UDECU has been serving the UD and Newark communities by responding to 911 calls and providing emergency medical care since 1976. Today, UDECU operates with roughly 50 volunteer members — all University of Delaware students. The ambulance service is staffed during the academic year to ensure the quickest response times. (While some students remain in place over the summer, the need for emergency services is greatest from September to May.) UDECU also staffs many campus gatherings, like sporting events and Commencement.

Student volunteers with UDECU routinely convert their field experience and credentials — as trained, certified and cleared technicians and drivers, for example — into careers in law enforcement, medicine and emergency services. 

“The University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit provides a vital service to our University community and our neighbors in Newark and beyond,” said UD Police Chief Pat Ogden. “The students who make up UDECU are skilled and trained volunteers who bring a high degree of professionalism to their emergency-response work. Their willingness to give up free time in order to make a difference for others is commendable, and it is a point of tremendous pride that UDECU has been recognized as the Collegiate EMS Organization of the Year.” 

“There are plenty of campus EMS teams across the country, but what makes UDECU stand out is our integration with New Castle County’s 911 system,” Battle said. “We not only respond to calls on our Newark campus — we also support other areas of need. We will go where there is a call and, because of that, we work very differently than other emergency response teams.”

Founded in 1993, the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization exclusively committed to creating safer college and university campuses through scholarship and research, and support, promotion and advocacy of campus-based emergency medical services. NCEMSF supports more than 250 constituent members, including UD.

In addition to its top honor, UDECU also earned the following designations:

• MERIT (Modeling Excellence in Response, Innovation and Training). Valid for three years, this recognition is reserved for collegiate EMS agencies that meet or exceed NCEMSF’s criteria for operational excellence, clinical care, training, safety and community engagement.

• EMS-Ready Campus (Silver Tier). This recognition, which is valid for three years, demonstrates excellence in emergency management and disaster preparedness of collegiate EMS organizations. Agencies can be upgraded to higher tiers, like Gold, upon completion of certain criteria.

• HEARTsafe Campus. This designation recognizes UDECU for its promotion and support of rapid response CPR and AED training; access to defibrillation; cardiac arrest training; and engagement in preventative cardiovascular health activities, among other criteria. This certification is awarded in conjunction with the American Heart Association and is valid for four years.

“Everyone involved with UDECU is dedicated to achieving the same goals of learning and serving our community,” said senior medical diagnostics major Sarah Buckingham, who served as UDECU’s administrative coordinator. She points to her experiences with UDECU as tangible support that will fuel her professional aspiration of becoming a physician assistant. “Being able to give back to the community I am a part of has been an invaluable experience that I will carry with me throughout my life.”

Tamar Peleg, a junior honors applied molecular biology and biotechnology major and UDECU’s accreditation officer, first joined UDECU as an opportunity to learn, be involved in the community and explore emergency medicine. 

“But I gained so much more,” she said. “UDECU has become a family to me. This award that we received, as we are celebrating 50 years of service, is an incredible recognition of our meaningful work. It’s a culmination of the hard work and dedication of all our members, through thousands of hours every year.”