UCLA EMS

UCLA Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a student run Emergency Medical Services organization at the University of California, Los Angeles. Part of the University of California Police Department (UCPD), UCLA EMS provides 9-1-1 emergency medical response to the UCLA campus and surrounding areas 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Each year, UCLA EMS responds to more than 1,300 calls for medical aid, making it one of the busiest collegiate EMS agencies in the nation.

History
In 1979, responding to an ever-growing campus and the resulting increase in demand for emergency services, UCLA created the Emergency Medical Services out of the UCLA Police Department. Originally, the ambulance was staffed by police officers who had received medical training. When a medical aid call came in, the police officers would respond back to the police station, jump in the ambulance, and respond to the scene. Beginning in the early 1980's, student employees UCLA CSOs of the police department began to staff the ambulance. Eventually, EMS would break off to become its own department at UCPD.

Currently
UCLA EMS is dispatched by the UCPD 9-1-1 Communications Center to over 1,300 medical aid calls annually in a densely populated response area that includes the UCLA campus as well as surrounding areas of Westwood. ALS back-up is provided by surrounding LAFD stations.

UCLA EMS currently owns three Type II Ford Ambulances outfitted by Leader Industries in El Monte, CA. It also has an electric cart for special events, specially outfitted to accommodate a gurney and other medical equipment. EMTs are trained as EMT-D's and utilize the Zoll M-series Semi-Automatic Defibrillator for defibrillation, 3-lead EKG, and pulse oximetry.

While 911 response is their first priority, EMTs also staff the front desk of the UCLA Police Department. They assist all visitors to the department, maintain the campus central Lost and Found program, and take over 40% of police reports at the station.

Membership
Membership is composed entirely of UCLA students and is open to full-time UCLA students who are already certified as EMTs in California and who have a minimum of one year left in school and a 2.0 GPA. Typically, hiring occurs twice a year during the Fall and Spring academic quarters. Hiring is a competitive process, and a lengthy training process is required after hiring before an EMT is considered a "trained" member of UCLA EMS.

Special Events
UCLA EMS is responsible for providing medical coverage to events on the UCLA campus, which frequently bring in thousands or tens of thousands more people to the campus. For these events, EMS staffs another ambulance in addition to the in-service response unit (EMS-1). Some events are recurring events such as UCLA home basketball games in Pauley Pavilion, the LA Times Festival of Books, Mercedes Benz Tennis Cup, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, IM and other NCAA Conference sports events, and Commencement Ceremonies. Other events are non-recurring, and have included the 1984 Olympics, movie premiers and film shoots, and the Special Olympics.

Organization
Emergency Medical Services is a division of the Police Community Services section of the UCLA Police Department, along with Crime Prevention and CSO Programs. EMS operates under a team management system. "Team Management" consists of the EMS Manager, Medical Director, Supervisors and Coordinators, and Team Representative - it meets monthly to discuss organizational and operational issues.

Organizational Structure
 * Chief of Police
 * Director of Police Community Services
 * EMS Manager
 * Medical Director
 * QI Supervisor
 * Training Supervisor
 * Trainees
 * Coordinators (PR/Hiring and Maintenance)
 * Trained EMTs
 * Probationary EMTs