Quinnipiac EMS has been growing over the past five years of service to provide classes, drills and medical care to the Quinnipiac community.

“Quinnipiac EMS is honored to have served the Quinnipiac community for the last five years. We have experienced tremendous growth in all aspects of our organization, now with more than 80 active members and a flourishing community education program. Coming off a milestone year, including NCEMSF awards, the new space in Irma, as well as the highly successful MCI Drill, we are more excited than ever to return to campus and continue doing what we do best: serving Quinnipiac and the surrounding community,” said Ryan Rourke ’26, director of staff.

Starting with just 18 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in their inaugural year, the agency now boasts 43 EMTs alongside 37 Auxiliary members who staffed over 13,000 hours during the past five years. During this time, the agency has responded to more than 355 calls across Quinnipiac’s campuses, 117 of which occurred during the 2023-2024 academic year.

To continue to expand, Quinnipiac EMS collaborates and partners with the Quinnipiac community to host training, lifesaving skills courses and events. The agency holds training sessions for their members, which help them apply for recertification and community education classes.

In 2020, Quinnipiac EMS began teaching Stop the Bleed (STB) classes, leading Quinnipiac to become an American Heart Association (AHA) training site, officially known as the Quinnipiac University Training Site (QU-TS) in 2022. As a training site, the organization teaches Basic Life Support (BLS), CPR, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) along with many other courses.

Partnerships with the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences have allowed the agency to obtain the most modern Laerdal CPR mannequins and to perform specialized training on the North Haven Campus.

“We also thank all our university and community partners, including the School of Health Sciences, Public Safety, Yale New Haven Hospital Center for EMS, Hamden Fire Department, AMR and Hartford HealthCare. Without them, Quinnipiac EMS would not be where it is today. We appreciate their continued support and are excited to build on our existing relationships,” said Rourke.

Throughout the past five years, the agency has not only grown in membership, but also through new technological advancements. In 2021 and 2022, they obtained EMS-1 and EMS-3, two Ford Explorers which allows EMTs to respond to calls on the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses.

More recently, Quinnipiac EMS received a Simbulance, courtesy of Hartford HealthCare. The Simbulance, a decommissioned ambulance, allows the student EMTs to practice critical-care skills in a safe and controlled environment, preparing them for the future.

With the expansion and move of Quinnipiac’s Public Safety office, Quinnipiac EMS was able to establish a new base of operations in Irmagarde Tator Hall, where EMTs have more space for operations and resources during their shifts.

During the spring semester, Quinnipiac EMS planned and hosted a mass casualty incident (MCI) drill, which included more than 40 simulated patients and collaboration from EMS partners across the state.

Through their continued work and partnerships, Quinnipiac EMS has earned different awards, acknowledging and celebrating its continued work and growth. Three of these awards have come from the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF), which promotes, advocates and supports college emergency medical service agencies.

In 2022, it was awarded the HEARTSafe Campus Award and then in 2024, it was awarded the Striving for Excellence award and the EMS Ready Campus award.

As students gear up for the fall semester, Quinnipiac EMS is preparing to further their continued engagement with the community.

Each year, during National Collegiate EMS Week, it hosts a week of community, education and awareness campaigns with different events such as an AED scavenger hunt, building first-aid kits and hosting Stop the Bleed and CPR classes.

In the future, Quinnipiac EMS plans to continue expanding as an agency and its continued medical care to the Quinnipiac community. The organization is also looking to plan another MCI Drill for the upcoming academic year, while also looking to achieve 24/7 staffing on campus with the new space in Irma.

“None of this would be possible without the dedication of our team, who consistently put in long hours and nights to educate and serve the community. So, in celebrating five years, we extended a sincere thank you to every single one of them,” said Rourke.