Behind the scenes: Syracuse University Ambulance

There are 75 students on campus that are committed Syracuse University Ambulance members, responding to emergency and medical calls daily. The student members cover overnight shifts, evening shifts or 24-hour shifts as they try to move up in position, gain more responsibility and learn more and more about people they serve.

Photo: Courtesy of Syracuse University Ambulance

A Syracuse University Ambulance parked next to the Heath Services office on Waverly Avenue.

"It takes a certain type of person to do this. You could literally go from sitting here, chatting at the table doing whatever but then that bell goes off you have to get in that ambulance and you have to put all your personal stuff aside and focus only on effecting someone else’s life," said John Burke, senior supervisor at SUA.  

The organization started in 1973 as a "University Medical Crisis Unit" consisting of a group of guys running around campus with a basic set of medical supplies in a backpack. They would respond to calls and be there with first aid before the "real" ambulance arrived. Thirty-eight years later, SUA has a home right next door to SU's Health Services building on Waverly Avenue, owning two ambulances and are fully funded for equiptment by the Student Association. 

Jaime Bernstein knew she wanted to be a part of a collegiate ambulance organization going into her freshman year. While she is a chemistry and Spanish major with a biology minor, she says it is a great experience to be around many different kinds of students from all parts of campus, and not just the kids who want to go to medical school.

Not many people on campus know that when they call 911, their call goes directly to SUA and not Health Services. Also, some people assume that the ambulance automatically means "hospital."

"Too many times you hear stories about how people are scared to call the ambulance and then it's too late, but we're students too. We're really easy to talk to and if they want the medical evaluation it's a very easy process, not everything has all the lights and sirens," Bernstein said. "But at the same time if it is an emergency, then we're there. And we're your own peers helping you out I think it makes people feel a lot more comfortable knowing that we've all been in similar situations and get it."

Burke said it's sometimes tricky to juggle a regular course schedule with his SUA duties.

"It's tricky. You could be in class during the day, we have these pagers and if it goes off, we have members run down here, get in to their uniform, pick up a rig and hop on the ambulance to go deal with someone who just had a heart attack or hit by a car," he said. "Then 40 minutes later, literally running to class out of breath because you're five minutes late and no one knows. You can't tell anyone."

Making the call

The following chart shows the number of calls SUA responded to during Halloween weekend (Thursday, Oct. 27, through Tuesday, Nov. 1). Shifts listed are Day, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Evening, 5-10 p.m.; and Overnight, 10 p.m.-8 a.m.

Structure of SUA

Other universities use SUA as a model for their college's on campus EMT service. The structure is very organized and there are different tracks an SUA member can take. With little or no experience, after a new member is accepted, they go through the probationary phase. For six to eight weeks, they attend weekly trainings that teach how to be part of SUA, how to take the basic vital signs, how to use the stretcher, what and where all the tools are in the ambulance. At the end of the probationary phase there is a written test and practical skills test that mimics the New York state EMT exam.

When a member is cleared through the probationary phase, they become an attendant. This means they are basically an assistant to the crew on the ambulance. The two tracks that a member can choose from at the next stage of their involvement are the driver track and crew chief track. The driver track is most popular to start with because there is no certification. The driver training packet has over 250 locations on and around campus that the member must know how to get to and an alternate route of getting to the building or hospital. While the member is training and taking shifts to practice driving, there is a trainer sitting next to him or her the whole time. When the driver training feels comfortable, he or she can request a promotion to be a driver.

The crew chief position requires an EMT class to be taken which is about a six month class. Once one passes the NYS EMT exam, SUA has their own requirements for the crew chief progression. "At a lot of other universities, once you pass the EMT exam, you're good to go," Burke said. "So, you could be a 16 year old and get your licence and immediately start driving taxis in New York City but we found that doesn't really work so well." SUA builds on the skills learned in the EMT class like how to talk to patients, ask the right questions, work under pressure and be a leader.

All organizations' members naturally become a family but if there's another thing that sets SUA apart, it is the support system that is built from the very beginning within their family.

"For all the dumb stuff we do sitting around, we will be times and a couple of semesters ago, an 18-year-old kid’s heart just stopped. That’s it. And the only reason we can do stuff like that because you can come back and talk to six other people who were also standing right there with you," Burke said. "You gotta love it, or else you wouldn't do this."