Between the walkie-talkies going off in lecture classes and the ambulances cruising down the hill next to ICC, it’s hard for Hoyas to avoid the Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS). After all, it’s the only campus name that’s used as both a noun and a verb. Despite the organization’s ubiquity, though, many students think of GERMS as little more than the people to call when a friend drinks too much on a Saturday night. But the student-staffed EMT service is qualified to do much more, both on campus and off. Students and neighbors should recognize all that GERMS does to keep us all safe.
GERMS answered 361 calls last semester, and 1,150 for all of 2006, according to Director of Public Relations Nathan Srinivas (SFS ’09). Moreover, the number of calls from Georgetown neighborhood residents has been increasing over the years, totaling 22 last semester, according to Srinivas.
“[The neighbors] appreciate the fact that GERMS is here,” Srinivas said. “They don’t always appreciate us with our lights and sirens at 4 in the morning.” In order to combat the complaints, GERMS members have worked to foster a relationship with neighborhood residents, attending Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings and letting children play with the ambulance at community events.
“I think they provide an excellent service for the neighborhood,” ANC Chairman Ed Solomon said, adding that while he hasn’t heard complaints about sirens, he does have concerns about illegally parked ambulances.
Considering that GERMS can technically serve as a neighborhood ambulance service—all GERMS members are EMT-B certified—GERMS is one aspect of campus life that actually improves our image with the neighbors.
That’s not to say that GERMS shouldn’t also be commended for performing its best-known service: giving students who have had too much to drink a helping hand. As irritating as the new party regulations are, at least they weren’t inspired by a death from alcohol poisoning.
The lack of alcohol-related fatalities and serious injuries is in part due to the friendly face GERMS gives to admitting you’ve had too much: without GERMS, students would lack a confidential, consequence-free place to turn when alcohol poisoning strikes, and Georgetown could have a much more dangerous party atmosphere. From Burleith to Village B and beyond, GERMS is a valuable asset to the campus and the community.
