Bursting into concerts at Hill Auditorium and games at Crisler Arena on a moment's notice to deal with everything from heart attacks to drunken blackouts, an emergency medical team is always on hand to take control.
It's not an episode of "ER." This team is a group of students.
Until recently, the University was unprepared to handle health emergencies that often occur at campus events, and as a result, students created the Michigan First Aid Stations service to provide immediate medical care at campus functions in emergency situations.
"This is a new service to protect groups and the University in case something would happen," said LSA senior Lowell Schmeltz, founder and director of MFAS. Schmeltz is also the founder and former president of the Emergency Medical Services Club.
"There are University events with (thousands) of people, but there is no safety plan. We are there to provide direct emergency medical care," Schmeltz said.
Schmeltz stressed the opportunity MFAS offers in hands-on experience, citing that the group has transported at least seven people who had ailments to the hospital, including drug- and alcohol-related incidents and seizures.
"If people are interested in medicine, or are not yet sure, there is no better time to get direct hands-on experience and care with a patient. This is what we provide," Schmeltz said.
One of the largest tasks that confronted MFAS occurred in October at the Bill Gaither's Christian singing concert, when the medical group handled three minor emergencies at once.
"It was a lot at once," said Engineering senior Craig Buschmann, a care providers on the scene. "They really tested us, and we did really well."
Though MFAS is primarily made up of University students mixed in with a few staff members, MFAS is not a University club. MFAS is a professional emergency medical service established through the University Hospitals section of emergency medicine.
University Hospitals Emergency Department assists MFAS with administrative and medical details.
"We are assisting (MFAS) with administration, dealing with issues including budgets," said Peter Forster, emergency department administrator.
William Wilkerson, medical director of MFAS, is a board-certified physician and works with MFAS to help develop a protocol for handling emergencies and reviewing the care administered.
Many of the MFAS staff are members of the University's Emergency Medical Services Club and received their training from the club.
"The EMS Club is dedicated to campus education in emergency safety," said LSA sophomore Matt Dudley, acting EMS Club president.
"A lot of people, if emergency situations arise, they panic. If we teach them CPR and first aid, then they know what they can do and who they can go to before an ambulance comes," Dudley said.
The EMS Club provides CPR and emergency medical technician classes and offers membership to all University students, faculty and staff.
Dudley said that they hope to add first aid classes in the future.
Schmeltz originally founded the club because, "There were a large number of EMTs on campus and Huron Valley (ambulance service) does not hire students. There were a lot of people on campus with (emergency medical) skills that they could not use on campus."
"It gives us a way to practice our skills that we normally would not have," Dudley said.
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Members of the Michigan First Aid Station Lowell Schmeltz, Marc Schauber and Yaron Prywes practice scenarios for emergencies in the Perry Building yesterday. Participants are taught CPR and emergency safety by medical experts.