The Marquette University Police Department has launched a student emergency medical services unit to address immediate medical needs during calls for service in the MUPD patrol zone. The student EMS unit comprises Marquette University students who have EMT certification.
MUPD’s EMS unit will consist of a two-person student team that will respond alongside MUPD officers on calls for service. The EMS student personnel will render any necessary immediate medical aid until other medical professionals are able to arrive.
“This initiative was driven by passionate students with EMT training, who live the Marquette mission to Be The Difference by assisting their community with urgent, basic medical care,” MUPD Chief Edith Hudson said. “We are grateful for their initiative to get this unit off the ground, and we are certain that this will be a great resource for our officers and community members in situations where immediate medical needs fall outside standard police training.”
MUPD’s EMS unit will have dedicated, branded vehicles, allowing quick response in coordination with MUPD.
“I’ve worked in Milwaukee as an EMT for the last three years and I absolutely love it—it’s pretty much the coolest job anyone can have in college,” said Avary Benavides Shefland, a senior in the College of Nursing. “Marquette has an enrollment size that’s larger than a lot of small towns, which can really put a strain on the local 911 system, especially on the weekends. We also are a very health sciences-oriented school, and we have no shortage of students who already work for ambulance services and fire departments. It made sense to bring those resources to our own community.”
The MUPD student EMS unit was suggested by current Marquette students with EMT certification. The students worked closely with MUPD to obtain city and state certifications. Medical oversight is provided by Aurora Sinai Medical Center.
Additional duties will include teaching first aid courses on campus, providing EMS support for large-scale events and maintaining first aid resources on campus, such as automated external defibrillator units and naloxone boxes.
Marquette’s student EMS program is the only one in the state of Wisconsin, and it is similar to programs at the University of Rochester, Georgetown University and Villanova University.
Marquette is committed to providing the safest environment possible in which to learn, live and work. With almost 70 trained public safety professionals, including 48 sworn police officers, MUPD has an extensive safety infrastructure throughout campus and in the near off-campus neighborhood, which includes more than 1,200 cameras and more than 450 Blue Light phones, a state-of-the-art command information center and the nationally recognized Department of Campus Safety.
