SJU safety team receives regional recognition

After a life-saving experience at a football game last fall, the 2023 Team of the Year: Emergency Medical Service title was awarded to the Life Safety, Fire Department and the EMS teams for their work.

The Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation presented the award to the CSB+SJU teams on Oct. 6.

Shawn Vierzba, director of Life Safety, nominated the teams for their work during a cardiac event at a football game last fall. The medical emergency required tremendous coordination and skill, especially given the scene of the incident—a packed event in an otherwise rural area. Beyond the rapid and efficient response of the teams and other first responders, a helicopter was called in to transport the individual to St. Cloud.

Their response demonstrated the skill and teamwork that is evident among these teams.

“We work very well together for the safety and good of our community… working as one team to accomplish the goal,” Vierzba said via email.

Taylor Barber, a CSB senior and student dispatcher for Life Safety and and captain for the EMT Squad, attended the award ceremony. Barber, who has been a member of the Life Safety and EMT since her first year, and an EMT captain for the past two years, was proud and thankful to be honored by the GSCPSF.

Barber echoed Vierzba’s sentiment about the call.

“It took a group effort to not only make sure he did not die, but also to get him to the hospital through a helicopter and getting a helicopter to touch down on campus—that’s pretty intense,” Barber said. “The award was related specifically to that event, but I think it reflects on the team overall. It took everybody to work together to get it done.”

Barber is glad to see such positive recognition for the safety teams. She views the teams here as a unique opportunity to this institution, compared to other schools that may not have such a robust, fully capable response unit of EMT and firefighters, in addition to Life Safety. She speaks highly of her team, noting not only their training but their character.

“They are good people, and they’re good on the job. They have fantastic patient care, they know what they’re doing, they are confident, they work together great,” Barber said. “It’s a well-functioning unit. It’s important to me that people continue to understand that we just want to make sure campus is safe and that everybody is OK.”

The award is a sign of the appreciation that the community has for the teams and the students who make it possible. Additionally, it emphasizes that high quality medical care is available on campus, and the teams want students to take advantage of this resource if it is necessary.

“People may be hesitant to reach out to Life Safety based on past experiences,” Barber said. “I want to remind people that first responders are here to help, and I wanted people to know that they can reach out.”