On Jan. 26, 2026, Furman’s Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously approved a $10,000 grant to purchase a utility-terrain vehicle (UTV) for Furman Responders. The UTV will be used as a Quick Response Vehicle, which is a vehicle equipped to handle rapid medical response.
Furman Responders is a student organization focused on education, training and response. They host educational events for students to learn more about emergency medicine and aid. They also lead classes for CPR, First Aid, and Life Support. Furman Responders also partners with Greenville County to offer EMT Training for students.
The organization has also had a Medical Aid Team (MAT) that has operated a standby service during university events for several years, but its main goal has been to create an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) on campus.
Besides purchasing the UTV, Furman Responders have worked toward becoming a complete EMS service for students in other ways.
“Recently, we have partnered with Prisma, and after years of planning and coordination, we have finally achieved status as a state-licensed EMS service. What that means is, if you call 911 or 2111 on campus and need medical care, we will be the ones to respond (along with a transport-capable ambulance, if needed),” MAT director Rob Duckett ‘26 said.
The vehicle will include several useful items for various medical emergencies, including medical equipment for wounds, airway blockages, and bone or joint injuries. It will also include emergency lights, sirens and a radio to communicate with other EMS services. The specific UTV was chosen to accommodate Furman’s campus and unique needs.
“Driving a regular car on campus was deemed impractical, so we decided a UTV was the best option: it can reach speeds high enough to allow for quick response, it can be enclosed with doors and heating to keep sensitive medical equipment safe, and most importantly, it operates really well off-road and is small enough to maneuver through walking paths,” Duckett said.
However, the grant did not come without difficulty. Furman Responders initially requested the funding with their 25-26 SGA New Money Request, a form student organizations complete to acquire funding outside of their annual budget. The money for the UTV was denied.
Following the lack of funding, the organization looked into other options, but ultimately determined that these options would take too long to acquire the full amount.
“At one point, we identified a potential money donor who frequented the OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) center on campus. This donor offered to provide us with the $10,000; however, for unknown reasons, Furman’s Development department denied his donation. This was very frustrating, both for our organization and the donor himself, as they did not provide any real reasons for the denial. Given this, our only option left was to submit a new money request to SGA in hopes of acquiring the funding,” Duckett said.
Once operational, an on-call MAT member will bring the UTV around campus with a radio system alerting them of a call containing all relevant information. The MAT member will respond with the necessary equipment and can alert other EMS teams if additional services, such as a transport ambulance, are needed.
Other members of Furman Responders shared their thoughts regarding the UTV.
“I am excited for what the future holds. Furman University Responders as an active EMS service not only serves the campus community but gives students the opportunity to actively participate in emergency medicine outside of the classroom and in the real world,” Furman Responders Council member Kadence Alexander ‘26 said.
After submitting a second new money request, Furman Responders were granted funding. The UTV will be in operation after administrative paperwork is completed and the vehicle is purchased.
