Since the university provided Georgetown Emergency Response edical Service with a funding boost and resources to purchase a new ambulance over a year ago, the student-run organization has been able to respond to a significantly increased call volume and is better able to treat students than ever before in its 25-year history, GERMS officials say.

Alicia Nelson (COL ’08), GERMS director of public relations, said that since the medical service received its new ambulance early in the 2005-06 academic year, the average response time has dipped to under four minutes – several minutes quicker than its previous average. She added that GERMS no longer has to rely on outside ambulances in certain circumstances of high activity, as had previously been its practice.

GERMS received over $40,000 from the university to fund a $90,000 ambulance unit in September 2005, after years of complaining that its two in-service ambulances were outdated and unreliable. The university nearly tripled the group’s annual budget – from $11,000 to $30,000 – at the beginning of the 2005-06 academic year.

Evan Harrison (COL ’07), vice president of GERMS, said that the budget increase has helped improve the equipment in both ambulances in use.

“Having two ambulances capable of responding to calls has made our operational status much more stable and manageable given the increase in call volume we have experienced,” she said.

“We now have two almost fully equipped ambulances, so we can take on twice the number of cases,” Director of Health Education Services Carol Day, who advises GERMS, said.

By the end of 2006, GERMS had received 1,142 calls, over 300 more than in previous years, Nelson said.

Justin Scott (COL ’10), who called GERMS last week, said that he was particularly impressed with the organization’s service and response time, but added that he would not necessarily feel comfortable using GERMS in all situations.

“I’ve been taken in an ambulance before, but GERMS came to my door more quickly than anyone else I have dealt with,” he said. “Unless I were dying, I would not hesitate to call them again and have encouraged my friends to do the same.”

Craig Nadler (COL ’10), who requested GERMS service on behalf of his ill friend this weekend, also expressed his approval.

“They came right up to the room with a gurney and instruments to test blood sugar and other sophisticated equipment,” he said.

Members of GERMS said that they have not felt burdened by the increased call volume.

“The system maximizes efficiency because all three or four on-call members are spread out around campus,” GERMS member Griffin Newman (MSB ’10) said.

The number of interested recruits also increased significantly this year.

“While we generally have about two or three new students per semester, we began this school year with about 30 people requesting membership,” Nelson said.

Newman said that GERMS’ recent improvements were a factor in his decision to join the service.

“For someone interested in EMT work, GERMS is so appealing because of the new equipment and the hands-on experience,” he said.

Farrell said that GERMS was only able to accommodate nine of the interested recruits.

“If we accepted any more, we would be so overstaffed that students would get only one shift per month,” he said.

Although GERMS has already made several improvements over the past two years, members of the group still envision ways to improve its service in future years.

Farrell said that the group will continue to fund new equipment and perhaps purchase a new ambulance.

Day said that since GERMS brings in regular revenue by teaching a certification class at Georgetown’s medical center, it will be able to fund its own improvements in future years.