[Scan-DC] Hospital "Color Codes"

[Eric C. Carlson]

Yellow is closed to all but priority 1 patients.  Red is no heart monitoring
beds available.  The switch to these codes coincided with the switch from
the county's "EMS 1" for ambulance-hospital communications to the statewide
EMRC radios (460 MHz).  The color codes are standardized statewide.  You can
see hospital statuses on the web here: http://miemss.umaryland.edu/Chats/

-Eric

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug K." <oldsdoug@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 7:33 PM


> Hey, I have a question - mostly rhetorical... I listen primarily to
> Montgomery County Fire - some time ago, they went to a system, I think
other
> jurisdictions use the same or similar, where, rather than saying that
> hospitals are closed for admission, or the ERs are closed, or have no
> monitoring beds, they use a color code like red or yellow.  I think red
> means no monitored beds, and yellow is closed for admissions... am I right
> about that?
>
> And the bigger question... is the color code _supposed to be_ easier
and/or
> shorter/quicker than actually saying what the situation is?