"When you ask someone to volunteer a lot of their time," senior Mike Garshick said, "there's a certain type of person who is willing to do it."
Garshick, the executive director of Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS), falls into that category. So does senior Jeff Burke.
"I took the EMT class that's offered at Tufts last fall and then I was gone for a semester," said Burke, who first became involved with TEMS after he returned from studying abroad during his junior year.
Since that time, Burke has moved from a tertiary EMT to a probationary technician to his current position: a technician who volunteers up to eight shifts per month for his fellow students at Tufts.
Students are able to join TEMS when they are CPR-certified and enrolled in an EMT class. Most begin as observers, responding to calls with the other two EMTs on duty. Observers then graduate to tertiary EMT status. From there, they move on to be probationary technicians, and, usually after a year, technicians.
At a minimum, TEMS always has two certified EMTs available per shift to individually respond to a call. The third student may be a tertiary EMT or an observer.
Of course, "on nights like [the naked quad run] for example, we put other special details on campus," Garshick said. "We've had up to nine [TEMS workers] on at one time."
Although workers are paid in the case of the naked quad run, TEMS is otherwise completely volunteer-dependent. The average TEMS worker volunteers for four to six shifts per month. Many students volunteer more time than that, however. It was for this reason that Burke moved up to the rank of technician so quickly.
"Most people spend about a year as a [probationary technician]," Garshick said. Burke, however, moved up after one semester.
Garshick came to be executive director of TEMS through an election process. All working members of TEMS who complete four to six shifts per month and are in good standing with TEMS are eligible to vote.
As executive director, Garshick serves as an intermediary between TEMS and outside entities, including companies, the media and the Tufts police force.
He also works closely with TEMS Director of Operations Bracken Babula, whose responsibilities include "scheduling, uniforming and paperwork," Garshick said.
Garshick spends a substantial amount of time volunteering with TEMS. While he usually aims to take six or seven shifts per month, he often takes more. He and Babula find themselves sacrificing their own time in an effort to keep TEMS in service.
But that doesn't stop Garshick from finding time to play a role in the Tufts community in other ways. He participated in a musical last year, has run a bone-marrow drive and is a member of the pep band.
Burke, who is a member of the crew team and Theta Chi, has been successful at managing his time and not letting his dedication to TEMS ever fall by the wayside. "It's a little tough to make nighttime shifts during the week," he said, adding that the commitment is different from what most students imagine.
TEMS volunteers are not stationed in one location on campus, waiting for a call. They may be in class, eating lunch, spending time with friends - as long as they have the radio with them that informs them of any calls.
"When I'm on duty, I'm able to carry out every other activity," Burke said. "Obviously you can't be in practice, but I can be doing schoolwork, in a class, anything around campus - as long as I have the radio on and I'm able to respond to a call. You just always have to remember [TEMS] is your priority at the time."
A TEMS worker on duty must be prepared to receive a call at any time. "A Saturday night is more likely than a Monday afternoon," Burke said. "But you can get a call any time, any day, really."
"We can go two or three days without a call, and then have a day where we get call after call," Garshick said. He estimated that TEMS receives, on average, one call per day. Over the course of last year, the TEMS staff received over 400 calls.
Another misconception about TEMS is that it deals primarily with students who have had too much to drink. "We do a lot more than just alcohol intoxication," Garshick said.
TEMS has sponsored CPR and first aid classes, as well as outreach programs such as Kids' Day and Read by the River.
"Our definition of services is to provide 100 percent free, voluntary care to all of the Tufts community, including staff, students and also anybody associated with Tufts University," Garshick said.
Members of the Tufts community aren't the only ones benefiting from TEMS - the volunteers themselves feel rewarded for their work.
"[My experience with TEMS has] affected me primarily in terms of leadership roles," Garshick said, citing the learning experience of "running an organization with your peers where no one is being paid."
Through his experience, Garshick has learned a great deal about working with others. "You're all students, you're all friends, you all have to be considerate and kind to everybody," he said.
Garshick continues to dedicate as much time as he does to TEMS because he knows how much the organization is needed on campus. "Having TEMS go under would be a big deal," he said.
Burke is equally positive about his time with TEMS. He appreciates that "TEMS has given me the opportunity to gain experience as an EMT in a non-business [setting] - we're not here to make money."
In addition, Burke has been especially impressed with "the quality of people" he has met through the organization. "I can't think of anything I'm involved with that [has] the same caliber of people," he said.
