{"id":300968,"date":"2026-10-06T18:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T18:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/300968\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T18:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T18:00:08","slug":"luems-make-the-call-the-brown-and-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/300968\/","title":{"rendered":"LUEMS: Make the call – The Brown and White"},"content":{"rendered":"

When most people think of emergency medical services, they picture high-stakes, life-or-death situations. For Brooke Bourgal, \u201827, it was no different.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a shy, first-year pre-med student navigating an overwhelming club fair, she cautiously put her name down at the Lehigh University Emergency Medical Services (LUEMS) table.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking, \u2018It\u2019s up to me to save someone\u2019s life,\u2019\u201d Bourgal said.<\/p>\n

She said at the time it seemed like a relevant resume builder, and she had no plan to get her EMT certification or idea of what she was signing up for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nearly four years later, Bourgal serves as the organization\u2019s captain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under Bourgal\u2019s leadership, LUEMS operates as a free, 24\/7 basic life support service while classes are in session and is run almost entirely by student volunteers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LUEMS currently has 98 members, all of whom either hold an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification or are working towards one so they can assist on calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal said many students complete their certifications through LUEMS\u2019s partnership with Moravian University, which runs EMT training courses every spring and summer. Students can also opt for a quicker, full-time course during academic breaks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students who sign up without prior experience begin as explorers and are required to work one 12-hour shift per month. When LUEMS receives a call for service through a Lehigh University Police Department dispatcher, three members typically respond to the scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crew chiefs are experienced members who work at least 12 hours each week and lead the response, followed by an EMT who treats and assesses the patient, determining whether hospital transport is necessary. An explorer observes and learns from real-world scenarios while working toward their EMT certification.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal still remembers her first call.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had my little pink bag and a radio in my lecture hall of 100 people,\u201d Bourgal said. \u201cThen it just (started) beeping really loud, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh my God.\u2019 Everyone is looking at me, and I jump up, grab all of my stuff, and I\u2019m out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Bourgal stands in the LUEMS station located in the Farrington Square parking garage. The station holds extra equipment and supplies needed for EMTs to restock their vehicles. (Ellis Krusch\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n

She said the call was very hands-on for her first response.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal said the patient was experiencing complications related to low iron levels. The LUEMS crew administered oxygen and stabilized the patient until a Bethlehem ambulance arrived to transport them to the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the call, Bourgal said she knew she was passionate about helping people through EMS.<\/p>\n

According to their website.<\/a> In 2025, LUEMS responded to 262 calls for service.<\/p>\n

She said the organization is considered a quick response service, which means they respond to emergencies quicker than a typical Bethlehem City ambulance is able to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal said the city of Bethlehem only has a few ambulances on call at a time, often taking around 15 minutes to respond to calls on Lehigh\u2019s campus. LUEMS responds to emergencies in around five minutes, but she said this can vary based on distance and whether people move quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said typically, with calls to fraternity houses where a party was shut down, there can be hundreds of students in the street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll use my lights and sirens, but most kids are desensitized to it nowadays, so it can take me anywhere from five to seven minutes to get up there,\u201d Bourgal said. \u201cIf someone is having an opioid overdose, after six minutes your brain cells start dying because they don\u2019t have enough oxygen; this fast response is part of what makes (LUEMS) important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

On calls, EMTs carry a \u201cjump bag,\u201d which Bourgal said has the essential equipment needed to initially assess and treat a patient. This includes a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, trauma kit and emergency medications like Narcan and EpiPens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They also have additional emergency equipment in their vehicles, such as cervical collars to stabilize a patient\u2019s neck and spine, an oxygen machine, saline water, gauze and tourniquets in the event of an active shooter situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Bourgal shows the equipment carried by EMTs in their vehicle. LUEMS carries equipment needed to provide basic life support services and operates 24\/7 while classes are in session. (Ellis Krusch\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n

Although calls vary depending on the time of day, the majority of calls that LUEMS receives are related to intoxication.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pre-med student Arielle Ohana, \u201828, currently serves as an administrative lieutenant and crew chief for LUEMS and said Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are when they receive the most calls about intoxication.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohana and Bourgal both spoke about the importance of preventative measures to keep students safe and how to respond when somebody is suffering from a medical emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important for (students) to want to call us and feel safe and comfortable in doing so,\u201d Ohana said. \u201cComing to students as their peers, especially emphasizing how they should be honest with us so we can treat them properly and know the right course of action to take, is so important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohana and Amelia Crosby, another LUEMS EMT, do regular presentations on recognizing signs of opioid overdoses, alcohol poisoning and Lehigh\u2019s medical amnesty policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jenna Rose, assistant director of health advancement and prevention strategies, said students are required to take an alcohol education course that touches on drug use and recognizing an overdose before attending Lehigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students also receive training on Lehigh\u2019s medical amnesty policy during their orientation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing that we want students to know is, no matter what, to call,\u201d Rose said. \u201cWe want to make it very clear that Lehigh Police want students to be safe and protect each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal said she believes students must know how to recognize signs of an overdose and administer Narcan to promptly begin reversing the effects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students can receive free Narcan from the lobby of the LUPD station and the Health and Wellness Center. Alexandra Smith, the associate director for fraternity and sorority life, also said the Interfraternity Council has purchased Narcan cabinets for fraternity houses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they see someone overdosing and give Narcan, they can bring them back to life in two minutes rather than the seven (minutes) that it may take me to get up there,\u201d Bourgal said. \u201cYou just saved someone\u2019s life. That\u2019s so crucial.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal also stressed the importance of calling LUEMS even after Narcan is administered, because it\u2019s not a substitute for emergency medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The Lehigh Emergency Medical Services car is used by EMS workers. EMS vehicles are convenient and used when workers are on shift; they hold any needed items in the trunk. (Michelle Tellez\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n

Ohana said she\u2019s heard of people who are hesitant about calling LUEMS out of fear of getting hit with expensive ambulance bills, but the student service itself operates cost-free. This is because it\u2019s run on an entirely volunteer basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Bourgal nears the end of her time as captain, she said her favorite memories come from helping students who remind her of herself as a shy first-year signing up at the club fair.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show them how to work the radio or something, and seeing that little sparkle in their eyes when they giggle and say, \u2018this is so fun, you made this so enjoyable for me\u2019 is just something I love,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bourgal said she wants to make sure they know that it\u2019s her first time on Earth too. She said she\u2019s always learning when she goes on calls, and that\u2019s OK.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohana has a similar outlook on LUEMS \u2014 she enjoys helping new members adjust and easing their nerves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the upcoming LUEMS elections in November, Ohana is hoping to step up and be elected to fulfill the role of captain for 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing for me is transparency,\u201d Ohana said. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to have someone that people feel comfortable enough to go to, especially with their concerns, in such a high-stakes environment where you never really know what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When most people think of emergency medical services, they picture high-stakes, life-or-death situations. For Brooke Bourgal, \u201827, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[8918,119,121,120,1197,1198],"class_list":["post-300968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-7-minute-read","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-feature","tag-student-and-campus-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}