Incident Command System
The very first arriving EMS unit on the scene of a mass casualty or major incident is strictly responsible for performing this action before beginning patient care.
What is establishing command (and starting the triage process)?
In medical documentation, the standard two-letter abbreviation for the primary reason the patient called 911.
What is the CC (Chief Complaint)?
The absolute first step in any auto extrication operation, occurring even before you approach the vehicle or the patient.
What is scene size-up (or ensuring scene safety)?
The acronym CBRNE, used to classify Weapons of Mass Destruction, stands for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and this final hazard.
What is Explosive?
The federal agency, sitting under the Department of Transportation, that researches and publishes the National EMS Education Standards.
What is the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)?
The designated location at an incident where personnel and equipment are gathered and held in reserve until they are formally assigned a task.
What is the Staging Area?
To ensure clarity and avoid distortion, you should hold the radio microphone approximately this many inches from your mouth when transmitting.
What is 2 to 3 inches?
To stabilize a vehicle resting on its wheels and prevent suspension movement, rescuers typically deploy these wedge-shaped blocks.
What are step chocks (or cribbing)?
SLUDGEM is a highly tested acronym used to recall the massive parasympathetic physical signs of exposure to this specific type of chemical weapon.
What are nerve agents (or organophosphates)?
The minimum requirement for high-visibility safety apparel that an EMT must wear when operating on or near a federally funded highway.
What is an ANSI Class 2 (or Class 3) safety vest?
Within the ICS General Staff, this specific section chief is responsible for directing all tactical actions and actually carrying out the established incident action plan.
Who is the Operations Section Chief?
If you make a mistake on a written prehospital care report (PCR), this is the only legally acceptable way to correct it.
What is draw a single line through the error, initial it, and write the correct information?
Unlike the side windows, the safety glass used for vehicle windshields is specifically designed to do this when struck.
What is stay intact (laminated glass) or "spiderweb"/"starring"?
The type of radiation that is the least penetrating and can easily be stopped by a simple sheet of paper or intact skin.
What are alpha particles?
This specific bloodborne pathogen, which attacks the liver and has a highly effective 3-shot vaccine, poses a significant occupational risk to EMS providers.
What is Hepatitis B (HBV)?
This member of the Command Staff serves as the central point of contact for cooperating agencies, such as the Red Cross, power company, or neighboring fire departments.
Who is the Liaison Officer?
The strict federal law enacted in 1996 that protects the privacy and security of a patient's protected health information (PHI).
What is HIPAA?
In vehicle anatomy, the "A-post" (or A-pillar) is located in this specific structural area of the car.
What is the front pillar (between the windshield and the front door)?
A deadly biological agent that occurs naturally in livestock and causes severe respiratory distress or black skin lesions, famously sent through the US mail in 2001.
What is anthrax?
BSI stands for Body Substance Isolation, but the modern, all-encompassing CDC term for these baseline infection control practices is this.
What are Standard Precautions?
This General Staff section is responsible for gathering data, analyzing the situation, predicting the future course of the incident, and drafting the formal Incident Action Plan (IAP).
What is the Planning Section?
The acronym SOAP, widely used for narrative medical charting, stands for these four specific sections.
What are Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan?
When disabling a vehicle's 12-volt battery to prevent accidental airbag deployment or electrical fires, you must always cut or disconnect this specific cable first.
What is the negative (black) cable?
A chemical vesicant weapon, such as sulfur mustard, is designed to cause this primary physical injury to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
What are severe blisters (or chemical burns)?
An organized, formal group discussion held 24 to 72 hours after a highly traumatic call (like a pediatric code) to help responders process psychological stress.
What is a CISD (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing)?