Members of the Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service, GERMS alumni, students, and administrators took part in a dedication of Unit 9.

Unit 9, the newest and largest ambulance in GERMS’ fleet, features a number of new features that will help GERMS better serve the Georgetown community. The new features include LED lights on both the interior and exterior as well as control monitors in the front and back of the vehicle.

The ambulance’s high-tech equipment is light years ahead of those in GERMS’ first ambulance–a converted hearse purchased in 1983.

President John DeGioia, who became an honorary GERM in 1990, told the members of GERMS that “everyday in this community you make a difference” and that they have made a “great impact on the entire D.C. community.”

During the ceremony, GERMS inducted two new honorary GERMS: Carol Day and Lynne Hirschfeld. Day is GERMS’ faculty advisor and Hirschfeld is the associate dean for finance and administration in the Office of Student Affairs. Hirschfeld was instrumental in securing the funding for the new ambulance.

Colin Brody (COL ’11), president of GERMS, said that in the next ten years Unit 9 will see approximately 10,000 patients and travel 35,000 miles–an impressive number for their range of service.

Photo: Geoffrey Bible