Geneseo First Response is looking for applicants
GFR opens up for spring new member class
Photo courtesy of Instagram, @suny_gfr
Geneseo First Response, commonly referred to as GFR, is SUNY Geneseo’s student volunteer emergency response service. As documented on their official page on SUNY Geneseo’s website, they serve as the primary emergency medical service (EMS) agency for the campus and work as a part of an integrated emergency response system on campus, alongside University Police and Geneseo’s Department of Student Health and Counseling.
Located in the basement of Wyoming Hall, GFR runs because of students who are willing to volunteer both their time and energy to help support others within the Geneseo campus community. Due to a need for volunteers, and to help make the agency function at its fullest potential, Spring 2026 applications are now open for students to fill out, announced via GFR’s Instagram account.
After filling out an online application, which students can find on GFR’s Instagram, they will be invited to schedule an interview. According to GFR informational sessions led by the Chief of Operations Gannon Kelly, the first part of this process is a Group Interview where applicants will be interviewed with other students. After the Group Interview, select applicants will be invited back for a second, Individual Interview. In the Individual Interview portion, students will be interviewed alone by a committee of current GFR members. Applicants who are selected after both rounds of interviews will then officially be inducted as a new member and undergo training as part of a New Member Class.
After going through interviews and becoming a new member, selected students will start the new member process, during which there will be an approximately hour-long training session per week, reviewing first response and life-saving emergency medical information required for answering calls. New members will be given one or two current members who will guide them through this process, helping them learn the necessary skills. Lastly, new members will take a written and practical exam regarding their training.
When Geneseo students become a member of GFR, they are expected to complete a licensing exam to become a New York State (NYS) registered emergency medical technician (EMT) within one year of joining, as required by GFR’s constitution. Requirements to take this exam include a semester- long class, which is paid for by the Livingston County EMT agency.
As documented on SUNY Geneseo’s official website, members’ duties in GFR are based on volunteer hours, with 144 hours required per semester. Beyond this, members must be able to respond to on-campus 911 calls in need of medical assistance which are made during their designated shift. While on a call, members will be expected to help care for patients by taking vital signs, patient care reports, and providing other BLS (Basic Life Support) tasks, such as giving chest compressions and ventilations, as explained by the American Heart Association.
While speaking with Gannon Kelly he expressed that “we're looking for people who are interested in supporting their community and bringing their own personality and experiences into our agency.” So if that is you, you are invited to fill out a form to become a part of GFR’s 2026 Spring New Member Class.