19. Who is the membership of REMS?
REMS is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There may not be
coverage during the winter recess and during other holidays. When not in
service, your request for emergency medical services will be forwarded to
the Houston Fire Department. REMS is in service during the summer
months.
At a minimum, REMS always has one EMT-Intermediate Supervisor on call.
More typically, when school is in session, the on duty team consists of
the Supervisor and 2-3 other volunteer EMTs.
An "EMT" is an emergency medical technician. This individual is
certified by the State of Texas to perform certain out-of-hospital
interventions such as bandaging and splinting, spinal immobilization,
oxygen administration, and automated external defibrillation. There are
also two higher levels of EMT. An EMT-Intermediate can perform
intravenous fluid therapy, administer certain medications intravenously,
and perform advanced airway procedures. A certified or licensed
Paramedic, the highest level of EMT, can additionally administer a
multitude of medications, perform manual defibrillation, and may perform
other invasive procedures, as permitted by the agency's medical
director.
"EMS" stands for emergency medical services.
REMS evaluates and treats all patients free of charge. If ambulance
transportation or a visit to a physician is required, then there will be
a charge incurred for those services.
Please see our contact information page, or
visit our office in the Police Department at Rice University, inside
entrance number 8 of the University.
The Rice University Police & EMS Dispatcher will request a minimum
amount of information from you (see our Emergency Information Page). Once the
information is obtained, the call is dispatched via radio and alphanumeric
pager to the on duty EMS personnel. The EMS Supervisor responds in a
marked, departmental emergency vehicle and the other EMTs on call
generally respond by privately owned vehicle with a full set of medical
equipment. The team converges on the scene of the emergency and patient
evaluation and treatment begins.
If you request EMS, you will be evaluated and treated by a team of
trained EMTs. After evaluation, you will receive advice as to whether you
require further evaluation by a physician and what the most appropriate
means of transport is (i.e. ambulance, police escort, private vehicle).
Unless your mental status is impaired, the decision to seek further
evaluation and the means of transport is ultimately your decision. REMS
may have to consult with the parents of patients that are under the age of
18 in order to make treatment and transport decisions.
REMS and the Rice University Police Department both encourage students
to call for EMS evaluation if you have any doubts about a person's (or
your own) well being. You will not receive disciplinary action in
instances of your calling help for medical evaluation. See our statement on this
topic.
Currently, REMS provides basic life support (with automated
defibrillation capability) first response service to the Rice community
and the surrounding streets. This means that REMS responds rapidly with a
team of trained individuals that are capable both of evaluating medical
illnesses and injuries and treating patients with the same equipment that
would be found on any basic ambulance. REMS has been funded by the
university to upgrade its level of care to the advanced life support level
(which would allow for more advanced treatment options). Currently, Rice
EMS is pursuing options that would allow for an advanced life support
upgrade.
"First response" means that REMS provides rapid response and on scene
interventions. REMS does not currently provide transport for its patients
to the emergency room. If ambulance transport is required, then the
Houston Fire Department is contacted.
REMS is dispatched by the Rice University Police Department. In an
emergency, call campus extension 6000, pick up any blue light emergency
phone, or activate any elevator phone. If using a cellular phone, you
must dial 713-348-6000.
In order to volunteer for REMS, you must be minimally certified to the
EMT-Basic level in the State of Texas and affiliated with Rice University.
EMT courses may be taken each spring semester at Rice, or through one of
many other EMS education programs, such as those offered at community
colleges. Once you have an EMT certification, you may apply for
membership. Once this is completed, you will be required to learn and
take exams over our treatment protocols and then attend a new member
orientation training session.
If you hold an out-of-state EMT certificate, you must apply for
reciprocity into the State of Texas. This process entails the completion
of an application and an administrative fee. Further
information and the reciprocity application can be obtained online
from the Texas Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Management.
CPR and automated external defibrillator training is provided by REMS.
REMS periodically (generally once a month, or depending upon demand)
offers such training. A nominal fee is associated with the course, which
covers the cost of course materials and instruction. An information
request form can be submitted on our web page. Otherwise your local
chapter of the American Red Cross or American Heart Association will be
able to provide you with training.
An AED is an automated external defibrillator. These are small,
portable devices (about the size of a laptop computer) that are designed
to be used by the lay public when resuscitating a person in cardiac arrest
(no pulse). They rapidly and accurately analyze the need for electrical
therapy for a pulseless individual. If the AED determines that an
electrical shock is indicated, it will charge itself and then instruct
rescuers to deliver a shock. Once a person's heart stops beating,
irreversible brain cell death will begin within only about 4 - 6 minutes.
Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and utilizing an AED can
greatly increase the chance that the person will enjoy a complete
neurological recovery. For each minute that passes without defibrillation
(or the delivery of an electrical shock to a pulseless patient), there is
a 10% decrease in that person's chance for survival.
AEDs are currently being placed in public locations so that they can be
rapidly deployed if someone collapses. Some of the more common locations
of AEDs are airports, casinos, certain municipal buildings (such as within
the City of Houston), and office buildings.
At Rice University, one AED is carried by the EMS Supervisor and one is
carried by a Rice University Police Department patrol officer. A proposal
for wider access to AEDs on campus is currently being reviewed. Two public
access AEDs have already been placed the Recreation Center and Facilities
and Engineering.
The majority of REMS' budget comes from a portion of the student health
service fee. A second portion is a fixed amount that comes from parking
fines generated by the Rice University Police Department. All
enhancements to the EMS budget are funded by the university's general
budget fund.
In 2001, REMS treated 648 patients. This translates to an average of
just under 2 patients each day. In relation to the population of the Rice
community, REMS is considerably busier than most other collegiate EMS
agencies.
Every EMS agency in the State of Texas must have physician oversight.
All EMS personnel operate under the standing delegated orders and
treatment protocols of the agency medical director. REMS' medical
director is Carolyn S. Galloway, MD.
REMS offers CPR and AED training, alcohol information management
training, and emergency medical technician training. Please visit our education
page for further information.
The majority of the REMS membership consists of full time students who
have training as EMTs. These individuals volunteer their time to ensure
that the Rice community has the very best and most efficient emergency
response available. Some of our EMTs are Rice staff members or
cross-trained police officers. The EMS department is overseen by a full
time EMS Director that reports directly to the Chief of the Rice
University Police Department.
