College BLS Uniform

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jpregulman

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Hi,

I am in charge of ordering uniforms for our college EMS squad. We are a BLS, non-911 ambulance. We have one squad and crew from 7p-8a weekdays and all day on weekends.

We need new uniforms.

I am trying to decide between:

Polo's with the "company" patch silk screened on the front with "CASE EMS" the star of life and EMT on the back. Also there would be a level of training patch on the L shoulder.

Or

Actual shirts like Rural metro uses with an actual "company" patch on the R sleeve and level of training patch on the L sleeve.

Do they polo's look professional enough? we already struggle to be respected as a real ambulance squad because we are college students. Does it really matter what shirt we are wearing?

Thanks for your help!
Jonah Pregulman EMT-B
Case Western Reserve University EMS
 
Although this is a great community for EMS knowhow, there are other places with more knowledge of collegiate EMS. Consider taking advantage of the resources at ncemsf.org and their forums-- there are also many discussions of appropriate uniforms there.
 
Thanks

I was more looking for a response from a EMT in a real company to see how they would view us. What forum would u suggest I move this to?
 
If it were up to me, it would be polos. Cheaper and way more comfortable. I personally think they look plenty professional so long as they are tucked in.
 
http://www.ncemsf.org/forum
No worries. I'm a fan of a simple, yet professional uniform that demonstrates that you are competent, approachable (remember, you're in a unique and trusted position as student EMTs), and dynamic enough for your shifts (keep in mind the number of people you need to clothe, and how they'll look at 3AM as a member gets out of bed, or in class).
I'm happy to comment by PM if you have specific questions, as I've spent more time then i'd like to admit to responsible for this crap.

Good Luck!
 
We will be having each member pay for a portion of their shirt and we will pay for the rest, it will be theirs to keep. We ask members to not sleep in their shirts and members do not have classes during shift.

Oh and polos are 13ish each and shirts are 25 each

Hope this helps!
 
I'm on a 911 ALS student run collegiate squad and we also struggle sometime with respect from surrounding agencies.

We wear a polo during summer months while white button ups during the school year with name tag, service patch, and provider patch on respective shoulders.
 
Considering your patient demographic I'd go with the polos. Let's face it with a bunch of fresh faced kids you're going to have difficulty getting respect regardless of the uniform. Now if you were interacting with a lot of older patients then absolutely go with the button downs.

Of course half the fun of working for EMS as a youngster is wearing a shirt with a patch on it so there is that :)
 
Polos all the way. get them embroidered where you can, and don't get the cheap silk screening on the back that will fade after a few washes.

As long as you are uniform (ie, everyone is wearing the same thing), it doesn't matter.

Also look into getting job shirts for those cold ohio nights.
 
Polos go with embroidery. Screen printing will fade, peel, and crack. However they are only good for the early fall and spring. Long sleeve polos look like crap. Consider t-shirts and job shirts for the winter

Your other option is to pay for the whole thing, this way you can keep the uniforms when your members graduate and reissue them
 
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I'm with a collegiate EMS agency and we use polos. Navy blue, with the squad patch on the left shoulder, EMT patch on the right shoulder (if a member has earned it), and the squad logo embroidered on the left front. On the back, we have screen printed the name of our school and EMS below it in big block letters.

We also have squad t-shirts that we use for non-shift squad events as well as overnight shifts, since many people find it more comfortable to sleep in a t-shirt than a polo (although I often use the polo since it looks more professional and isn't that uncomfortable). The t-shirts have the squad logo on the front, and the name of the school and EMS printed on the back with the star of life in between.

In addition to those uniform pieces (one of each are given for free to each member), we have work shirts and jackets which members can purchase if desired, as well as a bunch of jackets which are kept in our squad room for use during shifts in the winter. The jackets and work shirts, if purchased by an individual member, have the logo and the member's name embroidered on the front as well as the same patches as the polos. In addition, the jacket has the name of the school and EMS embroidered on the back.

If you have any questions, PM me. I don't want to give out anything that can identify the school publicly without getting permission from my superiors.
 
Our general body has spoken, we are going with Class A Uniforms w/ emt patches for EMT's and CPR patches for BLS members! Thanks for all the help, no we just have to look in to what do on cold nights.... Thanks!
 
I realize I'm getting in late on this post.
If I may offer a small amount of advice… Seeing as it’s a uniform - there needs to be uniformity in whatever is worn. Too often, agencies elect to offer a wide range of acceptable apparel (t-shirts, polo’s, button-downs, jacket over t-shirt, ball cap, etc.) and the public sees everyone looking differently. A uniform ought to be a representation of the agency, group and the representatives - all looking the same. This is where a uniform policy and adherence to it come into play.
Otherwise, who can tell you apart from the other agency out there?
 
I'm currently the Chief of my campus squad, we have a wide variety of uniform apparel.

The squad provides Class A shirts, mostly to be worn on standbys and to other formal events.

We also order several other things that members all pay for themselves:

T shirts - star of life on the breast, squad name on the back
long sleeve shirts - similar to the tee, but also with words down the side
polos - just another option, embroidered star of life and agency name on the breast

We have a few jackets available for sign out for standbys and overnight crews.

You could also look in to doing other things, we ordered hats last year. Star of life on the front, and we were able to get individual names on the back.
 
We mainly wear polos, or duty t-shirts. Must be tucked in, and CLEAN!!! If everyone is wearing the same, and look clean, you shouldn't have a problem. The reason I stress the clean issue, is I've seen some private service EMTs in dirty, or stained uniforms, very unprofessional, and most people wouldn't want someone looking like that working on them. But, polos are great. Have you thought about embrodory for your logos? We have both, and I must say that the embrodory lasts a lot longer.
 
Howdy,

I can tell you from personal experience the best "bang for the buck" is the button up shirts with patches on them. Polo's are difficult to manage, and look less professional. University's are fairly formal and frankly the patients they serve deserve an appropriately uniformed responder.

After it was all said and done, I found the very best bargain by far to be these 25 dollar button up shirts. I bought about a hundred of them, and had them laundered/pressed after each employees shift. The staff of course preferred a polo, but bang for the buck and professional image wise you won't be able to beat these. Polo's seem more cool on the surface, but if you're on a budget like our student run ems was, then this is the way to go.

Check out the following uniforms:

Law Pro Uniform shirts (brand I purchased) from either quartermaser or Galls. Either vendor can get them for you for under $25 bucks per shirt, and if you buy in volume they'll apply your patches for free, if you mail them in advance.

Galls is usually expensive, but you can really find some amazing bargains if you look. Law Pro is a good quality product at a price that can't be beat.

What University are you with?

Let me know if I can help in any other way.
 
A) find out where your local providers purchase their uniforms...making a connection with these places can go a long way.

B)Uniformity and Uniform discipline is key! If you want respect, have a strict uniform policy. (I.e. if you are on duty, shirt must be tucked in, have to wear black boots...no excessive jewelry, clean cut..etc.) Even though you are a college service...act and dress as you would if you were a professional service. Sloppiness is very easy to recognize especially when in uniform.
 
I'd go with Polo for summer and then a fleece jacket with embroidery for winter if it's too cold to wear a polo in winter either that or a dress shirt
 
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