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By Rita Wisen

Just 20 minutes after the First Responders officially went on duty on campus in September 1999, their first call came in.

Coordinator Ron Groleau described that first call as not too serious, but he said the First Responders reacted appropriately and helped the person who called.

Since that time, the team has responded to an additional 14 calls, ranging from lightheadedness, a fall on the stairs, insulin shock, convulsions and a burn case.

Their job is to assist and stabilize a person in need of medical assistance until an ambulance arrives. The team is equipped and trained with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies including oxygen tanks and a Heartstart 911 defibrillator, and they are licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In each situation in which the team has been called, they have been successful and responded quickly, according to Groleau, who serves as the chair of the life science division. The maximum time it has taken to get to a scene has been two to three minutes, for a call from the east campus. But, he said, usually it takes no more than 60 seconds for the team to arrive.

Besides responding quickly, the team has done a thorough job assessing the situations and helping the victims, according to team member Gerilyn Smith, division secretary. She said there have only been a few situations when the victim has needed to be transported to the hospital.

Smith credits the success of the program to how well the team members work together.

Groleau added, "Once people see us there, it helps to calm them down."

When the First Responders answer an emergency call, they wear a blue vest and a name badge, and they carry a two-way radio and basic medical supplies.

At its one-year mark, the team plans to survey the campus about how they are doing. Groleau said, however, that "results have proven it's been a worth while effort."

The Illinois Council of Community College Administrators, agreeing that the team was worthwhile, presented IVCC with an Innovation Award in the fall. IVCCs team was the first to be established at a junior college.

Smith said that keeping up on their monthly meetings and training will continue to help the team improve. The entire team must be recertified in CPR every two years and in defibrillation every quarter.

Groleau said he thinks the number of calls for their assistance will increase as people learn about the program and hear about the safe and efficient manner in which calls are handled. He added that if people were aware that the First Responders' have a confidentiality policy, they might be more willing to call for help.

Anyone in need of emergency medical attention can request assistance any of the following ways:

· dial 600

· call the switchboard operator

· use an emergency phone in any elevator

· use the call boxes in the areas of rescue assistance

· use the call boxes in the parking lots.

If the call is a medical emergency, the First Responders will be paged. They will go to the call and give the medical attention needed and decide if an ambulance needs to be called.

In addition to Groleau and Smith, team members are Mary Jo Gruenwald, computer services; Mike Barry and Ken Sangston, safety services; Mike Rugen and Dennis Summers, physical plant; John Murphy, EMT instructor; Jo Ann Corrigan, division secretary; Lee Ann Johnson and Jeff Carver, assistants to laboratory instruction; Tony Ruda, fitness center director; Mary Tully, adult learning center; and Jennifer Brewer, student.

The team is continuing to search for recruits. Anyone interested should contact Groleau in A-216 or ext. 482.