Comets Giving Days 2022

University Emergency Medical Response (UEMR) is an initiative focused on providing quality, campus-based emergency medical care to the UT Dallas Campus. We are a volunteer-only First Responder Organization, funded through membership dues and donations, with support from the University through platforms like this! 

UT Dallas is the first university in the UT System to have a student-run First Responder Organization, licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services, responding to EMS calls on-campus 24/7. We work directly with the paramedics of Richardson Fire Department (RFD), as well as Chief Zacharias of the UTD Police Department (UTD PD), in order to improve the accessibility of care and shorten emergency response time. On average, UEMR alone responds to 80% of medical or traumatic calls to UTD PD without RFD, freeing up paramedics to respond to other emergencies in the Richardson area. Additionally, UEMR has recently begun operating with paramedic-level Advanced Life Support (ALS) capabilities. 

During the pandemic, UEMR stepped up to help UTD with on-campus COVID testing at their Blackstone Launchpad testing site. We also launched the Community Health Initiative consisting of non-UEMR EMTs on campus who signed up to help with COVID testing. In March, UT Southwestern requested UEMR’s help with the UTD Vaccine Clinic. Both UEMR and the Community Health Initiative have vaccinated thousands of people over the past two months. We also provide medical standby for the vaccinators and treat patients experiencing symptoms post-vaccination.

Lastly, our EMS Education program is one of the best in the nation - we have taught over 200 EMT students with a 96% pass rate. While other programs slowed down during the pandemic, UEMR ramped up and began teaching multiple EMT courses each semester, including courses for local fire departments such as Irving and Mesquite. With your support, we hope to start our very own paramedic education program and continue providing quality EMS services to the UT Dallas campus and surrounding communities!