in the beginning, students were outfitted with over-sized blue and yellow windbreakers, yellow-rimmed flashlights, and first aid kits. in addition, student association did not provide any funding, so the members paid for their own uniforms. the unit was given an old panel van, van #7, that was frequently out of service for repairs. when #7 was unavailable, a patrol car was used to retrieve students from hospitals following transport by henrietta ambulance. eventually, however, as call volume climbed first from 10, to 15, to 100 in a year, agency members got into great shape, a natural consequence of having to sprint down the quarter-mile walkway for a medical emergency on the academic side of campus. in 1971, the agency acquired a member certified by the american red cross to conduct first aid training, meaning members did not have to be certified through henrietta ambulance. in the summer of 1972, ssu helped sandbag the genesee river in preparation for hurricane agnes. that same year rit purchased a ford station wagon, made available to ssu, offering increased comfort, and reliability to students being transported. in 1973, the ssu received a new red van exclusively for ssu use. fuel, repairs, and insurance were covered by administration. this vehicle did not have emergency lights, as most areas of campus were accessible very quickly. in the fall of 1974, ssu decided to make a commitment to provide 24/7 coverage to campus, with the number of emts in the organization approaching 50% in 1975. by the end of 1976, the number of calls ssu had provided assistance to was approaching 1,000.