Just as physicians have the caduceus, emergency medical service personnel have the Star of Life. Use of the Star of Life by EMS personnel have the Star of Life. Use of the Star of Life by EMS personnel is encouraged both by the American Medical Association and the Advisory Council of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Star of Life applies to all emergency medical products and services funded under the DOT/EMS program.
The Star of Life was designed by Leo R. Schwartz, Chief of the EMS Branch of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Star of Life was created after the American Red Cross complained about the common use of an Omaha orange cross on a square background of reflectorized white which they saw as an imitation of the Red Cross symbol. The NHTSA investigated and felt the complaint was justified.
Adopted from the Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association, the newly designed six barred cross was registered as a certification mark on February 1, 1977 with the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Each of the bars of the blue Star of Life represents the six system functions of emergency medical services, as illustrated below.
Six Points of the EMS System
•Transfer to Definitive Care
The snake and the staff in the center of the Star of Life portray the staff of Asclepius who, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Apollo, the god of light, truth, and prophecy. According to legend, Asclepius learned the art of healing from Cheron, the centaur. But Zeus, king of the gods, was fearful that, with Asclepius’ knowledge, men might be rendered immortal. Rather than have this occur, Zeus killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Asclepius was worshipped as a god and people slept in his temples, as it was rumored that, in death, he effected cures of prescribed remedies to the sick during their dreams.
Asclepius is usually shown in a standing position, dressed in a long cloak, holding a staff with a serpent coiled around it. The staff has come to represent medicine’s most recognized symbol. In the caduceus, used by physicians, the staff is winged, with two serpents intertwined. Although it holds no known medical relevance, it represents the magic wand of the Greek deity, Hermes, messenger of the gods.
In Numbers 21:9, the Bible makes reference to a serpent on a staff.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
NHTSA had exclusive rights to monitor the use of the Star of Life within the United States. Its use on EMS vehicles certifies that these vehicles meet the U.S. Department of Transportation minimum standards and certify that EMS personnel who use it have been trained to meet these standards. Its use on road maps and highway signs indicates the location or access to qualified emergency care services.
Permitted Uses of the Star of Life As a means of identification for medical equipment and supplies for installation and use in EMS vehicles and ambulances. To point to the location of qualified medical care services and access to such facilities.
For use on shoulder patches and insignia worn only by personnel who have satisfactorily completed DOT training courses or approved equivalents, and for persons who by title or function administer, directly supervise, or participate in national, state, or community EMS programs. On EMS personal items, such as badges, plaques, buckles, etc.
Books, pamphlets, manuals, reports, or other printed material having direct application to emergency medical services.
The Star of Life symbol may be worn by administrative personnel, project directors, and staff, councils and advisory groups. If shoulder patches are worn, they should be the plain blue Star of Life on a white square or round background. The function, identifying letters or words should be printed on bars and attached across the bottom separately. The edges of the basic patch and functional bars are to be embroidered.
The Star of Life trademark, filed with the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks under the name of the National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration was to have remained in effect for 20 years from that date, which expired in 1997. This may account for some of the more creative uses of the Star of Life we’ve seen more recently.
August 2011, marked the tenth year on-line for my site Dave’s EMS Headquarters. Dave’s EMS Headquarters, is a not for profit personal website, which went on-line August 5, 2001, as a website dedicated to the men and women who work in the field of Emergency Medical Services, (EMS ) as Medical First Responders, Basic Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.
Dave’s EMS Headquarters provides information and historical material about Emergency Medical Services including the many dangers medics face, EMS line of duty deaths, editorials, and many links to other public safety sites.
When Dave’s EMS Headquarters website debuted in August 2001, it consisted of five site pages: Home Page, EMS History, EMS Links, EMS Line of Duty Deaths and an EMS Education page. Also included in the original site was my biographical data, which included the day an overdose patient became combative, (this was prior to EMS staging for violent scenes) on that unforgettable day, I was seriously injured after he assaulted my partner I, despite several operations the assault resulted in a career ending with disabilities.
A month after Dave's EMS Headquarters went on-line, the events of the terrorist attacks occured on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, which shook America and the world, scenes broadcasted across the world of the enormous and fearless rapid response by Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services Personnel. The images were repeatedly played the brave men and women of Police, Fire and EMS Services entering and exiting with victims over and over. The scene’s in New York, Washington D.C. and the field in Shanksville Pennsylvania, showed public safety agencies working feverishly to rescue and treat the injured with no regard to their own safety. Followed by the collapse of the two World Trade Center towers dropping straight down taking so many additional lives, which included hundreds of both on duty as well as off duty Firefighters, Police Officers, EMT’s and Paramedics.
On September 11, 2011, we will once again remember all who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, Ten (10) years later, with many events planned. We all remember and honor those who have lost their lives over the past ten (10) years. We also must do better in assisting Police, Fire, EMS, and Construction workers who have developed respiratory illnesses, various cancers, and those suffering from PTSD and other issues, caused by their the response and exposure over the weeks searching for survivors and those killed at ground zero.
Since Dave’s EMS Headquarters went on-line on August 5, 2001, the website has undergone many revisions and rebuilds. Dave’s EMS Headquarters has grown over the past ten (10) years, and grouped into EMS topics sections which include:
EMS History, National EMS Week, EMS Education, EMS Dangers, EMS Line of Duty Death’s, EMS Memorials/Poems, EMS Editorials/Poems EMS Injuries & Action Pictures, EMS & Public Safety Links, EMS Legal, September 11, 2001 Memorial Pages EMS Associations with Police/Fire/U.S. Coast Guard, EMS Legislation/Challenges faced today and many single EMS topic pages.
