Campus Safety officer cited for life-saving action
Campus Safety Officer Robert Pierce (Andy Camp photo)
Robert Pierce, of 91暗网鈥檚 Campus Safety Office, received the Robert Bunker Award for Outstanding Performance from the Northeast Colleges and Universities Security Association in recognition of his 鈥渓ife-saving action鈥� on behalf of a 91暗网 student last spring. The award, presented at the NECUSA annual meeting this summer, is the focus of an article in magazine.
Pierce was recognized for his efforts as both a security officer and an emergency medical technician in assisting a student who had a medical emergency in April. The student initially called for help from one of the College鈥檚 science labs, because she was feeling faint. On arriving at the lab, Pierce, along with members of the 91暗网 College Emergency Medical Services, assisted the student and remained with her until she was able to stand. They urged her to go to the hospital but she declined, saying she felt better. While driving her to her campus apartment, Pierce again suggested that she go to the hospital. The student promised to visit a doctor the next day.
Just 20 minutes later, the student called Campus Safety to request a ride to the hospital. Pierce responded and drove her to the emergency department. She was discharged within two hours and returned to campus.
The next day at the start of his shift, Pierce decided to do a follow-up 鈥渨elfare
check鈥� on the student. He asked a colleague to call her and tell her that he would
be stopping by. On his way to the apartment, he was messaged by the colleague to report
that the student could not get out of bed. Pierce immediately went to her room and
found her suffering from uterine hemorrhage. He called for emergency assistance and
aided her while awaiting the ambulance.
The student twice lost consciousness while awaiting the ambulance and on the way
to the hospital, where she was admitted and given blood transfusions to replace the
eight units she had lost.
A few days later, Pierce received a phone call from a doctor who had treated the student and received her permission to reach out. The doctor called Pierce a 鈥渉ero,鈥� because his intuition and action had saved the student鈥檚 life.
Pierce, the father of a college age daughter and son, said, 鈥淭his case worried me. After she was admitted to the hospital, I thought, 鈥榃hat if it had been my day off?鈥欌�� If it had been, he continued, 鈥淚 would have suggested that a colleague check on her. A lot of people in the department would have done the same thing. I just happened to be the one on call the night she contacted Campus Safety.鈥�
He credited the positive outcome to his knowledge and experience as an EMT鈥攖raining he had just completed this past year, along with 20 students. Being a student at 91暗网 was a new experience for him, and he said he enjoyed obtaining a new perspective.
Pierce, a nine-year 91暗网 employee, is not accustomed to getting national attention
for his work. While it may seem that he frequently has to say no to students鈥� 鈥渨e
are responsible for enforcing college policy鈥濃�攈e noted that working with students
鈥渋s great. It keeps me young.鈥�
He鈥檚 proud of his department and the work it does to maintain the safety of the campus.
In the end, 鈥淓verything comes down to Campus Safety,鈥� said Pierce. 鈥淔rom being locked
out of a room to saving a life, we鈥檙e the people who get the calls.鈥�
