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Colby Emergency Response (CER) is a student-run organization of both national and Maine licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) working as an extension of Colby’s student health clinic, MaineGeneral College Health. CER is a first-responder service and all CER members must maintain a Maine EMT certification or higher. As EMTs, the CER squad provides on-scene basic life support (BLS) for medical emergencies within the Colby College community. CER operates under protocols provided by the medical director, Dr. Michael E. Clark, MD, and MaineGeneral College Health. As necessary, CER patients are transported to the Emergency Department at MaineGeneral’s Thayer Center for Health or are transferred for Advanced Life Support (ALS) care — most often provided by Waterville Fire-Rescue and Delta Ambulance.
During the academic year, CER is available to members of the Colby community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rescuers run 24-hour shifts on a per-diem basis. CER crews usually consist of 3-4 members, though additional rescuers may be placed in service for concerts and other special events. While on duty, rescuers carry rescue packs and radios, with access to additional gear (including oxygen, a backboard, another defibrillator, and more) stored in the CER car, CER-1. CER’s equipment inventory is based on the standard required of a Maine BLS first-response agency. CER is dispatched by Colby Security and works closely with their officers. Security officers respond simultaneously with CER and are always available to assist on scene.
In addition to providing emergency medical care, CER also serves as an on-campus resource for emergency medicine education. Some resources provided include: Continuing Education Unit (CEU) opportunities, guest speakers, notices about EMS-related classes offered in the area, and general information about EMS and EMS-related employment opportunities. American Heart Association CPR/BLS classes are also offered by CER periodically throughout the semester.
The service is a first-responder organization whose goal is to provide optimum patient care utilizing resources both on and off campus. CER aims to provide emergency care to patients as well as to transfer care in the most appropriate manner, whether it is to Waterville Fire-Rescue, Delta Ambulance, or another medical facility. The organization shall also provide members with opportunities for obtaining continuing education as well as experience in the emergency medical field. It is the responsibility of the officers and members to stay up to date with Maine and national EMS protocols and apply them in such a manner that best suits the Colby College campus.
For medical emergencies on campus, the Colby community is covered by Colby Emergency Response (CER), a student-run organization of both national and Maine licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). During the academic year, CER is available to members of the Colby community 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you have a medical emergency, call 207-859-5911 and Colby Security will dispatch CER rescuers and security officers. When in doubt, call for CER. When CER responds, they will provide medical care and make one of three possible determinations:
Please remember that CER rescuers are Colby students who give their time to provide professional medical care. While CER responds with Security officers, they are not a disciplinary body. All services provided by CER are free of charge. However, if a transporting service (e.g., Waterville Fire Department) is required to provide emergency transport, fees may be charged to your health insurance. CER rescuers are trained to respond to a wide variety of medical emergencies including, but not limited to, traumatic injuries, severe illnesses, allergic reactions, alcohol and drug related illnesses, and mental health emergencies.
In 1978, a group of EMT-trained Colby students saw the need for a first-responder service on campus. These students founded Student Primary Emergency Care Service (SPECS). Cate Talbot Ashton ’80 recalls that Jim Elmore ’80 and Alice Domar ’80 were the founders, after they took an EMT-B class with Waterville Fire-Rescue. At first, SPECS had no formal communication system; the nurse on duty at the campus health center had to call each EMT’s room with the hope that someone was available. In 1979, with assistance from Colby Health Services, Colby Security, and the Student Government, SPECS was given radio pagers, which aided communications. At this time, 911 EMS services were only just beginning to start around the country; Colby was already ahead of the curve.
As the years progressed, so did SPECS. A Jan Plan EMT course was offered soon after SPECS’ founding and student interest in the EMS system grew. By 1985, SPECS boasted more than a dozen members. As the 1980s progressed, the call volume began to increase, and instead of responding to only a handful of incidents, SPECS members now responded to dozens of incidents each year. In 1988, SPECS’ name was changed to Colby Emergency Response (CER).
Over the next several years, CER expanded and changed the location of its squad room several times, from Dana to Roberts to its current location on the first floor of Garrison-Foster, across from Student Financial Services. CER saw some major calls in the 1990s, with students falling from windows and a car accident on campus. As always, motivated and professional student EMTs responded and helped to protect student lives. CER now boasted a membership of more than 25 rescuers.
In 2009, the campus health center ceased providing overnight care, due to limited resources and minimal utilization of overnight services. CER was well-prepared to fill this gap and continued offering 24/7 emergency medical care. If needed, CER rescuers utilized the services of local hospitals, Delta Ambulance, and on-call practitioners to assist with cases exceeding their level of expertise. CER’s relationship with these organizations has continued to thrive due to the high quality of care provided by CER rescuers. In the coming years, CER will undoubtedly continue to grow and thrive, as it has since its inception in 1978.
