Following years of discussion and planning, EMS at Tech (EMSaT) has partnered with Grady EMS, an emergency medical service division of the Grady Health System, to improve response times for the campus community by staffing an ambulance with certified Tech students.
Since its founding in 2019, EMSaT has been dedicated to everything related to emergency medical services for Tech’s campus. The organization launched a CPR certification program and has partnered with the Georgia Tech Police Department, Campus Services, Stamps and Grady EMS to support 911 operations on campus.
The initial idea of a 911 operation partnership was brought up in their founding year and has undergone multiple iterations and trials. In January, after subsequent meetings with several campus stakeholders, the EMSaT leadership team was able to get the Grady EMS partnership fleshed out and supported.
The partnership allows for an ambulance allocation on campus 13 hours a day, 7 days a week. During its operational hours, the ambulance is staffed by a combination of Grady employees and Tech students who are 21 or older and responds to Tech and the surrounding community.
“Essentially it’s taking people who are EMTs and helping them onto a Grady rig to get experience and serve campus by responding to calls,” James Connor, fourth-year CS and PUBP, and EMSaT President said.
The partnership allows medical professionals to respond to emergency services around campus in a much shorter time than before.
Adwik Rahematpura, fourth-year BME and EMSat Vice President, said, “So in the past there were many anecdotal reports of how long response times to calls on campus were. And so what this has done is significantly reduce that response time. The unit sits at GTPD and it typically doesn’t get pulled off into the rest of Atlanta for other calls, even though it can.”
The program provides a way for Tech students to not only get EMT certified but also gain real experience in fast-paced emergency medical service environments if they pass the screening requirements.
“Right now the hiring process is done through Grady. But we’re hoping to develop a stronger relationship moving forward where we can funnel in people from our organization into Grady who are going to work and grow as EMTs there,” Rahematpura said.
Elizabeth Andrews, fourth-year BME and EMSaT Treasurer described her screening process to join the program.
“You have to have a pretty robust immunization record since you’re working directly with the people of Atlanta, and you get to see all kinds of illnesses. So you have to be fully vaccinated for that. The application itself was just a pretty simple interview. Now, James and I are both going to begin orientation on Oct. 7 for 8 days and then we’ll be able to join on 10 ride-alongs in the ambulance.”
The leadership team at EMSaT all share the same passion for growing emergency medical service awareness on campus however they entered this field in different circumstances.
Connor said, “I got started as a result of my dad. He’s been an EMT and paramedic for about 15 years now. I joined the junior local Volunteer Fire Department back home and still volunteer with them whenever I go back. I became an EMT at 17 and have been doing this ever since. I’m studying Computer Science and Public Policy but I just do this for fun.”
Andrews also had a similar personal experience.
“I became an EMT when I was 19 and I got into it because I went into anaphylactic shock at a volleyball tournament. It was a rough experience just because I didn’t know what was going on and an EMT, who gave me the EpiPen, was the first person I made contact with and took me to the hospital. And now I get to see that again as a student on campus who gets to serve other students. So it’s kind of like a full circle moment,” Andrews said.
EMSaT hopes to continue expanding membership through outreach and community engagement.
“The application process for EMSaT is just a membership form rather than an actual application because we want to focus on accessibility to emergency medicine and that covers all skill levels,” Andrews said.
One of the other ways they are increasing outreach is through the launch of their CPR certification program through partnership with Georgia Tech Fire-Safety and the CRC to offer CPR classes for any member of the campus community at no cost. The classes are held biweekly by CPR-certified EMSaT members at the CRC and are open to students and faculty.
Rahematpura explained, “We are still getting more and more instructors certified, but we’re always looking for more people to help run these classes because we’re hoping to increase the capacity and frequency of the classes in the future. So if there are any students who are looking to become EMTs, usually a precursor to that is getting Basic Life Support certification through the American Heart Association and those are also classes we’ll be offering.”
EMS at Tech is the first-of-its-kind organization among USG institutions.
Connor said, “We recognize that collegiate EMS is more than just about responding in an ambulance. Because of that, we don’t require you to be an EMT to join or to stay as a member. It’s just us focusing on improving access to EMS in an emergency and knowledge of EMS in general”