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The service is a volunteer 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 Delta Ambulance, Waterville Fire-Rescue, 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.
Emergencies: 207-859-5911
General Contact: [email protected]
The Garrison-Foster Health Center does not provide emergency medical care. We employ the services of Colby Emergency Response (CER), a student-run group of emergency medical technicians, who are able to respond to a wide variety of medical emergencies. If you have a medical emergency, please call 207-859-5911 and Security will dispatch CER rescuers. When in doubt, call for CER. When CER responds, they will provide medical care and make one of three determinations:
Please remember that CER rescuers are students on this campus who volunteer their time to provide professional medical care. CER often responds with Security but is not a disciplinary body. All services provided by CER are free of charge. If a transporting service (e.g. Delta Ambulance) is required to provide transport, fees may be added to your insurance. CER rescuers are trained to respond to a wide variety of medical emergencies including, but not limited to, traumatic injuries, severe illness, alcohol and drug related illness, and mental health emergencies.
ER is a student-run organization of volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) working as an extension of the Garrison-Foster Health Center. As EMTs, the squad provides on-scene basic life support (BLS) for medical emergencies within the Colby College community. CER is a non-transport, first-responder service that requires minimal licensing at the EMT level. Although all of CERs members must maintain a Maine EMT certification or higher, CER is not a Maine EMS (MEMS) licensed service. CER operates under protocols provided by the medical director, Dr. Scott Lowman, and the Garrison-Foster Health Center. The Garrison-Foster Health Center also acts as medical control. Current protocols are modifications of the Maine state EMS protocols, with additional consideration given to ALS-intercepts and patient transport. When prudent, patients are transported to MaineGeneral-Thayer Emergency Department in Waterville or transferred to Advanced Life Support (ALS) care—most often provided by Delta Ambulance and Waterville Fire-Rescue.
During the academic year, CER is available to members of the Colby community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Volunteer rescuers run 24-hour shifts on a per-diem basis. CER crews usually consist of 2-4 members, though additional rescuers may be placed in service for concerts and other special events that require additional personnel. While on duty, rescuers carry rescue packs and radios and have access to additional gear (including oxygen, a backboard, another defibrillator, and more) stored in the security vehicles. CER’s equipment inventory is based on the standard required of a Maine BLS first-response agency; however, the inventory has been modified to this service’s unique operations on a collegiate campus without an ambulance. CER is dispatched by Colby Security and works closely with their officers; 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 services provided include: Continuing Education Unit (CEU) opportunities, guest speakers, information 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.
In 1978 a group of EMT-trained Colby students saw the need for a first-responder service on campus. Soon, 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; they took an EMT-B class with Waterville Fire Rescue. At first, SPECS had no formal communications system and it was up to the nurse on duty to call each EMT’s room with the hopes that someone was there. In 1979, with assistance from Health Services, Security, and Student Government, SPECS was given radio pagers, which aided communications. Keep in mind that this was the era when 911 EMS services were 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 pick up and instead of responding to 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 in the Garrison-Foster Health Center. 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 lives. CER now boasted a membership of more than 25 rescuers.
With the new millennium came some major changes for CER. In 2003 the health center closed 24-hour care due to a national nursing shortage. Lacking applicable protocols when the health center closed, CER was forced to limit its operations to the hours when the health center was open. Shortly thereafter, 24-hour care returned as did 24/7 service by CER.
In 2009 the College announced that the Health Center would be shutting down overnight care permanently due to a lack of available resources and limited use of the overnight services by students. CER was well prepared to fill this apparent gap and under the direction of the medical director of the College, CER continued to remain a 24/7 operation. A highly trained group of senior rescuers were charged as the primary caregivers to students when the Health Center was closed. If needed, these rescuers had the services of local hospitals, Delta Ambulance, and the on-call practitioner to assist with calls beyond their level of care. As a result of these recent changes, CER’s relationship with these organizations has continued to thrive due to the high quality of care provided by CER’s rescuers.
At the same time, with national concerns regarding EMS response times and scene safety coming to the spotlight, CER added another component to its relationship with Colby Security. On weekends, a group of rescuers would now ride with a security officer to provide care to students more quickly. In the coming years, CER will undoubtedly continue to grow and thrive, as it has since its inception in 1978.
CER is dispatched by Colby Security and works closely with their officers. Security officers respond simultaneously with CER 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. Due to higher call volume on the weekends, CER may ride with Security in the Security vehicle from 23:00-02:00 to ensure the fastest response time possible.
CER operates solely on-campus, and does not respond to any off-campus housing (e.g. the Bill and Joan Alfond Downtown Dorms or Lockwood Hotel Dorms).
All information regarding calls, patient medical records, and patient information in general is kept completely confidential by CER. As licensed EMTs, all CER members know and abide by the Health Insurance Portability and 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, Security may record the call or pass on student information to the office of the Dean of the College.
CER is a non-transport service, but we have two options for transporting patients to the hospital when needed. In some cases, CER can escort patients to the emergency department via Colby College Security. If it is deemed necessary, patients can be transported to the emergency department via Delta Ambulance, Waterville-Fire-Rescue, or another transporting service if the situation warrants transfer of patient care to a higher level of service. Fees may be applied by the transporting service.
To join CER 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, contact our Communications and Personnel Officer directly or email [email protected] to set up a time for orientation.
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 is slightly 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, state licensure may be applied for. 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 one to two trainings per month, attend one continuing education class per month, and staff approximately two to six 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 paramedic. At continuing education classes, a wide range of skill sets and specialized topics within EMS (e.g. ALS assists, pediatric emergencies, efficient CPR, water rescues, etc.) are covered. These continuing education opportunities count toward the continuing education credits needed to maintain Maine EMS license.
Of course! If you’re not yet an EMT but are in the process of becoming an EMT or are trying to decide if you want to be an EMT, you’re more than welcome to stop by 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 AHA BLS Provider license, proof of hepatitis-B vaccination, and completion of a blood borne pathogens course (provided by CER upon joining).
CER members do not receive payment for running shifts as EMS personnel, but the CER Officer Corps is paid hourly for administrative work.
