Five Quad Celebrates Half-Century of Service

Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.
Current Five Quad members and Five Quad alums gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany for a formal gala celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary. Photo by Paul Miller.

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 7, 2023) — University at Albany’s student-run volunteer ambulance agency, Five Quad, is celebrating 50 years of service this year.

Five Quad is a New York State certified ambulance agency operated entirely by UAlbany students. Headquartered on the Uptown Campus, the crew provides basic life support services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the fall and spring semesters.

Dozens of Five Quad members staff two fully equipped ambulances and respond to calls within a five-mile radius of the Uptown Campus, including calls reported off-campus. For example, incidents in local neighborhoods of Guilderland, Colonie and Delmar, accidents on the NYS Thruway and calls from Crossgates Mall all fall within Five Quad’s jurisdiction.

This past weekend, alumni traveled from across the country (including Florida and California) to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the 50-year milestone. Alumni and current Five Quad members enjoyed a gala Friday night, then reconvened at the Five Quad headquarters on campus Saturday to check out the crew’s current HQ and new rig. Some even returned to serve. It is common for local Five Quad alumni, and even those living further afield, to maintain their EMT certification and staff regular shifts.

Between responding to calls and happy reunions, Five Quad members shared three key messages they want the UAlbany community to know:

1) We are here and ready to serve.

“Five Quad members undertake a full semester of intensive training before they are eligible to serve. We are a dedicated crew, and we are here because we want to help our fellow students and community members,” said Nathan Galante-Conway, current Five Quad member and historian of the organization.

“So many students don’t know that we are an available resource. In addition to providing basic life support services and hospital transport, we also provide standby crews for special events, such as athletic competitions, concerts and graduation. We also run a variety of trainings for the campus community including CPR, First Aid and Stop the Bleed.” [Request a training.]

2) Five Quad services are free.

“Five Quad is a volunteer agency, so our services are entirely free,” said Annalyse Scully, an emergency department technician at Albany Medical Center who graduated in 2022 after attaining the rank of chief and continues to work regular shifts with Five Quad. “Hesitating to seek care due to concerns over cost can delay students receiving the medical attention they need. We want students to know that any service that we perform, including transportation to a local hospital, is free. We are primarily funded through the Student Activity Fee.”

3) Good Samaritan rules apply. You will not get in trouble if you call Five Quad for a drug or alcohol-related emergency.

“UAlbany’s Good Samaritan 911 Policy protects any student who needs or seeks medical assistance for a medical emergency associated with substance use such as alcohol poisoning or an overdose,” said Scully. “Receiving timely care can be the difference between life and death. Call us when you need help.”

UAlbany’s Good Samaritan 911 Policy supports students who reach out for assistance in a medical emergency and the students who are provided medical assistance.
A student who seeks medical treatment for themselves or anyone else who is in immediate medical need will not be subject to disciplinary sanctions related to the violation of using or possessing alcohol or other drugs.
The same is true for a student who is given emergency medical attention and for a student organization that seeks medical treatment for someone in immediate medical need.
This policy applies whether the emergency occurs on or off campus.

Learn more about UAlbany’s Good Samaritan 911 Policy.

In an emergency, dial 911 or 518-442-3131 to reach Five Quad.