Priority codes??

[bakeall]

  I listen to the scanner and was wondering if anyone on the Chat has an idea of what the priority codes are when speaking of a patients condition?  Such as:  Priority one, I think means dead, Priority two is the lessor and so on.  Could someone clear this for me and let me know how they rank.

[hammerdog]

A quick check of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) states:

Assign Clinical Priority
a) Priority 1 — Critically ill or injured person requiring immediate attention;
unstable patients with potentially life-threatening injury or illness.
b) Priority 2 — Less serious condition, requiring emergency medical
attention but not immediately endangering the patient’s life.
c) Priority 3 — Non-emergent condition, requiring medical attention but not
on an emergency basis.
d) Priority 4 — Does not require medical attention.

[bakeall]

Hammerdog:
    Thanks for the information, really appreciate it.
          Have a good one.

[-jimmy z-]

Priority 4 is used for dead.

[bakeall]

So, for the priority 4 stating not "needing medical attention" means the patient is dead??

[-jimmy z-]

Yes, a dead person obviously doesn't need medical attention. The medical examiner is called.

The codes aren't used for the listener to know what it is going on.  It's used so the ambulance personel know what is going on and know what they need.

For example, the wreck on 220 had services calling into the ambulances and saying they had one priority one and two priority fours.  They only needed services for one patient then.  In reality what they had was one patient in need of series care (priority one), another "victim" who refused treatment and walked away not wanting to be looked at (priority four) , and another "victim" who was obviously deceased (priority four).

one priority one
two priority fours

[bakeall]

OK, thanks to you for the information.  It makes it kind of confusing on the priority 4 due to being dead or not hurt??  Will stay tuned.

[truce_m3]

Jimmy Z strikes again.

[Jedi Wise]

The responding EMT to my train incident used the term "both code 4" when he came up on the locomotive to talk to me.  I had to ask what that meant, because I could assume, but wanted to be sure.

[Candidate]

If you hear the police dispatched to a home and the call is for an "unattended", that means someone was found dead.