Founded in 1983, Lynchburg College Emergency Medical Services has always been committed to providing the standard of excellence in emergency medical care to all persons on the Lynchburg College campus. The student-run organization is constantly evolving to maintain EMS agency licensure with the Virginia Dept. Over the past 30+ years, LCEMS has helped save the lives of countless Lynchburg College “
Hornets” and continues to strive for improvement as the agency continues to progress into the future. The student volunteers that run the organization keep the agency in service 24/7 while school is in session. The squad currently has 30 dedicated members trained in various levels of basic life support (BLS ) medical procedures. The LCEMS vehicle fleet currently consists of a first-response emergency vehicle stocked with all the necessary equipment to save lives, a golf cart for secondary member response, and a bicycle for additional member response. The fleet continues to grow and evolve as the squad continues to grow. Lynchburg College EMS strives to provide its members with the latest technology and equipment to better allow them to serve others. All members receive comprehensive and on-going training every week to better equip the volunteers to handle emergency situations. There is always at least one EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) on duty at all times. All members are required to enroll in an EMT class within one year of joining the squad if they are not already EMT certified. For those who are not EMTs, they receive extensive training in BLS resuscitation, patient assessment skills, and trauma and medical care. This allows them to work effectively with the EMT on scene in treating patients. However, some members even go above the minimum requirements and pursue higher levels of EMS certification (EMT-Enhanced, EMT-Intermediate, Paramedic, etc). Lynchburg College EMS works as an integral part of the emergency services system in Lynchburg, Virginia, and coordinates efforts with the Lynchburg Fire Department to provide transport services for patients whenever needed. LCEMS constantly strives to train alongside other regional agencies and maintain the respected reputation of the agency. One example of this is the yearly LCEMS “Mass Casualty Incident” training exercise in which LCEMS invites members and ambulances from the surrounding area to participate and practice response to critical incidents. LCEMS is a vital link of the Crisis Management Team (CMT) at Lynchburg College and helps plan the college’s response to critical incidents (i.e. shootings, environmental disasters, deaths of students, fires, etc.) The agency has always worked hard to educate LC students, faculty, and staff about the basics of health and disease prevention, as well as providing CPR training for students and faculty. LCEMS also helps maintain the presence of AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) on campus in case of emergency. This effort continues to make Lynchburg College a safe and healthy place to enjoy. When called to duty, LCEMS takes an aggressive approach to medical emergencies, ensuring the patient receives the appropriate care and gets sent to the proper healthcare facilities if needed. LCEMS’ approach towards treatment of acute alcohol poisoning is one of many important policies that are maintained on campus to ensure the safety of LC students. When any student is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, no matter how non-emergent the patient may seem, LCEMS continues to do “check-ups” on those patients throughout the night to ensure their safety. As LCEMS approaches 35 years of service to the Lynchburg College community, the mission still stays the same and the dedicated volunteers that run the agency will do everything they can to continue to provide the best in emergency medical care to the campus.
