One of the two ambulances currently owned by the University is scheduled to be sold at the end of the semester, though University administrators and Emergency Medical Services officials are still discussing the decision, said Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president of campus life and dean for student life.
A new ambulance was purchased this summer to replace the existing ambulance, which is almost eight years old, Klawunn said. Richard Lapierre, manager of EMS and coordinator of the volunteer Emergency Medical Technician program, told the Office of Campus Life last semester that the old ambulance would soon require repairs and become costly to maintain, Klawunn said.
"There was never any intent that we were going to run two ambulances," Klawunn said. She pointed to findings made last semester by the Campus Life Advisory Board Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which decided that EMS did not need to run two full-time ambulances. "We have never had a problem where one ambulance is not adequate," Klawunn said, explaining that the Office of Campus Life regularly reviews the volume and types of EMS calls made.
In the past, the University has rented a second ambulance from a Providence-area hospital "on busy weekends," such as Spring Weekend, and for special events, including athletic games and Sex Power God, Klawunn said.
Lapierre and EMS have submitted a proposal to the Office of Campus Life that the older ambulance be maintained by the University in addition to the new ambulance. According to Klawunn, Lapierre believes the older ambulance will be able to pay for its own repairs by running paid details, such as those with the athletics department.
Lapierre and other EMS supervisors declined to comment for this article.
One student EMT who spoke on condition of anonymity said if EMS retains two ambulances, students who call EMS while one ambulance is occupied would not have to be picked up by a Providence ambulance. An EMS ambulance can take a student to Health Services, whereas a Providence ambulance is required to take all patients to a local hospital. Providence ambulances and local hospitals are more costly for students than using Brown's own services, the EMT said.
Klawunn said even if EMS ran two ambulances, some students would still need to be picked up by Providence ambulances, including students who live in off-campus apartments. She went on to say that on a typical weekend, "not very many" EMS calls are responded to by Providence ambulances.
The University has used the second ambulance several times over the course of this semester rather than renting an outside ambulance, Klawunn said. Most notably, the Department of Athletics contracted with EMS to employ the second ambulance during football games. This contract allows EMS and student EMTs to make money by serving paid details that were previously covered by workers from an outside hospital, Klawunn said.
The student EMT believes the second ambulance provides good opportunities for student EMTs to work paid details in addition to their regular volunteer shifts.
The EMT noted that EMS probably has the volunteer strength to operate the second ambulance all the time, but University regulations require that every ambulance has a supervisor on board. Paying another supervisor would make another full-time ambulance more costly for Health Services, the EMT said.
Brown EMS should respond to as many calls as possible instead of dropping calls to Providence ambulances, the EMT said, so doctors at Health Services can have a full idea of students' medical situations.
