IFC members receive medical training

Six Interfraternity Council members spent their Saturday afternoon resuscitating mannequins.

These members are taking part in the Greek Safety and Medical Training Initiative.

The initiative is a partnership between IFC, the Indiana Collegiate Emergency Medical Service and IU Culture of Care.

The program allows greek members to become certified in CPR and first-aid by the American Heart Association.

Started in spring 2013, the program aims to encourage chapters to have their members trained in proper procedures in case of an emergency, said senior Jordan Shwide, IFC vice president of communications.

This year, IFC is covering the cost for two people from each chapter to attend the certification class.

The classes are four hours long and are in line with AHA standards, Shwide said.

The medical course is taught by IC-EMS executive members.

All members are IU undergraduate students and are certified instructors by the AHA.

The classes consist of hands-on training with mannequins and dolls, videos, first-aid basic training and adult CPR.

Last year about 80 greek members were certified, said Ryan DesCamp, junior and IC-EMS president.

Next semester IC-EMS plans to expand their training program to include the IU Panhellenic Association as well as the Multicultural Greek Council, he said.

DesCamp is a member of Delta Chi fraternity.

He is a nationally and state certified EMT.

“I’m kind of like the medical person of my fraternity,” he said. “If anyone needs help, they come to me.”

DesCamp said with recent University events, medical training is imperative.

“With the two events that happened at the beginning of the year, recognizing an emergency is the first step,” he said. “This training aims to offer that.”

DesCamp said he believes this initiative is a good step in the right direction in terms of ensuring the safety of the greek community.

“Every little step helps,” he said.

“The greek community is a very high-risk population. Everyone knows that. I think these are great steps to take to keep everyone safe.”

Jack McCrum, sophomore Phi Kappa Sigma member, said he took this training to have a larger role in his fraternity.

“I think this is a very positive initiative to mitigating potential risks,” he said. “I think that any fraternity, if they can, should alleviate all possible risks. I just want to be able to be more prepared and ready to respond to negative situations if they were to happen.”

There will be two other classes offered this semester, on Nov. 3 and Dec. 7.

Cody Guzman, freshman Delta Chi member, said he felt this was a good opportunity for him and his fraternity.

“I want to know how to properly do CPR,” he said. “I want to be able to have this experience if and when I need it.”

DesCamp said he believes this medical training can be useful to many members of the greek community.

“My goal with IFC is to give each chapter more resources,” he said. “We need to be proactive in trying to stop bad things from happening. Although no one’s perfect, when they do occur, chapters need these resources in an event of an emergency.”

Follow reporter Tori Lawhorn on Twitter @ToriLawhorn.