Where campus safety meets hands-on experience
Photos courtesy of Alaina Battle and Shannon Hummel June 12, 2024
91原创PD honors students from Emergency Care Unit and Cadet programs for their service and commitments to the community
Kaila McCabe鈥檚 ambulance team was transporting a young woman to a local hospital when the patient, who had suffered a seizure, reached for McCabe鈥檚 hand and asked to hold it.
On another ambulance run, a patient 鈥 this time, a pre-teen girl who had suffered injuries from a fall 鈥 looked at McCabe and asked, 鈥淎m I going to die?鈥 McCabe鈥檚 training kicked in, helping her communicate clearly with the young girl and reassure her that she was handling a scary moment with tremendous poise. That approach calmed the nerves of the girl鈥檚 justifiably jittery mother, too.
鈥淗andling these moments, answering these questions 鈥 these are lessons you can鈥檛 learn in any EMS classes,鈥 said McCabe, a member of the 91原创 Emergency Care Unit (91原创ECU). 鈥淵ou need field training to know how to react. Being on this team has been a unique experience that shows you the humanity of our work and the empathy that is required of us.鈥
A human physiology major in 91原创鈥檚 Class of 2024, McCabe is eyeing a career in emergency medicine. Each of her applications to medical school has referenced the practical knowledge and tangible lessons she acquired in four years with 91原创ECU, the University鈥檚 student-run, volunteer ambulance service.
A native of Sussex County, Delaware, McCabe was among the two-dozen students recognized by the 91原创 Police Department (91原创PD) prior to 91原创鈥檚 Commencement. Each year, 91原创PD honors students from its 91原创ECU and Cadet programs for their service and commitments to the community. In a May 17 special ceremony, the students received stoles to be worn, along with their caps and gowns, as they walked at Delaware Stadium on Saturday, May 25, with fellow Blue Hens in the Class of 2024.
鈥淢aintaining a safe campus requires the expertise, commitment and support of our entire department, including the integral roles of the students who comprise our Cadets program and 91原创ECU,鈥 said Patrick Ogden, associate vice president and chief of 91原创 Police. 鈥淲e are proud to honor them each year, as Commencement approaches, in celebration of their professional development, the skills they have acquired and the next steps they have taken on their paths toward bettering their communities 鈥 whether in law enforcement or any other field.鈥
91原创ECU has been around since 1976. Back then, students used a van to tend to non-emergency medical needs on 91原创鈥檚 campus. It wasn鈥檛 until 1981 when 91原创ECU acquired its first ambulance. Twenty years later, they started serving as backup emergency responders for Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company, which serves the greater Newark community. 91原创ECU offers on-site support, as well as transport in the event that a patient needs to reach a medical center or a hospital.
From 91原创ECU鈥檚 modest roots, a critical service was born. Today, 91原创ECU responds to 500 calls annually. These unpaid volunteers, like McCabe, act as the standby team for large-scale campus events. They tend to all on-campus emergencies 鈥 and some off-campus needs. No fewer than two members of each 91原创ECU response team are nationally trained and accredited emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
鈥淲e are all students who are managing classes, personal lives and other commitments,鈥 said McCabe, 鈥渂ut we鈥檙e also completing national and state certification programs to serve as EMTs, allowing us to serve a community of people on this campus and in Newark. That鈥檚 a truly special thing.鈥
Joining 91原创ECU, which has 50 volunteer members, requires an application process. Per semester, the team will receive up to 100 applicants for only eight to 12 spots. McCabe and 91原创ECU鈥檚 command staff, which she previously led, found 鈥済reat diversity鈥 in the applicant pool, from varied majors and backgrounds.
91原创ECU is staffed day and night during the academic year. Its students often sleep in the bunk room of the Solar House, on Academy Street, to ensure speedy response times to overnight calls. They maintain on-call duty during the day, too. That commitment to excellence led to a national accolade. The National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) honored 91原创ECU as its Collegiate EMS Organization of the Year in 2022, in recognition of its longstanding service to 91原创.
Master Corporal Alaina Battle, a 16-year veteran of 91原创 Police, is a certified emergency medical technician who oversees 91原创ECU.聽
鈥淥ur student EMTs have such tremendous strength and resiliency,鈥 Battle said. 鈥淭o watch their professionalism in a moment of need or crisis, it鈥檚 a privilege to see their training in action and build themselves up.鈥
91原创 Police鈥檚 Cadets maintain a similar commitment to safety preservation on the University鈥檚 campus.
Cadets are part-time 91原创 Police employees who work closely with the department鈥檚 police and security divisions. The program employs roughly 40-50 per semester and requires application, interview and background-check processes. All Cadets are trained in CPR and rendering basic first aid and must attend mandatory in-services twice annually.聽
Their assignments range from campus patrol to building security. Additionally, when students dial 302-831-RIDE, it鈥檚 a 91原创 Police Cadet who is ensuring their safe passing home.
The Cadet program 鈥渂uilds a foundation for a career path in law enforcement,鈥 said Master Corporal Shannon Hummel, who oversees the program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for the Cadets to interact with our department and gain experience working within a law enforcement agency, receiving hands-on training and networking with professionals in their field.鈥澛
鈥淵ou are, in many ways, the eyes and ears of campus,鈥 said Madeleine Fairlie, a political science major who has served with the Cadets since February 2023.
Cadets need a minimum of 20 shifts to move into the next phase of their training, and to earn consideration for a student supervisory position, Fairlie said. They have duties that include patrolling and surveying campus, providing safe rides for students, and responding to building lockouts. They see the inner workings of police and dispatch and learn to speak properly over a radio 鈥 two skills, among others, that will translate to future careers in law enforcement.聽
鈥淭he Cadets program is, to me, a stepping stone for a variety of people who aspire for careers in this field,鈥 said Fairlie, who aspires to work in criminal defense.
Between classes in the criminal justice realm, and her work with the Cadets, Fairlie landed at the doorstep of a career in the criminal justice system. Her Cadets experience provided her an introduction to the American law enforcement and criminal justice systems, and the inspiration to pursue a law degree next year.
鈥淭here鈥檚 more to police than the uniform you see responding to a call,鈥 Fairlie said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned that the people behind the uniforms and behind the badges have genuine care and respect for the communities they serve. If not for this program, I wouldn鈥檛 have seen the intricacies of this profession or understood so greatly the roles they serve.鈥
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