When Kirin Liquori's pager rings, watch out.
Liquori, a junior who is majoring in German and Spanish, is also a volunteer firefighter, and that page may send her racing to her car for a quick trip to the fire station.
Liquori is one of thirty-eight volunteer firefighters for the John McClane Hose Company in the small town of Rexford, just outside of Schenectady. When not studying or giving campus tours for the Admissions Office or playing on the College's volleyball and softball teams, she can be found working on her “Basic Firefighting” course.
Liquori says she has been interested in volunteer firefighting for as long as she can remember, and her interest increased when she had an internship with the Niskayuna Police Department during her senior year of high school.
A volunteer since last April, Liquori says she is still learning about fighting fires. “While I'm at school, I don't leave practice or class for calls, but any other time, I leave as soon as I can,” she says. “I'm only ten minutes away, so I can be there almost immediately.”
Once on the scene, Liquori helps hook up the hoses and evaluates the situation. Sometimes she helps direct traffic or acts as an extra person in the event of a medical emergency. She has to finish her training before she can actually go into a fire.
That's not to say Liquori hasn't experienced first-hand what a fire is like. “My first big call came on a Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m. after one of our drills. I had just gotten home and my pager went off. I ended up going on the second truck to the scene. Even though the first truck was able to handle the fire, the rush I got from just being there and knowing that I could help was amazing.”
Because of the size of Rexford (about 2,000 people), the station averages only about 125 calls per year, and Liquori is just one of five women volunteers. Ed Lessard, captain of the Rexford Fire District, speaks highly of the young volunteer. “Kirin is an asset to our company. Though often busy with her other commitments of sports and academics, she is a very involved firefighter.”
Those who know Liquori best know that this is typical of her. “There aren't too many people who are surprised when I introduce the idea that I am a volunteer firefighter. My friends and family have all been really supportive,” she adds.
Liquori will hang up her uniform for a few months this spring while she is in Germany on her second term abroad. As far as future plans go, this firefighter wants to remain close to the business. “I am interested in a career in law enforcement,” she says, “specifically with the FBI.”
It looks like she'll be wearing a badge for a long time.
Joining our firefighter, Kirin Liquori, in her volunteer efforts is the Union College Emergency Medical Service-UCEMS.
The student volunteers in UCEMS work in conjunction with
the Campus Safety Office to help students, faculty members, alumni, and others who need immediate medical attention. The group has about forty student volunteers-half of them certified EMTs, the other half with CPR or first aid training-and it covers hockey, football, and rugby games; campus formals; Parents'/Alumni weekend; Commencement; and any other extracurricular activities that require their service. UCEMS crews are on duty on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
One of the primary benefits of UCEMS is a fast response time. Rene Kerner '03, the director of UCEMS, notes that when Campus Safety officers respond to a medical emergency, they must call Mohawk Ambulance and the Schenectady Fire Department. UCEMS can respond immediately.”
Most of the calls UCEMS receives fall into two categories-medical calls (i.e., sickness or alcohol-related incidents) and traumas, such as a broken leg or head injury at a rugby game. UCEMS averages about 100 calls per year, with Fall and Spring the busiest terms.
As you would expect, UCEMS demands a big time commitment.
Josh Bock '03, a shift supervisor for the group, says EMTs work two to three shifts per term and are also required to ride with the Rotterdam Ambulance Service at certain times to gain extra experience. Supervisors work many more shifts because there are only a few EMTs who have sufficient experience to qualify as shift supervisors; UCEMS members who are not EMTs work less, usually one shift a term, and take shifts to provide support to the EMTs when necessary.
UCEMS interviews about thirty prospective volunteers each year. According to Kerner, the group looks for members who are responsible students who will be committed to the organization and who have a strong desire to help. Students have to be “team players” and should have an obvious desire to help the student body. It also helps if applicants have an interest in medicine, although premedicine or biology majors do not constitute a majority of the group's members. Bock
says he joined because “I had some experience in EMS work,
and I thought that it would be a great way to contribute to campus and to help students in need.”