UMW senior Jamie Larounis finds time to volunteer hundreds of hours a month as an emergency medical technician (EMT) at the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad, while managing a full course load to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education. In fact, the rescue squad recently named him captain of the 150-member volunteer organization.
“I had been involved in Boy Scouts since I was a little kid, am still an Eagle Scout and had worked at an outdoor camp over the summer,” Larounis explained. “I wanted to do real 9-1-1.”
As a certified EMT-Enhanced, he is able to administer drugs, start IVs and provide life support.
Community service, like that of Larounis, is a tradition among the university community, evident in the university’s place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Larounis has been a volunteer with the squad for two years and often clocks close to 400 hours a month. He is among a dozen or more UMW students and recent graduates who volunteer with the Fredericksburg squad.
Occasionally, the two to four-person ambulance teams are made up solely of students, like the time recently when Jamie and four other students responded to an emergency at the University Apartments. The students resolved the issue quickly and Jamie feels lucky he was able to help in a small way.
“It’s very satisfying to try to make a difference,” he said. “Doing CPR on a dummy in CPR class is one thing, but actually doing it on a real person, and then saving a life is another.”
Awesome article Jamie. You are a credit to your university and community. I don’t know how you have time for your studies too!