Commonly Heard Terms in Shows
| ALS | Advanced Life Support. May be referring to a paramedic level provider or a skill provided by that level of provider (i.e. endotracheal intubation, IV access, etc.) |
| Arrest | Cardiac or respiratory in nature; The absence of breathing and/or pulse in a person |
| Asystole | The absence of any cardiac activity evidenced by manual or automated interpretation of an EKG (“flatline”) |
| Autopulse | Mechanical CPR device attached to patient to replace provider administer compressions |
| Battalion Chief | Level of supervisor in the fire department responsible for overseeing several different fire stations and their personnel; rank above Captain in most departments |
| Bells ringing | This term refers to the alarms sounding for low air on the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) firefighters wear in hazards atmospheres |
| Black Cloud | A superstitious term for someone who receives more than the average amount of “bad” call types |
| BLS | Basic Life Support. May be referring to an entry level provider (EMT) or a skill provided by that level of provider, typically noninvasive. (i.e. CPR, ventilations, bleeding control, etc.) |
| Code | Performing CPR as a team. Maybe be heard as “working a code” |
| Coded | Term used by prehospital and hospital providers for when a patient loses pulse and CPR is indicated |
| CPAT | Two definitions: A strenuous physical fitness assessment required in most departments prior to receiving a job offer OR an inpatient facility for mentally disturbed patients |
| EAP | Employee assistance program offered by fire departments for additional life resources (i.e. counseling, financial advising, legal help, etc.) |
| Echo Patients | A patient who is nonviable upon initial assessment; often seen in mass casualty incidents |
| EMT basic | Emergency Medical Technician. The entry level medical certification required for most professional fire department members, responsible for providing BLS care. (also known as: EMT, EMTB, or Basics) |
| Extrications | Technical removal of victims from hazardous entrapped situations using specific tools and techniques (i.e. “jaws of life”) |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; federal law passed in 1996 to ensure patient confidentiality and provide protection of sensitive health information |
| Involved | Referring to a structure compromised by fire; maybe be referred to as “fully involved” in severe cases |
| IO | Intraosseous; the process of utilizing a medical drill to establish access for medication administration into a bone cavity, typically performed in the humeral head or tibial tuberosity (shoulder or just below knee) for emergency lifesaving purposes |
| King Airway | Supraglottic airway utilized by EMT’s to establish a means of ventilation in a patient experiencing cardiac or respiratory arrest; alternative to endotracheal intubation |
| Local Box/First Due box | A dispatch for an emergency incident, usually a fire, within the immediate surrounding area of a specific station |
| MAYDAY | An international distress signal transmitted via radio for immediate assistance needed |
| Mentor | Someone looked up to who provides guidance and support to others without being designated in the role (i.e. role model) |
| OPA | Oropharyngeal airway; a manufactured device for managing and maintaining a patient’s airway by displacing the tongue forward and down to allow glottic opening (also known as: oral airway) |
| Peer Support | Personnel or people who are designated by a committee or department to help others in difficult situations by providing emotional, social, or practical support. |
| Posturing | may be decerebrate or decorticate in nature; abnormal body positioning indicating severe brain injury; presents as rigid extremity movement into or away from the torso |
| Preceptor | An employee assigned to train another employee in a specific technical skill area; also known as precept (i.e. teacher or instructor) |
| Torsade | A life-threatening heart arrhythmia which often causes sudden cardiac arrest; polymorphic ventricular tachycardia |
| Tower | Fire apparatus with a visible roof-mounted extensible ladder |
