EMSC looks to expand
Few but those pursuing a health-related major know about the Emergency Medical Services of USC, a student organization comprised of emergency medical technicians that provides emergency pre-hospital care on and around campus.
Since its founding in 2009, EMSC has been providing medical assistance at large events at USC, such as the Obama Rally, the Festival of Books, the Welcome Back Concert, graduation and football tailgates. EMSC is now looking to expand the range of events that they cover.
Sean Neifert, the EMSC director, is working alongside Austin Churchill, the assistant director to the USG Wellness Affairs committee, to push a resolution that would increase EMSC’s reach.
“We are looking at things like philanthropies and parties on the Row and other events on campus,” Neifert said. “We have a plan so that student organizations can contract with us directly instead of going to the administration, and then we can submit the forms to our adviser so that she can approve the events.”
A similar proposal was made in March, but now Neifert is working on having all the details figured out.
“It’s really the liability aspect,” Neifert said. “The administration has this view of us as student EMTs, when we’re really emergency medical technicians who also happen to be students. They think that our certification doesn’t mean as much, and they think we’re going to mess up when we’re on the field. I can tell you with confidence we’re not going to.”
Neifert added that EMSC is not a replacement to the fire department but a valuable assistance in the moments before an ambulance arrives. He stated that the Department of Public Safety Emergency, which has no medical training other than CPR, will simply call the fire department and not provide emergency assistance in the meantime. Because most emergencies deal with intoxicated students, Neifert argues that the waiting gap can be crucial.
DPS Deputy Chief David Carlisle said that all DPS officers receive first-aid and CPR training. In addition, some DPS officers have received EMT certification independently. Carlisle said that paramedics typically respond so quickly that it makes sense for DPS officers to wait until they arrive on the scene. He also said that DPS is starting combat medical training for officers so that they can provide more advanced care such as applying field dressings and tourniquets.
Neifert, however, believes the response time is still too long.
“The average response time for the fire department is six minutes, and in those six minutes a lot of stuff can happen,” Neifert said. “Six minutes of no oxygen to your brain, and you’re pretty much brain-dead.”
Neifert, who also holds a job at a hospital in Orange County, explained how other universities have larger student EMT programs. He gave Johns Hopkins, Brown and UCLA as examples. The latter, for instance, has a 24/7-ambulance service completely staffed by students.
“I think [UCLA] is a great model to go off of,” Neifert said. “I think, obviously, USC is definitely a different situation. It is a private school, we don’t have a hospital on campus as well, so those are definitely things we need to consider. But when you look at UCLA they really put trust in their students.”
Neifert also mentioned that all members of EMSC take skills tests at the end of each semester and have training sessions twice a week. Such high amounts of training, Neifert argued, show the commitment and dedication of student EMTs. Because of this, the University has no reason not to bestow EMSC greater responsibilities.
“Our administration is behind the times on how they view student safety and wellness in regards to this issue,” Neifert said. “The administration has to step up to the plate and contract with us.”
Churchill, who is working closely with Neifert, explained how they plan to pursue the organization’s expansion.
“What we want to do is ultimately pass a resolution in the coming weeks to show that the student body supports this,” Churchill said. “USG has a lot of direct contact with the administrators that we need to get this approved, such as DPS and Fire and Safety, there’s a lot of overlap between those that oversee EMSC and those that specifically the Wellness Affairs Committee works with.”
Churchill mentioned that they could put more pressure on the administration by showing support not only from EMSC, but also from the entire student body.
“This is a really important initiative for the student body, because there is that mean gap time which we have right now,” Churchill said. “Most of the transfers we have right now are alcohol-related. If we want to treat the students in the meantime, we need to expand this organization.”