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Public Health
Seattle & King County
401 5th Ave., Suite 1300
Seattle, WA 98104

Phone: 206-296-4600
TTY: 206-296-4931

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Home » Emergency Medical Services (EMS) » Glossary of terms

Emergency Medical Services
EMS glossary of terms

> AED
Automated External Defibrillator

> ALS
Advanced Life Support - the services provided by paramedics for life-threatening medical emergencies.

> BLS
Basic Life Support - services provided by Emergency Medical Technicians.

> CBD
Criteria Based Dispatch

> CEEMS
Center for the Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services

> CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

> EMD
Emergency Medical Dispatch

> EMS
Emergency Medical Services

> EMT
Emergency Medical Technician -- Firefighters in King County are cross-trained as EMTs. Firefighter/EMTs are usually the first to arrive on-scene at a medical emergency.

> PAD
Public Access Defibrillation

> REACT
Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment

related sites

BLS (Basic Life Support) Training and Education

EMT badgeWe provide training and education for 3,500 EMTs and First Responders representing 34 Fire Departments in King County.

Criteria Based Dispatch Guidelines Star of Life icon

Criteria Based Dispatch (CBD) is based on the recognition that the level of care (ALS vs. BLS) needed by the patient and the urgency of patient care should be the determining factors in the level of response.

Center for the Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services

The goal of CEEMS is to study pre-hospital emergencies and to develop, evaluate and implement innovative programs to improve survival from medical emergencies.

Updated: Saturday, August 30, 2003 at 02:08 PM

All information is general in nature and is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate professional advice. For more information please call 206-296-4600 (voice) or 206-296-4631 (TTY Relay service). Mailing address: ATTN: Communications Team, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave., Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104 or click here to email us.

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