Firefighters from the University of Connecticut Fire Department are now providing paramedic services to the Storrs campus. Previously, this service was only provided through Windham Hospital or other nearby systems.
“At the Farmington station, we are allowed through our state licensing to perform [Advanced Life Support] services for the campus,” UCFD Fire Chief Christopher Renshaw said. “Here in Storrs, we were restricted in establishing a program because the primary service area belongs to Windham Hospital’s paramedic program.”
Advanced Life Support services are the level of care in prehospital emergency medicine provided by licensed paramedics. Until now, UCFD firefighters could only provide Basic Life Support, even if they held a paramedic license.
“Pretty much, this program allows us to begin care, statistically, a little bit sooner than prior,” UCFD Administrative Captain Anthony Ruggiero said.
This expansion of services is officially titled the Supplemental First Responder Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic Program, and UCFD is confident it will bring more personalized ALS care to Storrs.
“There’s a difference between someone who’s delivering it from the inside,” UCFD Captain Neil Prendergast said. “We’re part of the system.”
UCFD Lieutenant Joseph Speich said that the program will also provide faster access to ALS, as well as a “better understanding of the campus…a better understanding of the student population in general.”
UCFD also talked about how they can redirect patients to university resources like Student Health and Wellness.
“We’re just a lot more familiar with the system,” UCFD Captain Jacob Miceli said, “So it’s a better, more thorough level of care.”
Renshaw said that as of Tuesday, UCFD has already been able to respond and provide ALS care to 30 of the 50 calls they have received since the program began in July.
Since the strong start to the program, UCFD is hopeful about establishing 24/7 paramedic staffing at their Storrs station.
“We don’t have the staffing in the fire department at Storrs specifically to be 100%,” Renshaw said. “And that is the direction we need to go for the safety of our students, staff and faculty.”
Prendergast said the department is looking to have a paramedic on duty 24/7, like in Farmington.
The Supplemental First Responder program was established through a bill that became effective on Oct. 1, 2025.
“We had, as a department, been advocating for such a capability for over 30 years,” Renshaw said. “[The bill] was championed by not only the department but the firefighter’s union and President Radenka Maric herself.”