Students and Security Join Forces in EMT Program

Marist College security announced that a student and security Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) collaborative effort will take full effect this semester in order to help students at all hours of the day.

This new program offers the ability to respond to students who need help without the use of police or fire emergency response vehicles. EMT’s have the ability to help people who may be in life-threatening situations through their extensive education.

“The entire program is an EMS squad run by students, but assisted by security,” said Justin DiBiase ‘19, vice president of Safety and Security for the the Student Government Association (SGA).  

Whenever a student is sick, or not well, the campus EMT’s are able to quickly respond and assist them in whichever way they can.

In essence this new EMS squad will minimize the frequency that Fairview is called to the Marist campus and help make sure the well-being of each student is carefully evaluated before being sent to the hospital, if they need treatment.

The results of this don’t only benefit the Marist community, but also the area in which Fairview gets called out to, DiBiase said.

“The school’s putting less strain on the fire district.”

Each member of this EMS squad is fully trained and in most cases has had years of experience already as a volunteer EMT. They receive the same training that any EMT would receive, and are extensively tested before being allowed to perform as a certified EMT.

The most common ailment they foresee happening on campus is over intoxication.

“We’ll evaluate you and make that decision, and if you’re really drunk and you need to go to the hospital that’s when we’ll call Fairview and transport you,” DiBiase said.

“This program will minimize the scene that is caused when a student is ill or injured,” said Safety and Security Director John Blaisdell.

Blaisdell emphasised the student and security collaborate to create a safer and more responsive security service that can span not only basic security, but also ensures the well being of the students.

The student run EMS squad is not active currently, but will start responding to calls on Tuesday Feb. 12. While they prepare to launch this new initiative, two security officers who are EMT trained are currently treating students around campus.

In coordination with student affairs, the EMT service has been designated a room dedicated to treating these students that are being seen. Some instances don’t involve the coordination of all the emergency services, rather they, “might just need a bottle of water and a place to sit,” Blaisdell said.

This program does come at a price though.

“I can take a guess and say it’ll cost around $3,000-$4,000,” DiBiase said in regards to the proper equipment needed. The money for this program is coming out of the security budget.

The equipment that will be used by the EMT’s is up to the state standards for New York. The EMT’s are also protected by state laws that enable them to practice like any EMT in the state. In addition, patients are protected by confidentiality if they are treated by the student EMT’s.

When the new initiative is live, students will be able to get practical field work in the medical field, but also keep Marist students safe without draining resources from the community.