Campus First Responder team welcomes new coordinator
After 25 years, Ron Groleau is passing on his 2-way radio and stepping down as coordinator of Illinois Valley Community College’s First Responders volunteer organization.
Nick Fish, IVCC’s Emergency Medical Services instructor/coordinator, has been selected as the new coordinator.
“It’s just time,” said Groleau, who is the College’s Dean of Natural Sciences and Business. Groleau also reasoned the timing is right because Fish, who has an extensive EMS background, is available now to assume the role.
It is not only the change in administration that brings attention to a little-known program. Fish and the College administration both want to ramp up awareness about medical emergency procedures. Fish wants to sustain recruitment for the organization and the College is developing medical emergency drills this summer for all employees.
Fish wants everyone to know how to respond to emergencies, which they do by dialing a familiar number: 9-1-1. As it dispatches community aid to the College, the regional dispatch center relays the alert to Campus Security, which activates the two-way radios every campus First Responder has.
The First Responders organization began in September 1999 with 14 people from faculty, staff and administration trained to respond to medical emergencies on campus. Groleau is proud the organization has maintained a double-digit strength even in times when members retired, moved on, or stepped away -- and now a new class of responders is scheduled to get underway in August.
“The response has always been good, and we’ve been able to stay over double-digits,” Groleau said. “I’m grateful that people have stepped forward to volunteer to aid in times of need.”
Members are trained to assist on scene until emergency medical crews arrive. They can assess the situation, administer CPR, bandage wounds and administer oxygen. In a case of cardiac arrest, they know how to use the 20 AED (Automated External Defibrillators) stored around campus.
When he proposed the First Responders team, EMS education was under Groleau’s division, and he was a natural lead for the program. His volunteer force was intended to bridge gaps when community agencies were understaffed or delayed by other calls. At the time, IVCC’s EMS instructor was a part-time faculty member.
The team answers two to three calls a month, a number that fluctuates with the campus population. They have responded to minor injuries like cuts and burns, and some life-threatening injuries too. Groleau says the people who receive the help appreciated “knowing there is someone there.”
Though some campus responders also serve with their community EMS units, volunteers don’t need prior medical training. Prospective First Responders undergo 60 hours of training, are certified through the Illinois Department of Public Health, and must renew their certification every four years. Fish said continuing education sessions are scheduled every year.
Fish says he’s excited to take on the new role coordinating a great group of volunteers who are committed and passionate about what they do. Both men say they appreciate the administration’s support of the group with supplies and equipment.
Fish is an instructor, a registered nurse and a paramedic who has worked at IVCC for about five years. He is a nurse at OSF Saint Elizabeth’s in Ottawa and OSF Saint Paul’s in Mendota and has served as Sandwich Fire Department EMS Coordinator and the EMS System Coordinator at Illinois Valley Community Hospital.
Groleau looks back over the quarter century only briefly before turning his eyes ahead. “I see the person in charge. I see the College’s commitment. It’s amazing we’ve come as far as we have – and the future is bright. First Responders is in good hands!”
The college is always looking for new volunteer members for the First Responder Team. Are you interested? Our next course begins Friday, August 23. Please email Fish at Nick_Fish@ivcc.edu for further information.