The Services We Provide

Johns Hopkins students have provided emergency medical care to the Johns Hopkins University since 1983. That year, the Homewood Campus First Aid Squad (FAS) serviced the campus during the hours of operation of the Student Health Center. For eleven years, FAS operated in this fashion, until 1994, when student volunteers decided to embrace the greater challenge by providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In January of 1995, the FAS ceased to exist and the Hopkins Emergency Response Unit (HERU) paged into service for the first time.

HERU provides Emergency Medical Services to the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, and the surrounding areas. These services cover everything from caring for minor injuries and medical problems (situations which do not require advanced care or hospitalization), to providing life-saving care to critical patients until an ambulance arrives. Thanks to funding from the university and donations, all of HERU's services are free. HERU is a Basic Life Support (BLS) service, meaning that our EMTs and First Responders provide a wide spectrum of emergency care. All of these procedures are governed by a set of protocols and standing orders approved by our physician medical director. Any procedure outside of the published protocols and standing orders are authorized by on-line medical direction.

At this time, HERU does not transport patients to hospitals; HERU can arrange a JHU Security car escort for minor injuries to Union Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, or BCFD ambulance transport. While HERU's services and security car transports are free of charge, HERO has no control over costs incurred by Baltimore City Fire Department.

HERU crew members carry a backpack of medical supplies while on duty. They are paged to an emergency scene by security via two-way UHF radios and respond on foot or by HERU1, the security car holding additional medical supplies. A primary crew of two crew members and one crew chief (an EMT-B) responds to all calls. Further assistance from a reserve crew chief or any of the HERU line officers can be summoned by radio. In the event of a mass-casualty incident (MCI), HERU's off duty crew chiefs will be paged and dispatched via a telephone tree. This would provide additional man power in the event that a medical emergency overwhelms the capabilities of the primary and reserve crew.

When HERU was organized, a sister organization was created to train new members in accordance with the American Red Cross First Responder curriculum. The Hopkins Emergency Response Teaching Unit (HERTU), staffed by students certified as American Red Cross Instructors, also provides recertification and continuing education for current members. HERU and HERTU comprise a parent organization, the Hopkins Emergency Response Organization (HERO), of which all participants of HERU and HERTU are members.

For more information about HERTU, please click on the "Education" tab on the left hand side of this web page.