Winter 2005
NEWS
Geneseo
First Response Provides Enhanced Services to Campus Community
By Sarah Grace Frisch
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Geneseo
First Response (GFR), the primary emergency medical services provider
to the SUNY Geneseo campus, has made major enhancements to its potentially
life-saving services over the past year, and members of the organization
want the campus community to know how proud they are of the expansion.
Made up of students, and completely run by student volunteers, the organization
is a squad of some 50 members, most of whom are EMTs, or Emergency Medical
Technicians. Eric Rathfelder, captain of the SUNY Geneseo First
Response team, said that because of the somewhat rural character of the
campus, and due to the fact that the nearest hospital is approximately
25 minutes away, the provision of quality emergency medical care is a
crucial service.
In operation at the Geneseo campus since 1974, the organization has seen
exponential growth over the past year. There has been a three-fold increase
in membership. The organization’s budget has doubled. Robert Bonfiglio,
vice president for student and campus life, convened a GFR Board of Directors
comprising faculty, staff and students, the organization’s first
ever. New, state-of-the-art equipment has been purchased. The group has
seen a decrease in the average response time to 2.2 minutes, which Rathfelder
said is one of the best response times of any EMS agency in the county.
And further changes were implemented this fall. Beginning in September,
the Geneseo First Response team began providing service 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. It is also now integrated with the Livingston County
911 system, and calls are now dispatched from there, rather than from
the University Police department, enhancing the level of communication
between GFR and other agencies in the county to maximize the care provided
to patients. And the organization has acquired and outfitted a new vehicle
to replace its 1994 Ford Econoline van — a 2001 Ford Explorer XLS,
which can be seen responding to calls around campus on a regular basis.
"These accomplishments allow us to continue to improve the quality
of emergency medical services provided to the Geneseo campus," Rathfelder
explained.
New equipment obtained this year include a pulse oximeter, a device to
measure the oxygen saturation of a person’s blood, a "crucial
piece of equipment, especially for patients who are having respiratory-related
difficulties," Rathfelder said. In addition, a new external defibrillator,
used to restart the heart of a cardiac arrest victim, will replace GFR’s
old model. Rathfelder said that GFR also purchased new radio pagers that
are used to dispatch a crew to an emergency scene. He added that crew
members also carry the medication epinephrine, which is used to open a
person’s airway and reverses the effect of anaphylaxis, which occurs
in cases of severe allergic reaction. He added that Geneseo First Response
is among the first Basic Life Support Agencies in the county to carry
the drug.
Rathfelder, a senior from Chester, N.Y., has been involved with GFR since
2002. A physics major with secondary education certification, Rathfelder
plans to begin a paramedic program in Rochester in January. The program
will last a year and a half, and he plans to seek employment as a teacher,
or a residence hall director, while he completes the program. A ski patroller
since age 17, Rathfelder credits his time at a ski area, and as an EMT
at a water park in northern New Jersey, as the inspiration for his interest
in the field. "I’ve just always been interested in emergency
medicine," he said.
Rathfelder credits other departments on campus with the improvements in
GFR’s emergency medical care. "We are grateful to University
Police, Health and Counseling Services, Residence Life, Student and Campus
Life, and Athletics, among others," he said.
GFR has responded to approximately 140 calls this semester, according
to Rathfelder. Now that the organization is in service "24/7,"
Rathfelder estimates that the yearly call average is around 300. Last
year’s call average was about 200.
While GFR provides service at the "basic life support level,"
Rathfelder points out that GFR is a non-transporting service, and primarily
relies on the Geneseo Fire Department when patients need to be transported
to a hospital. "Each GFR crew is led by a New York state-certified
Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B)," Rathfelder explained,
"and 26 members of our crew are certified. These trained individuals
can make all the difference in an emergency situation."
Rathfelder added that GFR is always looking for new ways to branch out
into the community. At the request of several college organizations and
departments, GFR provides standby coverage for special events and activities
including hockey games, rugby games, concerts, siblings weekend events,
and homecoming events. "We also provide training to residence life
staff at the fall RA training, lead training sessions during Inter-Residence
Council training, and host CPR certification sessions that are open to
the campus and county EMS agencies," he said.
Plans for the remainder of the year include sharing more information about
Geneseo First Response during on-campus tours, and in admissions materials;
providing information during orientation about how to deal with medical
emergencies; strengthening the relationship and camaraderie between GFR
and the Geneseo Fire Department through cross training, joint drills,
and communication; and acquiring a second vehicle, or electric vehicle,
to decrease response time.
"It is difficult to find a person who hasn’t had at least one
interaction with GFR at some point in their time on campus," Rathfelder
said. "I constantly hear positive feedback about the organization
and about the difference we make on this campus. I have to say that all
of that credit has to go to the other GFR officers and members who pour
their hearts and time into the organization without any compensation.
It is a pretty special kind of college student who chooses to spend his
or her spare time volunteering to help others who are in need."