News Release

First Response Team fares well at national competition

The University of Guelph�s First Response Team recently competed at the National Conference of Campus Emergency Responders at McMaster University, capturing third- and fourth-place finishes. The team also received accolades for �Best Web Site of the Year,� and two members were awarded individual honours.

Each year, university emergency response teams gather for a competition and national conference sponsored by the Association of Campus Emergency Response Teams. Guelph�s 43-member team is made up of student volunteers who have undergone rigorous first-aid and life-saving training. At the competition, held Feb. 16 to 19, teams vied to see who best responded to different training scenarios.

�The competition is crisis simulation to the extreme,� says Adam Gruszczynski, team supervisor and one of the co-ordinators of Guelph�s First Response Team. �There are tense situations everywhere. You are judged on how you handle the situations as well as scene management, which includes things like dealing with bystanders.�

U of G�s team was broken up into four smaller teams, and two of the teams advanced to the finals. In addition, team member Angus Ross was named the 2001 �Beyond the Call of Duty� winner, the highest award a first response team member can obtain. �Angus is just an amazing responder,� says Gruszczynski. �His first-aid skills are superior, and he has excellent judgment, great leadership skills and a very clear head on his shoulders.� Another team member, Jessica Brown, was named to the 2001 President�s List, which is a list of finalists for the �Beyond the Call of Duty� award.

U of G�s First Response Team works in groups of four on weeknights from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and for 24 hours over the weekends. Team members, most of whom already have basic CPR and first-aid training, are selected each fall after an interview process and undergo a rigorous two-week training period. The �on call� team stays on campus during its shift and is dispatched through U of G�s Security Services to calls requiring medical assistance.

�We see everything, ranging from people who are sick or have athletic injuries to those with serious medical conditions � as well as students who are just stressed out from exams,� says Gruszczynski.

Keith McIntyre, director of Security Services, lauds First Response Team members for the �excellent service� they provide to the University community. �Absolutely everyone on campus benefits from their services. They are a wonderful, highly qualified and well-trained group.� While Lynda Davenport from student health services adds: �These students are very dedicated and are doing a great job in responding to first aid requests from students and visitors.�

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For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs, 519-824-4120, Ext. 3338.

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