EMS: A Glossary

Basic Life Support: Emergency medical care for treatment of shock, poisoning, stabilization of injuries and wounds, as well as basic first-aid practices.

Advanced Life Support: Emergency medical care for sustaining the life of a patient suffering from a severe condition like a stroke or cardiac arrest.

Paramedic (Medic II): Advanced providers of emergency medical care, often with nearly 2,000 hours of training. Can provide care to individuals with significant problems, like heart attacks and traumas.

Emergency Medical Technician (Medic I): Providers of basic medical care, like CPR, first-aid, requests for transport, and hypothermia. Training often consists of 150-200 hours.

Authorized Strength: The number of full-time employees a public safety department is able to have on staff through city funding.

Civil Service: A state-mandated set of rules and standards that regulate the hiring, promotion, suspension, and termination of city firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel, except for those governed by negotiated union contracts.