See attachments below for the Emergency Services Card and instructions for use.
MCDHH, in partnership with the Department of Fire Services (DFS) and Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), has created a visual tool called the Emergency Services Card (ESC) to assist EMT’s, firefighters and Deaf and hard of hearing individuals communicate better in the first moments of an emergency. We are grateful to our Deaf and hard of hearing community members who expressed a need for the ability to communicate better in certain emergency situations and for their feedback during the development process. We are pleased to introduce the new Emergency Services Card.
Emergency Medical Personnel can use the icons and communication tips to help:
-determine pain level and location
-determine symptoms, severity and timeframe
-determine relevant medical and recent history
-learn an individual’s preferred method of communication
Firefighters can use the icons and communication tips to help:
-determine location and type of emergency
-determine if other individuals are missing/involved
-communicate immediate specifics regarding a car emergency (jaws of life)
-learn an individual’s preferred method of communication
Deaf or hard of hearing individuals can use the icons to help communicate:
-preferred method of communication
-pain level and location
-symptoms, severity and timeframe
-location and type of home/work/car emergency
-other relevant information
We are grateful to the DFS and the members of the DFS task force who contributed to the development of this card. We are also grateful to OEMS for their feedback, enthusiasm and their intent to add this to their Protocols Book available to EMT’s in ambulances throughout the Commonwealth. Finally we are eternally grateful to our community who continues to reach out and share their experiences, suggestions and feedback.
For use in Massachusetts:
Instructions for Emergency Services Card (word)
For use outside of Massachusetts