Student by day, EMT by night
Photo/Gaelen Morse“I like the feeling of helping people when they’re at their worst and don’t know what to do,” said Lorrin Stone '23. “I enjoy being the calm in moments of chaos.”
It’s 7 p.m. on a Saturday, and while his friends are spending their evening watching a movie, out on the town, or studying for their next exam, Lorrin Stone ’23 has just started a 12-hour shift as an emergency medical technician at Armstrong Ambulance. Where the night will take him is anyone’s guess.
Working long hours in an ambulance isn’t a new experience for Stone. He can typically be found taking vital signs, managing patient bleeding, giving basic medications, and administering CPR.
When he’s not working as an EMT for Armstrong, he serves as the executive director and a field supervisor for the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, or BEMCo, a student-run volunteer emergency medical service.
BEMCo operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the academic year. Student volunteers are all Massachusetts-state certified emergency medical technicians, equipped with two non-transporting ambulances to meet the emergency medical needs of the Waltham community at Brandeis.
Stone, a biology and Health: Science, Society, and Policy major began volunteering at 16 as an emergency medical responder in his hometown of Montville, New Jersey. He served in local ambulances, assisting emergency medical technicians. It was here that he discovered his passion for helping people in need.
“I like the feeling of helping people when they’re at their worst and don’t know what to do,” said Stone. “I enjoy being the calm in moments of chaos.”
When deciding to go to Brandeis, Stone knew he would join BEMCo, and he quickly found himself taking on leadership roles. Stone was selected to be a field supervisor and eventually became the executive director of the program.
As the executive director, Stone serves as the contact point between BEMCo and the Waltham community at large. He shares information with the community regarding upcoming events and important messages. As one of the program’s three field supervisors, he’s on call three days a week (working 24 hour shifts) serving the Brandeis community at a moment's notice.
“It’s been an enriching experience getting to help so many different people in the community,” he said.
For Stone, BEMCo has been a major influence on his plans beyond graduation. He intends to pursue a career in public health with the hopes of improving the role of EMS in the greater medical industry.
“The Emergency Medical System as whole has a lot of separate operating parts that need to be rejoined together. There are many departments that need to be better at communicating with one another,” said Stone. “My goal is to help unite everything in a more standardized way, so hospitals and Emergency Medical Systems can work better together.”
Saturday night has turned to Sunday morning, and as his shift comes to an end and the sun creeps over the horizon, Stone parks the Medic 2 Armstrong Ambulance vehicle before heading home to recover. After an evening of assisting with 5 calls, ranging from fallen patients to cardiac arrest, he’s ready to catch some sleep.
Whether he spends his weekend with BEMCo or Armstrong, Stone takes pride in always being ready to serve the Brandeis and Waltham communities.
“I’m making an impact in my community,” said Stone. “It’s all worth it because of that.”
Categories: General, Student Life
