Baseem Zeweri barely made it to his 8 a.m. organic chemistry class. Zeweri was struggling to focus, but not because the lecture was on carbon compounds. Just an hour before, he had helped deliver a woman’s baby at her home after receiving a 911 call.

“It was a big call for a rookie,” said Zeweri. “It’s something most people don’t see until their wife gives birth and it was a little overwhelming for a 19-year-old.”

Zeweri is a junior biotechnology major who volunteers for the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad. He started volunteering the summer after his freshman year. To work as an EMT, Zeweri says one has to be CPR-certified and take a national standards class.

“My fall semester sophomore year I was taking classes starting at 8 a.m. and ending my day at 10 p.m. after a four-hour EMT class,” said Zeweri.

Hank Beiter, a friend of Zeweri’s, can testify to his work ethic.

“He saves a lot of people’s lives,” said Beiter. “He’ll work shifts that go all night.”

Zeweri says that volunteering for the squad requires a few hours out of your day, intrinsic motivation and a special interest in public service.

“It’s not all like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ explains Zeweri. “You’re probably going to end up seeing some guy who’s just calling you because he has some toe pain, and you have to transfer him to the hospital.”

The squad is made up of unpaid volunteers. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Zeweri works six hours to meet his required 36-48 hours a month. Most of the time he is working with another JMU student.

“There are 200 of us on the rescue squad and I’d say that around 100-150 of us are JMU students,” said Zeweri.

The squad has become a second family to Zeweri and he is always pleased to see members on campus.

“I was so excited to see them outside in the real world with their backpack on in the library,” said Zeweri.  

Michael Friedman, a junior biology major, is another student volunteer. Friedman and Zeweri started volunteering for the squad around the same time.

“The periods in between calls are some of the best bonding moments, when we can really be ourselves, friendly and relaxed,” said Friedman.

Zeweri has had some memorable moments. He has been on calls when he needed to diagnose someone suffering from a stroke. It’s a gamble and requires making a gut call. Even after dropping the patient off at the hospital, Zeweri says the patient stays on his mind.

“When you get an email a few weeks later saying, ‘Hey, good job you identified this situation correctly and you saved this person’s life,’ those are the positives that you have to look at,” explained Zeweri.

Zeweri says that while it is hard not to take his work home with him, it is a part of him that needs to be shut off.

“Once you’re clocked out, that’s its own world …I kind of imagine myself punching out the physical clock and now I’m back into a whole different reality.”