The George Washington University’s Emergency Medical Response Group (EMeRG) is not a student organization for the meek. A student-based volunteer operation, it has staffed major metropolitan events like the Concert for Valor and the Marine Corps Marathon. Its volunteers have driven ambulances to emergencies between Metro stations and at the Old Executive Office Building.
For its efforts, EMErG recently received the Striving for Excellence in Campus EMS Award from the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF). A three-year recognition similar to an accreditation, the award recognizes campus emergency services for high quality of care, training and service to the community. EMeRG last received the award in 2011.
“This is a big deal,” said Darrell Darnell, senior associate vice president for safety and security at GW. “These are students who have full-time academic schedules, and they go through intense training—they are certified emergency medical technicians. Then, not only do they perform services for the campus, they’re so highly respected that [Washington, D.C.] fire and emergency services use them quite often to supplement themselves. So for [EMeRG] to be recognized like this is huge.”
EMeRG, founded in 1994, provides basic life support, emergency medical care and ambulance transport. Every member is a licensed emergency medical technician at the District of Columbia’s “basic” level or higher.
George Washington Police Department Captain Michael Glaubach said the organization also has one of the strongest bicycle response teams in the area, making them an invaluable resource for D.C. police and emergency services, particularly at the region’s many large-scale races.
“What this award shows is that we’re able to link up with local emergency and police services, whereas in other places they’re not fully integrated with the community,” said Kevin Sullivan, manager of EMeRG. “That’s really what we focus this award on: that we have really worked with the District over the past three years or so to be able to be there for them, not only for big scheduled events but also in [local emergency services’] time of need.
“We want to be trailblazers for other college EMS organizations to emulate,” he said.