To reach CER in an emergency, dial Security’s emergency number: 207-859-5911. Be prepared to say where you are located and to give a brief description of why you are calling. Security will then dispatch a CER team of 2-4 rescuers to respond to the emergency.
CER is dispatched by Colby Security and works closely with their officers. Security officers respond simultaneously with CER rescuers to improve response times, to serve as an extra set of hands, as needed, and to assure scene safety for CER, the patient, and bystanders.
The MaineGeneral College Health Colby student clinic is used for preventative services, primary care, and treatment for non-emergency injuries and illnesses. Appointments with MaineGeneral College Health are scheduled during business hours and are held at their clinic within the Thayer Center for Health.
CER provides emergency care anywhere on campus, usually 24/7; our official Facebook page is updated with any closures or reduced hours.CER operates solely on-campus, and cannot respond to any off-campus housing (e.g. the Bill & Joan Alfond Downtown Dorms, Lockwood Hotel Dorms, etc.).
All information regarding calls, patient medical records, and patient information is kept completely confidential by CER. As licensed EMTs, all CER members know and abide by the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules and regulations, and all CER members sign an additional oath of confidentiality. CER members are forbidden from accessing any medical records except in order to document a patient care report after a call, and only the CER members who were present at the call are able to access this report. Protected Health Information (PHI) obtained by CER, like a patient’s name, Colby ID, address/dorm room, phone number, etc., is only shared with others directly involved in that patient’s care and is never shared with other CER members, Colby Security officers, college faculty or staff, parents, or other students. However, Colby Security may record the call or share student information with the office of the Dean of the College.
There are two options for transporting patients to the hospital when needed. In some cases, CER can escort patients to the Emergency Department at MaineGeneral’s Thayer Center for Health via the CER car, CER-1.
However, if the situation warrants a higher level of care, patients will be transported to the Emergency Department via Waterville Fire-Rescue, Delta Ambulance, or another transporting service. While these transporting services may incur fees to your health insurance, CER escort via the CER-1 car is free of charge.
CER is an application based organization. To apply, you must be a nationally certified EMT-Basic (or higher) and/or a licensed EMT-Basic eligible for reciprocity in the state of Maine, if not currently licensed in Maine. Once you obtain your EMT certification and/or licensure, look for the semesterly applications, which open around May for the Fall Semester and around October for the Spring Semester. Updates on when the applications open can be found on CER’s instagram (@colby_ems) or via the ColbyNow email announcements. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
In order to become an EMT-Basic, you must take an approved EMT-Basic course and pass the national registry exam to obtain EMT-Basic certification. Colby College offers an emergency medical technician course during Jan Plan in which students receive all of the training necessary to take both the psychomotor (practical) and cognitive (written) exams necessary to obtain certification. EMT-B classes are also offered as semester-long courses and summer programs, including courses at Kennebec Valley Community College. (However, it may be more challenging to take a semester-long EMT course with a full course load at Colby.)
Once the psychomotor (practical) and cognitive (written) exams are passed, and national certification is achieved through the NREMT, you may apply for state licensure. Applying for a state license often involves a background check and driving record check; however, this is state dependent, so check your state’s EMS website to see exactly what is required.
All CER members must attend 1-2 trainings per month, attend a continuing education class per month, and work approximately 2-6 shifts per month, depending on availability and scheduling needs.
Trainings are typically held on two different days and times to help accommodate the various schedules of CER members. At trainings, we simulate scenarios and work on practical skills to keep our skills and knowledge up-to-date and ensure that we are providing the best possible patient care on scene.
Continuing education classes are held once a month at Colby and are usually taught by an outside presenter. At continuing education classes, a wide range of skill sets and specialized topics within EMS are covered (e.g., ALS assists, pediatric emergencies, efficient CPR, water rescues, etc.). These continuing education opportunities count toward the continuing education credits needed to maintain Maine EMS licensure. All CER trainings are open to the public.
Of course! If you are not an EMT yet, if you are in the process of becoming an EMT, or if you are trying to decide if you may want to be an EMT, you are more than welcome to stop by our trainings and/or our continuing education classes to see what CER and EMS are all about.
All staffing crew members must possess a Maine EMT-Basic license, an American Heart Association BLS Provider license, proof of hepatitis-B vaccination, and completion of a blood-borne pathogens course (provided by CER upon joining).
CER members are given stipends by Colby College each semester for their work on campus.
