UD Rescue Squad hosts EMS Week for student safety

By: Rachel Tovinitti, Staff Writer; Marci Duckro, Chief Photographer
FlyerNews

The University of Dayton Rescue Squad held several events on campus from Monday, Nov. 7, through Friday, Nov. 11, for its annual Emergency Medical Squad Week.

The aim of EMS Week is promote that UD has a rescue squad, and that it is a free service, according to an email to Flyer News from Dustin Paulus, a junior criminal justice and sociology major and Rescue Squad training officer and exercise organizer. Offering educational events such as CPR classes and lectures is other goal of the week, he said.

The UD Rescue Squad has been a branch of Public Safety and a student organization run by volunteer undergraduates certified as emergency medical technicians since 1992.

EMS Week events included CPR and first-aid classes, a lecture about sexual assault and a root beer pong tournament, according to an email to Flyer News from Lynn Brademeyer, a senior pre-physical therapy major and Rescue Squad chief.

"It's a great opportunity to interact with the community, inform people about our services, gain support for the organization, and have fun!" she said in the email.

Brademeyer said this week's events are part of National Collegiate EMS Week, which is run by the National Collegiate EMS Foundation.

"That means every campus EMS organization across the country participates during the same week to raise awareness for the resources available to the campus communities, and celebrate the members and overall success of the EMS organizations," Brademeyer said in the email.

The National Collegiate EMS Foundation is a non-profit organization which works with UD and over 250 other colleges and universities to aid student-run rescue squads.

UD Rescue Squad members also taught the children of the Bombeck Family Learning Center about safety and calling 911, Brademeyer said in the email.

The Bombeck Family Learning Center is an educational daycare program run by UD's School of Education and the Allied Professions, which places its students at the center.

Paulus said Rescue Squad is run solely by a group of over 50 students. He said it's remarkable that these students manage emergency situations for Public Safety.

"Each medical transport we have, we save the patient between $500-$700 that it would cost them if the City of Dayton Fire Department were called for EMS service," he said in his email.

Students who are interested in joining the Rescue Squad can submit an application in April, Brademeyer said.

"We conduct our recruitment events starting in March," she said in her email. "We have a month filled with activities to get to know the organization and its members, as well as opportunities for interested students to 'ride-along' with the crew on the weekends where they will be able to see the action firsthand."

Brademeyer said Rescue Squad's application process is competitive with almost four times as many applications as open positions. Despite those long odds, she said she still she encourages anyone who is interested in joining to apply.

Ali Twehues, a senior psychology major and Rescue Squad member, said in an email to Flyer News that she hopes EMS Week will bring student awareness to the group's role on campus.

"For EMS Week, we just want to show the campus community that we're here and that we're not just a drunk bus," she said in the email. "We take care of a lot of injuries and only a small portion [of those injuries] are actually alcohol related."

For more information about the UD Rescue Squad, visit http://www.bit.ly/UDRescueSquad.