On Oct 23, the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo) shared data on Instagram pertaining to calls made from Aug. 25 and through the month of Sept, The post aims to provide insights of the service’s community impact.

“Our dedicated team is committed to providing top-notch emergency care, and we believe transparency is key to building trust and awareness,” part of the caption for the post states. 

BEMCo is a student-run volunteer emergency medical service that was founded in 1983. Currently there are about 50 active members that are Massachusetts-state certified emergency medical technicians. According to its website, the medical service is equipped with two Class V ambulances that are inspected and certified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. During the academic year, BEMCo is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week service and operates under the guidance of Public Safety and the University Health Center and in collaboration with Armstrong Ambulance Service, who assisted with the 23 transports. 

During the specified dates, BEMCo received a total of 65 calls. Of those total calls, 28 of them, or 43.1% of them, were trauma-related, 28 were medical, while seven of them were categorized as intoxication. Only two calls were categorized as “other.” Of the 44 days that BEMCo has released data for, the busiest days of the week were Saturdays with 19 calls, Mondays and Thursdays tied with 12 calls each and Sundays with 10 calls. Almost 60% of the calls were night calls, between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. and 23 of the 65 calls required transport to a nearby hospital. 

This new BEMCo initiative aims to keep the Brandeis community informed and engaged. 

 “Our goal is to have more people know what we are up to, so they feel more comfortable calling for help or asking us questions!” Julia Kole, the Executive Director wrote in an Oct. 23 email to The Justice. “I feel like there are many common misconceptions about BEMCo and I hope to clear some of those up.” 

Kole explained in an Oct. 27 email that some of the most common misconceptions surround the services that BEMCo provides. Often, Kole says, she hears students referring to the volunteer group separate from the general 911 emergency line.  

“BEMCo is 911 on the Brandeis University campus,” said Kole. “If you call 911 instead of BEMCo…a response will still be initiated, but it will be much more delayed.” She goes on to add that there is a misunderstanding among the student body that BEMCo only responds to intoxication calls. “However, this is not the case,” Kole wrote. She pointed to the released statistics that show 56 of the 65 calls were categorized as trauma or medical. 

In addition to the monthly release of call statistics, Kole shared that she and the rest of the team are participating in more community engagement to combat misconceptions and spread more awareness of the calls that are being addressed. This effort includes tabling at events and collaborating with Community Advisors, as well as having “Trivia Thursdays” on their Instagram page. 

As the Executive Director, Kole hopes to stress upon the student body the importance of having an on-campus student-run Emergency Medical Service and the level of training and expectation required to be an Emergency Medical Technician, should be trusted. 

“All members must attend Continuing Education trainings throughout the semester and we test members on skills often through mock calls,” Kole said. “Overall, I want the community to feel comfortable calling us when they experience any severity of medical emergency as our team is ready for anything.”

BEMCo notes that it will share data “in a way that protects patient privacy and complies with [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] regulations” and adheres to all federal and state statutes concerning patient confidentiality in relation to treatment. Should a student need on campus emergency medical assistance, they are advised to call (781) 736-3333.