Rice Emergency Medical Services has provided a decade of urgent care to campus

Rice’s Rescuers
Rice Emergency Medical Services has provided a decade of urgent care to campus

ARIE WILSON
Rice News staff

With Rice University positioned across the street from one of the world’s largest medical centers, some people may find it hard to believe the campus needs its own emergency medical service. But when an accident occurs within the hedges and every passing second can mean the difference between life and death, having a team of life-saving professionals on campus can improve the odds of a good outcome.

Since the program’s inception in 1996, Rice Emergency Medical Services, or REMS, has grown from a handful of student-volunteers with basic certification to a 48-member university-sanctioned division of the Rice Police Department, with the majority of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) holding advanced life-support certification.

JEFF FITLOW

For 10 years, Rice Emergency Medical Services, or REMS, has been serving the campus community. Established in 1996 by two undergraduates, REMS has grown from a handful of student-volunteers with basic emergency medical certification to a 48-member university-sanctioned division of the Rice University Police Department, with the majority of its members holding advanced life-support certification. Pictured are REMS members, back row, from left, Cameron Decker, captain; Robert McArthur, lieutenant; front row, from left, Dania Daye, lieutenant; Zaven Sargsyan, in-charge; Jenn Howse, lieutenant; Andy Miller, in-charge.

As REMS celebrates its 10th anniversary, the group is reflecting on its roots and looking toward future growth.
REMS director Cathy Sunday said that having an advanced life-support first-responder organization at Rice that is registered with the Texas Department of State Health Services is a feat within itself, much less maintaining a completely volunteer life-saving organization. Sunday, a licensed paramedic with more than 20 years of experience, is REMS’ only salaried university employee.

All the REMS EMTs have secured their certification on their own and volunteer their time to help keep the university safe. Many of the EMTs have advanced and specialty certifications that allow for more than basic administration of emergency care.

“With basic certification, EMTs can give limited medications and administer blood-loss control, splinting, shock management and cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” Sunday said. “The advanced certification takes them even farther, allowing our EMTs to intubate, perform intravenous and intraosseous [into bone] therapies, and advanced medication administration.”

REMS averages about three to four emergency calls a day, ranging from sports injuries and general illnesses to automobile accidents and cardiac arrests. And with an average response time of 3.3 minutes, REMS gets to the scene sooner than any other local EMS or first-responders.

“It is important for people to realize that this isn’t a student organization or club,” Sunday said. “REMS is a department of this university that has students providing the EMS services. These students are the cream of the crop. They go above and beyond to be here doing this, providing a free service to their school and community.”

Students undergo rigorous training to become certified EMTs. They must either take HEAL 308, the basic EMT course, at Rice or complete a comparable program at another institution and then pass state and national certification exams. EMS members are required to perform 36 hours of ride-alongs in area ambulances each semester to qualify for REMS. While securing their certification, members often choose to volunteer in local emergency rooms. Some pursue the advanced certification, which requires a second, more intense class but allows them to administer IVs or intubate patients.

Since the students volunteer for REMS in addition to their regular course work, becoming a part of the organization is a big commitment and requires dedication and superb time-management skills, Sunday said.

Dania Daye, a Wiess College senior majoring in bioengineering and French, serves as the REMS operations lieutenant and chairwoman of the REMS Anniversary Committee. Daye is responsible for overseeing some aspects of the daily operation of REMS, such as ordering medical supplies, purchasing and maintaining medical and communications equipment, and ensuring the EMS vehicles are in good working condition.

While some students become EMTs because they want to attend medical school and need the experience, others do it for the rewarding feeling of helping others, Daye said.

“It can be very addicting,” she said. “I would ride along [with local ambulances] a lot more if I didn’t make myself stop and focus on other things. There’s no other feeling like it.”

Her administrative duties are no less rewarding. Daye is working to get more automated external defibrillators, called AEDs, on campus.

“It is something that I believe could save a person’s life,” Daye said. “It will also be nice to have something that I feel like I was partially responsible for still here after I graduate.”

REMS captain Cameron Decker, a Martel College senior, is the highest-ranking student member. Decker said that REMS was a big selling point for the university when he was applying to schools across the country.

“I remember reviewing REMS’ Web site very closely my senior year of high school and thinking that this is an organization that I really could use to make a difference in my community,” Decker said. “Four years later I look back and see how much progress we’ve made.

“We have not only maintained and expanded our tradition of excellence, but also transitioned to advanced life-support care, a goal that had been in development since shortly after the department was founded.”

REMS has a long history of students wanting to give back to Rice and help ensure the safety of future Owls. Then-undergraduates Mark Escott ’96 and Noah Reiter ’00 were instrumental in getting the program funded, and by 1996, the first training course was held to create a staff of students to respond to emergencies. After many discussions with local EMS providers, meetings with administrators, data calculations, budgeting and development, REMS began emergency response operations Oct. 4, 1996.

The first life saved by REMS occurred just eight days after the organization was formed. During a wedding reception at the Faculty Club, an elderly woman collapsed on the dance floor in cardiac arrest. A REMS EMT happened to be working as a waitress at the event. She witnessed the arrest and began CPR within 30 seconds. The REMS crew on duty and supervisors arrived less than two minutes later to continue efforts, as did the Houston Fire Department.They used a defibrillator to restart her heart; she began breathing again and was talking by the time the fire department ambulance got her to the hospital.

REMS responds to campus emergencies around the clock and on holidays, with the exception of winter and spring breaks, when calls are routed to the Houston Fire Department. Space in colleges is even donated for REMS members who live off campus, so they can remain on campus during their entire shift.

“It can be an extremely time-consuming and stressful job, but there are very few occupations that allow you to step into a total stranger’s life and instantly receive 100 percent of their trust,” Decker said. “What we do is incredibly unique: How many other college students are fortunate enough to experience the extraordinarily rewarding feeling of truly saving a fellow human’s life?”

REMS members are confident that they will continue their award-winning service. Rice University has been honored numerous times by the National Collegiate EMS Foundation. REMS received the Campus EMS Organization of the Year award in 2000, recognizing the organization’s excellent service to the university. REMS founder Noah Reiter won the Campus EMS Provider of the Year award in 1999 and the Campus EMS Adviser of the Year award in 2001 for his work in organizing and supporting REMS both during his time at Rice and after he graduated. In addition, REMS has received the Striving for Excellence award.

REMS members are in the process of planning a 10th-anniversary celebration, including a formal reception and dinner for REMS staff and alumni, that they hope to fund through gifts and donations.

In case of an emergency, dial extension 6000 from any on-campus phone, 713-348-6000 from any cellular phone or pick up any blue-light emergency phone on campus.

For more information, contact Sunday at <csunday@rice.edu> or Daye at <dania@rice.edu>.