IAED EPD cheat sheet

Determinant codes pair a chief complaint with a response level; the code set, not the caller's tone, drives the dispatch decision.

Key questions (conscious? breathing? bleeding severely?) are asked before location and callback details when the patient is reported unresponsive or not breathing.

Agonal or ineffective breathing is treated as cardiac arrest: dispatch the highest ALS response and begin telephone CPR instructions immediately.

Stroke screen: sudden onset of facial droop, arm weakness, or speech difficulty within a known last-known-well time triggers a priority stroke response.

Chest pain with radiation to arm or jaw, diaphoresis, or shortness of breath is upgraded; aspirin may be advised only where protocol permits.

Anaphylaxis with airway swelling or known allergen exposure plus respiratory distress warrants epinephrine auto-injector instructions and ALS.

Obstetric: imminent delivery cues include crowning, urge to push, and contractions under two minutes apart; prepare delivery instructions.

Overdose calls require noting substance, amount, and time; naloxone guidance follows local protocol and responder availability.

Structural fire response is built from occupancy type, size, and reported involvement: room-and-contents, multiple-room, or fully involved.

Any report of people trapped or unaccounted for raises the alarm assignment regardless of visible smoke or flame.

A confirmed working fire typically escalates to a greater-alarm response; the first-arriving unit's size-up can trigger additional alarms.

Hazardous materials calls require isolation distance based on product and release type; do not commit units until the substance is identified or a safe perimeter is set.

Motor vehicle collision dispatch includes number of vehicles, injuries, entrapment, and hazards such as fuel spill or downed power lines.

Automatic alarm activations without smoke or flame are dispatched at a lower tier, but waterflow and pull-station activations are treated as fires.

Wildland or brush fires require reporting wind direction, slope, and proximity to structures to determine resource ordering.

Carbon monoxide calls: evacuate occupants, avoid ignition sources, and dispatch according to symptom severity and detector readings.

In-progress violent crimes take priority over cold reports; units are assigned by proximity, availability, and cover needs.

Callers reporting a crime in progress should be kept on the line for real-time updates unless doing so endangers them.

Officer safety information (weapons, number of subjects, intoxication, mental state) is broadcast before units arrive.

Domestic disturbance calls are dispatched as potentially violent; two-officer response is standard where staffing allows.

Traffic stops and warrant checks use a clear channel; priority is given to units requesting emergency traffic.

Pursuit decisions rest with the field supervisor under policy; dispatch records direction, speed, and traffic conditions.

Alarm and suspicious-person calls are triaged by time, location, and pattern; repeated false alarms at one address may lower priority.

Missing person reports: note age, last seen time and place, clothing, and whether the person is endangered or a runaway.

Triage acuity uses a five-level system (e.g., ESI): level 1 resuscitation, 2 emergent, 3 urgent, 4 less urgent, 5 non-urgent.

ESI level 1 is assigned when the patient needs immediate life-saving intervention such as airway support, CPR, or defibrillation.

Vital signs drive acuity: abnormal respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, or mental status can raise a patient to level 2.

Pain score alone does not determine acuity; resource needs and stability do.

Red flags for level 2 include severe chest pain, suspected stroke, sepsis signs, and suicidal ideation with plan.

Reassessment intervals shorten with acuity: higher-acuity patients are reassessed more frequently.

Pediatric triage requires age-specific vital sign ranges; a normal adult heart rate may be abnormal in a child.

Documentation must include chief complaint, onset, associated symptoms, allergies, and the triage level assigned with rationale.