Dave’s EMS Headquarters website features guest editorials, poems, and news, with outside material always being properly credited, as well as use of hyperlinks to material not created by Dave’s EMS Headquarters. At times material posted to the site has over the course of three major rebuilds was posted missing the appropriate credits originally documented, when errors like this occur; I immediately correct the material with the proper credit information. If copyrighted material is found, that material is removed pending appropriate permission. If inadvertent copyrighted material is found, upon notification the material is removed in less than twenty-four hours. Dave’s EMS Headquarters is also a member of Clip and Copy powered by ICopyright a news service that provides permission to utilize copyrighted news articles and graphics through a network of News Agencies including magazines, T.V. news, and newspapers.
As Dave’s EMS Headquarters is a personal website, not for profit, the site provides free EMS and public safety links, as well as free advertising services, and job openings for Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services. The site also list new and pending legislation pertaining to Emergency Medical Services.
I spent my career as a Paramedic and Paramedic Instructor Coordinator, until I sustained thoracic spine and lumbar spinal fractures, along with several ruptured spinal discs along with syactic nerve damage causing numbness and weakness in both legs. Despite several operations, and other medical procedures, the damage sustained is permanent. The injuries described above accurred adter being attacked and assaulted by an overdose patient who turned violent.
Many are unaware of the numerous dangers that our EMT’s and Paramedics face daily. Dave’s EMS Headquarters has documented over the past ten (10) years. Various dangers are faced over the course of an EMT/Paramedic response to a call, while on scene, and during transport.
Some of the dangers faced include but not limited: Distracted drivers which have cause disabling and fatal accidents, Road rage against medics are on the rise. On scene medics, face many different dangers such as being assaulted by patients, victims of shootings, being struck by inattentive and intoxicated drivers, as patients are treated on roadways and highways, which have resulted in injuries, disabilities, and deaths.
Recently a Firefighter/Paramedic came under gun fire and seriously injured responding to the scene of an auto accident. Police killed the suspect after a gun battle and the subjects car was found with several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Medics face dangers over the course of getting to and treating victims such as Columbine, the Oklahoma bombing, and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, that resulted in many medics sustaining serious injuries and subsequent illnesses. Many EMT's and Paramedics lost their lives prior to and following the collapse of the twin towers.
Over the course of transporting patients medics have had patients become violent, or ambulances being hit endangering both medics and their patients. Over recent years, federally mandated new safety designs focusing on ambulance compartment restraint systems and equipment storage reducing flying objects. The new ambulance safety designs are beginning to show positive results. Over the couple of years EMS Agencies have also began implementing reflective painting schemes to help reduce road scene accidents as well.
EMT’s and Paramedics are frequently sustain back injuries from lifting, and over the past few years there has been a concern pertaining to largely obese patients, which requires many medics to assist in trying to move patients. EMS Agencies are being forced to purchase specially built ambulances and stretchers to aid medics and reduce back injuries through specially built and expensive bariatric ambulances.
Dave’s EMS Headquarters has grown to feature our brothers and sisters who work as "flight medics," whose vehicle of transport are specially designed Medical Helicopters. Medical Helicopters play critical roles, especially in rural areas where ground ambulances are either unavailable or due to prolong extrication times that provides faster transport of patents. Also smaller hospitals recieve patients, stabilize, until they can transfer critical medical and trauma patients to trauma centers, specialty hospitals such as a burn units, and pediatric hospitals. When distance and condition warrant more rapid transport, than a ground ambulance, EMS Helicopters are utilized. Dave’s EMS also pays tribute to In the line of duty deaths of the brave men and women.
Since the debut of Dave’s EMS Headquarters, ten years (10) ago on August 5, 2001. Many changes have occurred both in EMS, and the website. This site has been designed and modified over the years reflecting these changes. I would like to thank you all for your visits to date, this site has surpassed 1.25 million visits. I also thank the many individuals, EMS personnel, organizations, EMS providers, and News agencies who have assisted in making this site better by allowing the utilization of various poems, articles, editorials, true stories, pictures and graphics.
I also thank all who have taken the time, to leave many kind comments on the site’s various guest books, as well as the many e-mails that have been sent over the past ten (10) years. I have been honored to have so many webmasters who have added my site to their “sites link pages.”
Dave;s EMS Headquarters began featuring five (5) years ago, an “EMS site of the month,” as well as a “Non EMS site of the month,” that can be found on Dave’s EMS Headquarters “homepage and Links pages.” In addition Dave's EMS Headquarters has awarded both an “EMS site of the year,” and a “Non EMS site of the year,” which site visitors annually vote for over the months of November and December over the past three (3) years. Dave’s EMS Headquarters all provides website awards to other outstanding websites through out the year.
In closing, I am always striving to improve Dave’s EMS Headquarters, with your continued suggestions, and the kind sharing of poems, editorials, news, pictures of EMS units, equipment, and events, the site will continue to grow as well as improve. Dave's EMS Headquarters will continue to be updated, revised, and share with it's visitors, what Emergency Medical Services is, as well as the dedication, service, and sacrifices of todays EMT's and Paramedics.
Thankful and Respectfully
Dave
Webmaster: Dave’s EMS Headquarters
http://www.davesems.com
August 5, 2011
