About - Timeline

Since the organization’s inception, GERMS has benefited from hundreds of members, responding to more than twelve thousand calls on eight ambulances. Here are some notable events in the organization’s history.

1979	Survival Technological Company donates the “survival cart” to Georgetown’s Emergency Department.
February 1981	Bob Doherty (Col’83, M ’87) meets with Hap Arnold of the Emergency Department. They plan to use crews consisting of one EMT-B and one First Responder. The survival cart is to be used for transporting if possible.
Spring 1982	Bob Doherty submits a budget to Dr. Rolnick, head of the Emergency Department. The proposal includes $8-10,000 for supplies and $70-80,000 for a new ambulance.
September 1982	GERMS receives a charter from Student Activities Commission, establishing GERMS within the Georgetown community.
December 1982	34 members of GERMS pass their District Emergency Medical Technician test.
Spring 1983	GERMS obtains its first ambulance – a converted hearse.
April 1983	A student falls through glass on campus, severing an artery. The attending physician reported that “It’s difficult to tell what would have happened if GERMS were not there, but there is a good possibility (the student) would have died or at least suffered severe shock.”
August 1983	GERMS is officially dispatched for its first call – Chief Complaint: chest discomfort and pain radiating down the left arm.
March 1984	All calls on campus will go to GERMS.
January 24, 1985	GERMS dedicates a new ambulance, Unit 3. The ambulance is a converted van donated by Robert Doherty’s high school ambulance service, Explorer Post 53.
March 1985	GERMS assists DCFD firefighters with first-aid stations during a 4-alarm townhouse blaze. GERMS transports two firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation.
December 1986	University purchases Unit 4 for GERMS.
April 1987	Jack DeGioia, then Dean of Student Affairs, names GERMS Outstanding Student Activity for 1986-1987.
Summer 1987	GERMS stays in service for its first summer.
April 1990	Jack DeGioia becomes an Honorary Member of GERMS. DoPS takes over GERMS dispatching from hospital security.
September 1990	Dennis Kanach becomes the new GERMS advisor. Village C West becomes the new home of the GERMS office.
February 1992	Unit 5, a 1991 Ford Ambulance, goes into service.
October 1993	Villanova University Emergency Medical Service (VEMS) travels to Georgetown to discuss the formation of “a national association” of collegiate Emergency Medical Service. This later becomes the National Collegiate EMS Foundation.
January 1994	DC Department of Health Director requests a GERMS standby at the World Cup Soccer Tournament.
Fall 1996	GERMS launches its first website.
May 1997	Unit 6 arrives on campus.
Winter 1997	GERMS mourns the loss of its co-founder Robert Doherty. We are still indebted to his foresight and hard work.
Spring 1999	GERMS purchases a repeater and new duty radios, giving a clear dispatch signal at least as far as Reagan National Airport.
Fall 2000	D-stick and pulse oximetry are introduced into GERMS protocols.
January 2001	GERMS sends 1 ambulance and 40 EMTs to provide standby coverage for George W. Bush’s Presidential Inauguration.
February 2001	Unit 7 goes in service for the Georgetown community.
April 2001	Alumni are invited to celebrate the arrival of Unit 7. Hap Arnold travels from Washington State to attend.
April 21, 2001	Unit 7’s first two calls include a refusal (tooth pain) and a helipad (neonatal equipment transport).
Summer 2003	GERMS members in summer housing are required to also take Georgetown Emergency Response Team (GERT) shifts. GERT was created for campus preparedness in case of large-scale emergencies.
March 2004	GERMS transports its first patient to Sibley because GU is closed.
April 2004	GERMS hires Dr. Jonathan Davis as medical director
May 2004	GERMS officially transports its first trauma patient to George Washington University Hospital.
July 2004	GERMS starts the Public Relations directorship and begins educating the summer population on campus about GERMS, increasing the call volume significantly over the summer, and leading to increased recognition of the need for GERMS on campus.
August 2004	GERMS Academy, a weekend reorientation at the beginning of the school year, is held for the first time. GERMS holds three Mass Casualty Incident drills to train members in the Rapid Response plan.
November 2004	New GERMS protocols adopted.
January 2005	GERMS starts carrying and using epinephrine for treatment of allergic reactions and albuterol for treatment of respiratory problems. GERMS sends seven EMTs to provide standby coverage for George W. Bush’s second Presidential Inauguration.
February - April 2005	GERMS provides medical standby support for people on hunger strike in Red Square.
June 2005	GERMS adopts new bylaws and a new constitution solidifying the role of crew chief, among other changes.
July 2005	GERMS reaches agreement with GSB Associates at Georgetown Hospital to teach all Basic Cardiac Life Support CPR classes.
September 2005	GERMS provides more than 240 hours of standby coverage at the Armory for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.
October 13, 2005	GERMS mourns the loss of its co-founder, Robert ‘Hap’ Arnold. For over a decade he enthusiastically supported the organization’s growth and helped it to develop into one of the premier campus ambulance services in the nation. Unit 8 is later dedicated in his honor.
November 2005	GERMS begins providing standby coverage at all women’s basketball games for the 2005-2006 season.
January 2006	Unit 8 goes into service. Its first calls are a helipad, abdominal pain, and left-foot injury.
June 2007	GERMS members work with LeadAmerica staff to teach EMT skills to high schoolers in summer medical programs.
October 2007	GERMS celebrates its 25th anniversary with a reunion weekend. Alumni from throughout the country visit and reconnect with past friends and colleagues.
June 2008	GERMS hires Dr. Korin Hudson at Georgetown University as our new Medical Director.
October 2008	An outbreak of norovirus in the campus cafeteria gives GERMS over 100 patients in less than four days. Crew Chiefs set up a modified incident command structure with three on-foot crews working on two ambulances.
March 2010	GERMS names Dr. Robert Katzer at Washington Hospital Center as our Assistant Medical Director.
February 2011	Unit 9 arrives on campus. It is dedicated on February 20th at a ceremony in Healy Circle. In attendance are President John DeGioia, VP of Student Affairs Todd Olson, and Patti Arnold Wills, the daughter of Hap Arnold, GERMS' founder.