UMass Emergency Medical Services Receives Two National Awards

During the 2022 National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF) annual convention held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Feb. 25-27, UMass Emergency Medical Services (UMEMS) were presented with the foundation’s Striving for Excellence Recognition. Dominic Singh, EMS coordinator, was also awarded the Collegiate EMS Advisor of the Year.

Active on campus since 1953, UMEMS, with 115 members, is a student-run and student-operated EMS service on the UMass Amherst campus, under the Department of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S). UMEMS provides non-transporting EMT-BLS medical event standby services to the campus community. Football games, concerts, commencement events and faculty functions are just a few of the 400 events they staff each year. UMass EMS is in service and able to staff events 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provides outreach education to the campus community in first aid and CPR.

The NCEMSF EMS Striving for Excellence Recognition honors organizations that represent the gold standard for campus EMS delivery and care. The Striving for Excellence recognition is a three-year certification and assesses quality factors in EMS operations including the delivery of care, training and continuing education of employees and volunteers, and service to the community.

Dominic Singh, EMS coordinator, was awarded the Collegiate EMS Advisor of the Year which honors the college administrator who has contributed significantly to the success of campus-based EMS providers and their organizations. Recipients excel at mentoring student collegiate EMS members and dedicate extraordinary time and energy to educating and providing all types of support.

Jeffrey Hescock, executive director of EH&S/EM, stated, “The Striving for Excellence recognition given to UMEMS and its members is well deserved, UMEMS is truly a national model for campus EMS, because of the dedication and commitment of the students – Congratulations to Dominic on winning the national Collegiate EMS Advisor of the Year award, Dominic is always readily available to help others, leading the way in setting the gold standard, he inspires students and others to always do their best.”