‘We can help’: an inside look into Chapman’s student first-aid team

The Panther gets an insider’s view into the experiences of Arianna Romagnano, a student first responder for Chapman University First Aid. MAYA BRAUNWARTH, Staff Photographer

Arianna Romagnano, a sophomore health science major at Chapman, is no stranger to the healthcare industry. Diagnosed with a heart condition as a child, she spent hours in harshly lit waiting rooms and saw the devotion of healthcare workers firsthand. She knew that when she grew up, she wanted to help others the way that they helped her.

Now, she’s on Chapman’s student first-aid team.

When Chapman students attend massive events such as commencement ceremonies, football games or live performances, many of them know that Public Safety is there to look out for them if something goes awry. What most don’t realize is that there’s a team of their peers ready to support their safety, too.

Chapman University First Aid, led by original founder and current Fire and Life Safety officer Victor Arteaga, is composed of students trained in CPR, dispatch and patient care.

Having recently joined the ranks as a student first responder, Romagnano underwent a two-day first-aid team training session in person over the summer.

“Coming in, we all had to be trained in CPR, and through the First Aid team training, we’re prepared for resuscitation,” Romagnano said. “We also learned how to take vitals (like) blood pressure and oxygen levels and how to communicate all the information with the Orange Fire Department when they arrive.”

Eager to help, Romagnano patiently waited her turn to join the team. She told The Panther she was ecstatic to work at Chapman’s commencement ceremonies over the summer for her first shift.

“I knew about the team when I first applied to the school,” Romagnano said. “All freshman year, I was persistent about emailing (Arteaga) about applications, but everything was on hold for COVID-19.”

Romagnano interviewed in spring of 2021 and was hired on the spot, but the team didn’t start working events again until the summer. Currently, they have members present at all large scale events, but Romagnano said she hopes the team’s reach expands in coming years.

“I wish that Chapman’s administration acknowledged the first-aid team a little more,” Romagnano said. “Maybe then we could have around-the-clock teams, or at least shifts every day for emergencies on campus. Because things really do happen every day, and we can help.”

The team works closely with the Orange Fire Department, with their main objective being to divert unnecessary calls from the department. Instead of dispatching ambulances for minor injuries, like sprains or small bone breaks, the team is trained to handle such situations on their own. 

At times, the fire department must be called, in which case Romagnano said the team serves a critical role.

“If there is any kind of big emergency, our job is to use our training to keep people alive in the window between the call and when the Orange Fire Department arrives,” Romagnano said. “We have to, because we are the first ones on the scene.”

Romagnano, who hopes to attend physician’s assistant school after graduating from Chapman, sees the first-aid team as a step in the direction of her long-term goal of working in medicine. The shifts she spends with the team are both paid and count as patient-contact hours which members can use toward graduate study applications.

“Realistically, if I ever work in emergency medicine, I’ll be making major decisions about people’s lives in two seconds,” Romagnano said. “It’s really amazing that I get to work on a smaller scale now, where no one is in grave danger, and instead I can just learn how to treat them.”