EMT Squad continues volunteer excellence

The SJU EMT Squad is a critical part of the safety and security of St. John’s, run by undergraduate volunteers from CSB+SJU. According to the SJU Life Safety website, approximately 20 volunteer EMT provide over 6,000 unpaid service hours to the St. John’s community each semester.

For members of the SJU EMT Squad, those unpaid hours are dedicated to lifesaving work as they assist students and community members on over 135 service calls per semester.

“We are a 24/7 service, kind of like security on both campuses, except we only function at St. John’s. We are an emergency medical service that is there to help with any injury, whether it be a cut from work at the Reef or a heart attack at a football game,” said squad captain and CSB senior Taylor Barber. “We are there for whoever needs to be treated.”

The St. John’s campus has EMT squad coverage 24/7. When on call, students work three-hour day shifts or 10-hour overnight shifts.

For many Bennies and Johnnies, squad members are most visible at Johnnie football games, where they offer water and medical support at two first aid stations in Clemens Stadium and the tailgate. During game days, six squad members are on call, ready to respond to the game, the tailgate and the campus overall.

Barber believes that working at football games has been one of the most memorable parts of her time on the squad.

“The first game in the last season was so hot, and everybody was suffering. We had four or five medics at the game, and we were needed somewhere for one minute, then one minute later we would need to be somewhere else,” Barber said. “I think this was the most influential moment for me because it’s such a prime example of teamwork and how we worked together.”

EMT work goes far beyond Johnnie football games.

“We had a visitor almost drown over the summer. He had to be rescued by the lifeguards and we had to help get his oxygen set up,” said Brendon Slate, squad captain and SJU junior. “For me, that was a really cool moment working together as a team and using some of our higher profile actions, like putting an oxygen mask on them. That was a pretty new and exciting experience compared to our regular workload on campus.”

Most Bennie and Johnnie volunteers find the squad as students of COLG 130, an annual spring semester class that teaches the basic emergency care required to work on an ambulance or first responder squad. It is a four-credit class, usually offered in the evening. According to the SJU Life Safety website, the class is offered as a feeder course to help sustain enough EMT squad numbers and usually capped at 20 individuals.

Brendon Slate, squad captain and SJU junior, found the EMT squad through COLG 130.

“In high school, I took an EMS class and really liked that, so I really wanted to be an EMT for some time before I went on to be a nurse,” Slate said. “I found out that SJU had an EMT squad during my application process, and when I got here, I took the EMT class and applied for the squad after.”

Students of any major can get an EMT license and join the squad. The course is not required if the students arrive at college with an EMT licensure, like Barber, who was certified in high school.

“I come from a small town, so I was intending to be on the ambulance there in my free time. Then COVID happened, so that kind of became a little unclear,” Barber said. “When I settled on going to St. Ben’s, my teacher in high school who ran my EMT class was a former Johnnie and mentioned that St. John’s had an EMT squad. I joined the EMT Squad in 2020 and have been on it since.”

Barber explained that the SJU EMT Squad is there to help anyone at any time and students should not hesitate to reach out during an emergency.