History
1979
Survival Technological Company donates the “survival cart” to Georgetown’s Emergency Department.
February 1981
Bob Doherty (COL ’83, M ’87) meets with Hap Arnold of the Emergency Department. They plan to use crews consisting of one EMT-B and one First Responder. The survival cart is to be used for transporting if possible.
Spring 1982
Bob Doherty submits a budget to Dr. Rolnick, head of the Emergency Department. The proposal includes $8,000-$10,000 for supplies and $70,000-$80,000 for a new ambulance.
September 1982
GERMS receives a charter from Student Activities Commission, establishing GERMS within the Georgetown community.
December 1982
34 members of GERMS pass their District Emergency Medical Technician test.
Spring 1983
GERMS obtains its first ambulance, a converted hearse.
April 1983
A student falls through glass on campus, severing an artery. The attending physician reported that “It’s difficult to tell what would have happened if GERMS were not there, but there is a good possibility (the student) would have died or at least suffered severe shock.”
August 1983
GERMS is officially dispatched for its first call – Chief Complaint: chest discomfort and pain radiating down the left arm.
March 1984
All calls on campus will go to GERMS.
January 25th, 1985
GERMS dedicates a new ambulance, Unit 3. The ambulance is a converted van donated by Robert Doherty’s high school ambulance service, Explorer Post 53.
March 1985
GERMS assists DC Fire and EMS firefighters with first-aid stations during a 4-alarm townhouse blaze. GERMS transports two firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation.
December 1986
Georgetown University purchases Unit 4 for GERMS.
April 1987
John “Jack” DeGioia, then Dean of Student Affairs, names GERMS Outstanding Student Activity for 1986-1987. DeGioia would go on to become the 45th President of Georgetown University
April 1990
Jack DeGioia becomes an Honorary Member of GERMS.
September 1990
Dennis Kanach becomes the new GERMS advisor and Village C West becomes the new home of the GERMS office.
February 1992
Unit 5, a 1991 Ford Ambulance, goes into service.
October 1993
Villanova University Emergency Medical Service (VEMS) travels to Georgetown to discuss the formation of “a national association” of collegiate Emergency Medical Services which later became known as the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF).
January 1994
The Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health requests GERMS to staff a standby at the World Cup Soccer Tournament.
April 1994
GERMS hosts the first ever National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF) Conference in Washington, DC. This conference became an annual tradition which still takes place today, and it serves as a hub for EMS education, skill building, and networking.
January 2001
GERMS sends 1 ambulance and 40 EMTs to provide standby coverage for George W. Bush’s Presidential Inauguration.
September 11th, 2001
GERMS sends an ambulance and two EMTs as mutual aid to DC Fire and EMS following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon. The GERMS crew covered Engine 29 on MacArthur Blvd. Additionally, GERMS sent 10 EMTs to assist at the Georgetown University Hospital.
August 2004
GERMS Academy, a weekend reorientation at the beginning of the school year, is held for the first time. GERMS holds three Mass Casualty Incident drills to train members in the Rapid Response plan.
September 2005
GERMS provides more than 240 hours of standby coverage at the Armory for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.
February 2007
GERMS is awarded the NCEMSF Striving for Excellence in Campus EMS Award, an award created to “recognize quality campus EMS organizations and hold them out as examples to other campus EMS organizations that are newly starting or are still developing their programs.”
January 2009
GERMS sends 45 EMTs to provide standby coverage for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama.
February 2015
Through GERMS, Georgetown University is recognized as a HEARTSafe Campus for the promotion and support of rapid response by CPR and AED trained first responders, rapid public access to defibrillation, early access to advanced care, public CPR and AED training for the community, and engagement in preventative cardiovascular healthcare activities.
February 2019
GERMS’ Medical Director, J.V. Nable, MD, receives the “EMS Advisor of the Year” award for his significant contributions to the success of GERMS through his mentorship, time, and energy.
February 2020
Joseph Maccarone (NHS ’21), Jack Ryan (COL ’20), Nicole Chen (NHS ’20), and Zachary Culbertson (SFS ’21) are recognized by DC Fire and EMS with Cardiac Arrest Save Coins for their role in the successful resuscitation of a Georgetown football coach in September of 2019. Through GERMS, Georgetown University is recognized as a HEARTSafe Campus for the promotion and support of rapid response by CPR and AED trained first responders, rapid public access to defibrillation, early access to advanced care, public CPR and AED training for the community, and engagement in preventative cardiovascular healthcare activities.
March 2020
Georgetown University announces its transition to virtual learning during the 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. GERMS went out of service.
June 21, 2021
GERMS goes back in service following a 1 year and 3 month hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, operating on weekend nights throughout the fall semester. Meredith Shamamian (NHS ‘21), Isabella Turilli (SFS ‘22), Ceylan Metin (COL ‘22), Julia Foley (COL ‘22), and Grace Murray (NHS ‘22) were key leaders in the return.
August 21, 2021
Unit 11 arrives on campus and goes into service. Its first couple of calls include a behavioral emergency and a helipad transport.
January 20, 2022
GERMS is back in service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
January 2022
GERMS EMT Class for Georgetown Undergraduates and surrounding Georgetown area community members resumes for the Spring Semester. Over 25 students successfully received their NREMT certifications!
March 2022
Hoya Storm
Engaged a wide range of Georgetown University departments and administrative units, local emergency response partners, and student, faculty and staff volunteers. While the University is always assessing and preparing for emergencies on our campuses, we periodically conduct exercises such as Hoya Storm to test our emergency preparedness and response procedures.
May 2022
GERMS provides medical care and transport to over 40 patients in 4 days for the two Graduation weekends (2022 and 2020). 2 transporting crews and 1 standby crew was present 24/7 for the two weekends. This was treated as with Incident Command. U11 was also blessed during Convocation weekend.
June 11, 2022
GERMS attends the Burleith Community Picnic. Mayor Muriel Bowser (middle) shows support for GERMS.
March 19, 2023
GERMS officially launched new protocols switching GERMS to follow the same protocols as DC Fire & EMS, helping our practice stay updated to current medical standards and ensuring interoperability with the rest of DC. This included an update to our CPR protocols, the expansion of our scope to include supraglottic airways (i-gels), discontinuing the use of backboards for immobilization, and the additions of new medications: DuoNeb and (eventually, in February 2024) acetaminophen.
October 15th, 2023
GERMS Quick Response Supervisor vehicle EMS 1, acquired from Darien EMS – Post 53 then upfitted by FESCO Emergency Sales, goes in service.
October 2023
GERMS completed an overhaul of our Standard Operating Procedures, updating them to fit our current practices and new protocols.
December 9th, 2023
Georgetown Medstar Hospital announces the opening of the new Verstandig Pavilion at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The hospital will feature a brand-new Emergency Department, a rooftop helipad with direct access to the emergency department and operating rooms, and three levels of underground parking. The opening of the helipad concluded GERMS’ helicopter transfer service. GERMS completed 126 transfers from July 2023 – December 2023
2023
GERMS set a record call volume of 1,081 calls for service, marking the first time on record that GERMS has exceeded 1,000 calls.
January 15th, 2024
GERMS named a top EMS educator in the country with a 96% of the 75+ students that sat for the NREMT examination earning their EMS Certification, far above the national average, and even above the DC average which boated the highest pass rate in the country.