During a 5-kilometer run at the Commuter Lot on Sunday morning, students and police will work side by side.
University Police announced a partnership Thursday with UF’s Gator Emergency Medical Response Unit, a first-response service staffed by students, said UPD spokesman Officer Wayne Clark.
The unit, also known as GEMRU, will cover small events and, in the event of an emergency, provide first-response care until professionals arrive. They will also cover football games and other high-profile events but not as main responders, Clark said.
“If something does happen, they can start providing medical response to the situation,” he said. “It’s just to initiate a faster response to anything that happens on campus.”
Of the 41-member staff, 13 members are EMT-certified and 28 are certified Emergency Medical Responders, according to the group’s website.
The unit will be led by Dr. Christine Van Dillen, Medical Director for Stadium Operations and Disaster Preparedness at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and UPD Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick, according to a press release.
GEMRU is an offshoot of Gator Emergency Medical Response, a student organization which offers educational opportunities for those interested in EMS, according to the group’s website.
The group will also provide its services at special events that don’t normally have emergency medical staff on site, according to the release. During Sunday’s race, two UPD officers will be joined by up to four GEMRU members, Clark said. UPD will provide the group with first-aid bags, which will likely include bandages, gauze, tourniquets, disinfectants and other common items.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect corrections. In our original article, we previously misidentified Dr. Christine Van Dillen. She is the Medical Director for Stadium Operations and Disaster Preparedness at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Also, GEMRU has 41 members; not 44, as we initially wrote. Finally, Gator Emergency Medical Response offers educational opportunities but it does not train students to become EMTs. We originally reported otherwise.
