the event’s T-shirts.

Canty offered advice for college agencies or other services looking to do something similar: “Begin planning early.” Planning the drill took several months to make sure everything was prepared correctly.

About Harpur’s Ferry Student Ambulance

HFSVAS, established in 1973, is a student-run 501(c)3 nonprofit with advanced life support capabilities. The organization provides free emergency medical services to the Binghamton University campus and the greater Binghamton community 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. There are currently 63 active student members, six community members, and 85 active alumni.

HFSVAS has eight vehicles within the agency. They include three ALS ambulances, two ALS fly cars for first response, one UTV to respond to emergencies in the university’s nature preserve (and areas otherwise inaccessible by ambulance), a flat-bed trailer, and a special operations box trailer that serves as a command post during events in which ICS is utilized.

Unlike many collegiate services, HFSVAS staffs all their ambulances at the ALS level. Certified student and alumni AEMTs provide advanced life support interventions such as IVs, IOs, supraglottic airways, endotracheal intubations, and needle decompression. Medications include ibuprofen, acetaminophen, dextrose, normal saline, glucagon, IV naloxone, epinephrine, nitroglycerin, and nitrous oxide.

HFSVAS is dispatched through Binghamton University’s police dispatch center and responds to approximately 1500 calls per year. Most of their call volume is for those affiliated with Binghamton University, but they also cover mutual aid for the county EMS system and the Susquehanna Region of New York.

HFSVAS does not bill for services and all their personnel are volunteers. Assistant Chief Melanie Moreira, EMT, a senior studying biology, shared that the agency is funded via the Student Association. Every student pays a student activity fee as a part of their tuition, and a portion of that money goes toward the HFSVAS budget.

While challenges include a high personnel turnover every four years, enthusiasm and interest remain high at HFSVAS. Chief Brandon Carbone, EMT, a graduate student pursuing an MBA, shared that “...one of my favorite parts about working in collegiate EMS is the impact I can have on those in the campus community. So many students are away from home for the first time and call for our assistance when they need medical attention. When we show up on the scene, they entrust us to help them make the right decision for their care.”

Final Thoughts

Canty shared that “The best part about college EMS is the endless opportunities for training and learning, like this drill we did. In addition, we operate as an educational institution within a much larger academic institution, allowing us to gain diverse perspectives into our agency from all over academia and strongly emphasize being a lifelong learner in the health care field.”

For more information about HFSVAS, visit https://harpursferry.org/

Barry Bachenheimer, EdD, NREMT/FF, is a frequent contributor to EMS World.