Sample Activities for EMS Week

Sparking interest among your members and community…

The following are several possible starting points for any National Collegiate EMS Week campaign. Feel free to utilize some, none, or all of these items, modifying them to meet your school’s particular needs. Also be sure to refer to the “Other Organizations” and “EMS Week Presentation Tips” pages for help in educating and involving your community.

• Open House - Invite students, media, or campus administrators to tour your facilities and look at your equipment. Specifically invite neighboring/mutual aid EMS organizations in the area, in an effort to build better relations and increase their awareness of your group.
• Blood Drive - Coordinate with your local American Red Cross chapter to sponsor a blood drive during National Collegiate EMS Week. Have NCEMSF and general EMS information available for people to read, as well as some representatives of your organization present to answer questions.
• Distribute Flyers -Offer take-home booklets and pamphlets or post flyers containing health and safety tips: include information included in this packet, and fact sheets such as seasonal safety (summer and winter safety, or special occasions like Halloween and 4th of July). Be careful that you adhere to your school’s policies on posting flyers; you do not want to cause unnecessary problems in your National Collegiate EMS Week planning.
• Demonstrations - Have someone pretend to be choking in the middle of the cafeteria, and then demonstrate the Heimlich maneuver to those watching. Also, include other local EMS organizations in planning and executing largescale demonstrations, such as automobile, lightening, boating, or drowning accidents, and show how the EMS system would help.
• Media Participation - Find out if your campus newspaper and/or television would be interested in writing a story about your organization. Perhaps they might want to ride along for a shift, or photograph a re-enactment of a particular call. Send the enclosed public service announcements (PSA’s) to campus and community radio stations for them to air during National Collegiate EMS Week. Try and give the media as much advance notice as possible, so they are better prepared.
• Organizational Training -Schedule a joint training class with another local EMS, fire/rescue, or police service. Your initiative and participation will demonstrate the level of professionalism present in collegiate EMS today.
• Run/Walk-a-thon - Host a 5K or 10K event to interest people of all ages. You might even consider making this a fundraising event for charitable, health-related organizations. Health Fair / Mass Seasonal Flu Vaccination - Hold a ‘health fair’ where you give free BP screenings, distribute public safety literature, and information about your organization. Coordinate with your health service, educate your community on the importance of vaccination and offer the seasonal flu vaccination during your fair. Check with local merchants to see if they would be willing to donate prizes or services for a raffle to be held during the fair.
• Presentations - Offer to visit elementary schools to present a quick segment on safety, how and when to activate EMS, and what to do after EMS has been activated. Type up your local emergency number on mailing labels and distribute them to each of the children, so they can place them by their phones. Also, offer presentations to your college or university faculty, staff, and student body.
• Photo Displays - For those who can’t make the hosted events, set up photos of your emergency department, ambulance, and other EMS functions for display in your library, residence halls, classroom buildings, or dining halls.
• CPR / First Aid Training - Sponsor free (or very inexpensive) CPR / First Aid training. See NCEMSF CPR Day Packet! Volunteer to register your faculty, staff, and other at-risk people in your service area, gleaning medical histories, current medications, etc. The community loves it, and you’ll have the information on file.
• Dorm Safety Program - Have EMS personnel give a lecture on dorm safety, including medical tips, information on dealing with emergencies, and general safety ideas. This is also a good opportunity to emphasize your relationship with the students as well as pushing for membership.