How We Started & Where We’re Going
The team was founded in 2005 when a handful of students, who were also EMS providers, were looking for a way to continue to be involved in fire and EMS while away at college.
The first step was the creation of a social media page called “Embry-Riddle First Responders”, which brought together EMTs, First Responders and Firefighters from the University in an online community. As ERAU’s first responders networked more and more, it was decided that they would petition to form an official student organization. In the fall of 2005, Embry-Riddle EMS was founded. By 2006, the organization was offering standbys for campus events.
In 2007, a series of new university legal policies governing student organizations forced Embry-Riddle EMS to be renamed. The title chosen was “Embry-Riddle Medical Emergency and Disaster Relief Club”, or “MED Club” for short. Then in late 2009, MED Club was added to the university’s medical emergency policy and campus safety began requiring its dispatchers to send MED to every on-campus medical call. Over the next several years, the Club worked to continue to build on their positive reputation and set the goal to have a member respond to every single medical call on campus, regardless of whether it occurred during on or off duty hours. In spring 2012, MED Club purchased their first new emergency response vehicle, a Kubota side-by-side with a custom medical skid unit on the back. The vehicle began service in late August of that year. Since then, the Kubota (still sporting the traditional “730” on its fenders) has run hundreds of calls on campus.
At the end of 2018, the years of hard work and dedication finally paid off. On December 4, the Student Government Association voted to bring MED Club under their umbrella, making them the fourth SGA division. The organization was permanently renamed to the “Embry-Riddle Emergency Response Team.” Since becoming a division, ERT has been able to acquire updated operational and training equipment. Currently, the team is in the early stages of selecting the next generation of response vehicle and is working closely with ERAU Health Services to obtain medical direction, with a long term goal of receiving state licensure as a BLS transport agency.