Question in regards to EMS codes

Anthea Pope · Jul 23, 2016

I am writing a short story about a paramedic in Mexico and accuracy is always my aim. I want to know if you can share some of the EMS codes, that come across the radio to report what is is your responding to. This story is specifically centred around the narco world, so it would be for mass casualty etc. Also, are ambulances numbered? How do you identify which ambulance reports to a scene?

StCEMT · Jul 23, 2016

I personally don't use the codes. They are stupid and not necessary. Yes ambulances are numbered. Yesterday I was on 823, today I am at a different department on 8514. So I just say "823 on scene". Or if I am feeling particularly lazy "23 on scene " lol.

ERDoc · Jul 23, 2016

Every place does things very differently and has their own codes and numbering system. Where I was a volley, to say the same thing StCEMT said, I would have said, "5-38-16 is 21," and at my paid job I would have said, "600, 624 is 86."

akflightmedic · Jul 23, 2016

Many of the various places I have worked were county based departments or smaller cities. Therefore our ambulances were referenced as Medic 1, Medic 2, Medic 3, etc. A medic unit was assigned to a certain geographical area. That geographical area never changed. So sometimes if that unit was busy and another unit had to respond to a call, it was not uncommon for a dispatcher to hit the tones and say "Medic 2, start heading towards Medic 4's coverage area, more info coming"...this would be done to expedite us getting out of the station faster and at least moving in right direction while more information was gathered by the dispatcher.

Also, since 9/11 and other disasters, it is very common and actually preferred to use "plain talk". When other agencies have to suddenly work together in MCI or disaster, it makes sense to NOT have codes. Plain talk, plain English...the way it should be. No need to over complicate things because it does nothing to help the situation and quite frankly, we could care less if the average joe is listening on a scanner and understands what we are saying. Very few of them ambulance chase and even if they do, so what.

Anthea Pope · Jul 23, 2016

StCEMT said:
I personally don't use the codes. They are stupid and not necessary. Yes ambulances are numbered. Yesterday I was on 823, today I am at a different department on 8514. So I just say "823 on scene". Or if I am feeling particularly lazy "23 on scene " lol.

So, if you are on the way, you don't have to tell dispatch (so to speak) you are responding to a call. Or is 'on scene' more or less meaning en route?

Flying · Jul 23, 2016

Anthea Pope said:
So, if you are on the way, you don't have to tell dispatch (so to speak) you are responding to a call. Or is 'on scene' more or less meaning en route?

Plain standard English is way to go for many places. You'll typically acknowledge the initial dispatch with something like "801 enroute" or "1 Bravo 4 responding". When you arrive, you'll then say you're on scene. Leaving the scene is also a part of this communication ("Medcom, 801 is taking one patient to Princeton-Plainsboro")

Not sure how it will go down in the setting of your story though. Maybe your paramedic works for a place that still uses 10 codes or some other jargon.

Anthea Pope · Jul 23, 2016

Flying said:
Plain standard English is way to go for many places. You'll typically acknowledge the initial dispatch with something like "801 enroute" or "1 Bravo 4 responding". When you arrive, you'll then say you're on scene. Leaving the scene is also a part of this communication ("Medcom, 801 is taking one patient to Princeton-Plainsboro")

Not sure how it will go down in the setting of your story though. Maybe your paramedic works for a place that still uses 10 codes or some other jargon.

Thank you!!

StCEMT · Jul 23, 2016

Anthea Pope said:
So, if you are on the way, you don't have to tell dispatch (so to speak) you are responding to a call. Or is 'on scene' more or less meaning en route?

It works in different ways. Some places have a computer where you just hit a "responding" and "on scene" button and marks the times. Others you do it over radio.

joshrunkle35 · Jul 23, 2016

Here in Central Ohio we often use the device followed by the station number: Medic 322, Engine 322. We don't use code for anything and try to avoid it as much as possible so as to avoid confusion. Most departments around here in the post-ICS (incident command system - created by FEMA) world try not to use codes.

Tigger · Jul 23, 2016

Many of our calls are dispatched by the sheriff's office, who uses 10 codes. We do not, but often the dispatchers will when talking to us and it is infuriating. Plain english is all that is needed (enroute, on scene, transporting, at the hospital, etc).

StCEMT · Jul 23, 2016

But if I were a medic in Mexico,I would have to add "at taqueria" to that vocabulary.

Seirende · Jul 24, 2016

Communication with dispatch regarding status goes like this in my area.

Us - "(Unit number) to county dispatch."
Dispatch - "(Unit number), go ahead."
Us - "(Unit number) is en route/on scene/transporting/at the hospital/in service."
Dispatch - "10-4, (Unit number)."

Dispatch around here uses 10-codes on occasion, not sure why. Law enforcement uses them constantly.

For a multiple-casualty, there would be a lot of communication between units, but that would be completely plain English. I personally have never used codes. I can't speak for Mexican EMS, though.

DesertMedic66 · Jul 24, 2016

Plan talk. 10 codes can mean different things city by city so it is not effective to use them.

"Medic 106 responding"
"Medic 106 on scene"

The only codes we use are to determine how we are responding to a call: code 2 (normal driving) code 3 (lights and siren). Code 4 (crew safety check) and then C-7 (food break)

CALEMT · Jul 24, 2016

DesertMedic66 said:
Plan talk. 10 codes can mean different things city by city so it is not effective to use them.

"Medic 106 responding"
"Medic 106 on scene"

The only codes we use are to determine how we are responding to a call: code 2 (normal driving) code 3 (lights and siren). Code 4 (crew safety check) and then C-7 (food break)

Some people also use 11-44 (deceased person)

DesertMedic66 · Jul 24, 2016

CALEMT said:
Some people also use 11-44 (deceased person)

I have never heard anyone say that..

akflightmedic · Jul 24, 2016

Never heard that either, might be a CA thing. LOL

Dead people in every system I have been in was a Signal 7.

akflightmedic · Jul 24, 2016

Or a DRD in the south.

Ded rite der.

Jim37F · Jul 25, 2016

Only codes we use here are:
Code 2 (no lights or sirens, driving like normal)
Code 3 (using lights and sirens, can drive thru red lights once traffic has yielded, oppose traffic (driving on the opposite side of the roadway), etc)
Code 4 is "Clear to enter". Pretty much only used for where we are staging out for Law Enforcement, such as assaults, shootings, stabbings, etc. Code 4 means they're on scene in control and we can then safely enter the scene.
Status 5 is about the only code we use regularly that's not common elsewhere (as far as I know at least, only we use it). Basically means we're finishing up at the hospital after a transport, getting ready to clear. So if I'm at the hospital in my district and someone else is moving up to my area for coverage, while I'm not fully available yet, dispatch should* let the other crew start returning to their own area. Technically they want us to go Status 5 as soon as we move the patient off of our gurney onto the hospital equipment (hosp bed, chair in triage waiting area...) and then go available within 5 minutes, but because sometimes it takes longer than that to actually get a nurses signature, plus actually having to deconstruction and redress the gurney, clean up any mess in the patient compartment, we don't usually do that until all that is done and my partner has returned to the rig and is just finishing up paperwork (and what do you know, oftentimes that's quickly enough we can skip status 5 and just go available lol). Doesn't help that some dispatchers forget the difference between status 5 and available and will try to give you post changes or even calls when we're not actually quite ready to respond yet.

Everything else we just use plain English (responding, on scene, transporting, at hospital, clear, etc)

Flying · Jul 25, 2016

What's Code 1? Chillaxing?

NomadicMedic · Jul 25, 2016

Flying said:
What's Code 1? Chillaxing?

Question in regards to EMS codes

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