Mission Statement

The University of Pennsylvania Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) is a student-run, service organization providing emergency medical services to the University community. The primary purpose of the organization is to complement the emergency medical care provided by the University of Pennsylvania Police Department (UPPD) and the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) by providing professional, timely, and high-quality pre-hospital treatment. The secondary purpose of the organization is to provide training and education to the both students and the community.

Operations

MERT currently operates from 07:00PM - 07:00AM seven days a week during the academic year. In addition, MERT provides additional hours and coverage during major University events such as NSO, Spring Fling, Hey Day and Graduation. Each MERT crew consists of 2-3 members certified as an Emergency Medical Technician Basic in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. MERT responds using specially equipped EMS bikes carrying all necessary medical equipment to handle a wide range of calls. The typical response time of MERT is less than 5 minutes.