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Acronyms & Abbreviations That We Use
Following is a list of acronyms and abbreviations in common use throughout the Medical, Security, and Safety industries, in Military, EMS, and Law Enforcement Tactical Training & Operations, as well as some that may only be used by Essential Emergency Response Training. You may be exposed to the acronyms and abbreviations on this website and/or in our courses, as well as documents we author, and more importantly, when responding to a medical or active violence emergency; so, we wanted to provide you with as comprehensive of a list as possible, and what they stand for. If you want to know the definition of the Term, please go to our Definitions page or click on the specific acronym below. This list will change as we continue to add acronyms not yet included, as well as when new acronyms come into common use. If you have any questions or feel we missed something important, please feel free to contact us via email.
AAR
After Action Review
ABC
Airway – Breathing – Circulation
ACLS
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
ACS
American College of Surgeons
Access Control System
AED
Automated External Defibrillator
AEMT
Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
AHA
American Heart Association
AHDR
All Hazards Disaster Response
AHT
Abusive Head Trauma
ALERRT
Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training
ALICE
Alert – Lockdown – Inform – Counter – Evacuate
A.L.I.V.E.
Assess – Leave – Impede – Violence – Expose
ALS
Advanced Life Support
AMA
American Medical Association
AMBU Bag
Artificial Manual Breathing Unit Bag
AMLS
Advanced Medical Life Support
ARC
American Red Cross
ASAPP
Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness
ASIS
American Society of Industrial Security
ASSP
American Society of Safety Professionals
ATLS
Advanced Trauma Life Support
AVERT
Active Violence Emergency Response Training
BbP or BBP
Bloodborne Pathogens
B-Con
Bleeding Control
BLS
Basic Life Support
BMV
Bag Mask Ventilation Rate
BP
Blood Pressure
BPM
Beats per Minute
BTLS
Basic Trauma Life Support
BVM
Bag Valve Mask
C-A-B
Compressions – Airway – Breaths
Cap Refill
Capillary Refill Rate
CAT
Combat Application Tourniquet
Certified Alarm Technician
CCF
Chest Compression Fraction
CCP
Casualty Collection Point
CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CISD
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
CISM
Critical Incident Stress Management
CME
Continuing Medical Education
COAT
Close (to the Body Core) – Over (Clothing) – Avoid (Joints) – Tighten (Until Bleeding Stops)
COR
Class of Recommendation
CP
Command Post
CPP
Certified Protection Professional
CPPS
Center for Personal Protection and Safety
CPR
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
CRASE
Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
CRD
Choking Rescue Device
CSC
Criminal Sexual Conduct
CSO
Central Station Operator
CSPV
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
DOD
Department of Defense
DC
Discontinue
DHS
Department of Homeland Security
DNR
Do Not Resuscitate
DTG
Date Time Group
EAP
Emergency Action Plan
Employee Assistance Program
ECC
Emergency Cardiovascular Care
E-C Clamp
Hand Position used on Rescue Mask
ECG
Electrocardiogram
ED
Emergency Department
EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity
EEOC
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EHS
Environmental Health and Safety
EKG
Electrocardiogram
EMR Emergency Medical Responder
EMS
Emergency Medical Services
EMT
Emergency Medical Technician
EMT-A
Emergency Medical Technician – Advanced
EMT-B
Emergency Medical Technician – Basic
EMT-D
Emergency Medical Technician – Defibrillation
EMT-I
Emergency Medical Technician – Intermediate
EMT-P
Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic
EO
Equal Opportunity
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
EPC
Emergency Pediatric Care
ER
Emergency Room
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival
ETD
Estimated Time of Departure
FAST
Face (Drooping) – Arm (Limp) – Speech (Slurred) – Time (to Call 9-1-1)
First Aid for Severe Trauma
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FD
Fire Department
FDA
Food and Drug Administration
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
GPS
Global Positioning System
HAZMAT
Hazardous Materials
HAZWOPER
Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response
HC
Healthcare
HCW
Healthcare Worker
Hep-A
Hepatitis A Virus
Hep-B
Hepatitis B Virus
Hep-C
Hepatitis C Virus
HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
HIV
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HLZ
Helicopter Landing Zone
Hot Landing Zone
Hot LZ
Hot Landing Zone
HPP
Harassment Prevention Program
HPT
Harassment Prevention Training
HQ CPR
High-Quality Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
HR
Heart Rate
Human Resources
High Risk
HSI
Health Safety Institute
Hx
Patient History
IAHSS
International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety
IC
Incident Commander
ICP
Incident Command Post
ICT
Incident Command Team
IHCA
In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
ILCOR
International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation
IRT
Incident Response Team
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
KSA
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
LE
Law Enforcement
LEO
Law Enforcement Officer
LOC
Level of Consciousness
Loss of Consciousness
LOE
Level of Evidence
LPM
Liters per Minute
LZ
Landing Zone
MAT
Mechanical Advantage Tourniquet
MCI
Mass Casualty Incident
MI
Myocardial Infarction
MIOSHA
Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration
MOI
Mechanism of Injury
MSDS
Material Safety Data Sheet
NAEMT
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
NFPA
National Fire Protection Association
NIH
National Institutes of Health
NREMT
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
NIOSH
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NKA
No Known Allergies
NKDA
No Known Drug Allergies
NSC
National Safety Council
NTAC
National Threat Assessment Center
OHCA
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
OPIM
Other Potentially Infectious Materials
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Act
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHA 10
10-Hr. Course required for Entry Level Workers in Construction and General Industry
OSHA 30
30-Hr. Course required for Supervisors in Construction and General Industry
OSHA 300
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Form 300 – Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
OSHA 300-A
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Form 300A – Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
OSHA 301
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Form 301 – Injury and Illnesses Incident Report
OTC
Over-the-Counter
PAD
Public Access Defibrillation
PALS
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
PD
Police Department
PEARS
Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization
PERRLA
Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light, and Accommodation
PHTLS
Prehospital Trauma Life Support
POSH
Prevention of Sexual Harassment
PLB
Personal Locator Beacon
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment
PPV
Positive-Pressure Ventilation
RATS
Rapid Application Tourniquet System
Rh
Rhesus Blood Antigen Factor
RICE
Rest – Ice – Compression – Elevation
RM
Risk Manager
RMT
Ratcheting Medical Tourniquet
ROSC
Return of Spontaneous Circulation
RPM
Respirations per Minute
RR
Respiratory Rate
RTF
Rescue Task Force
SAR
Search and Rescue
SARSAT
Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking
SBS
Shaken Baby Syndrome
SD
Sheriff’s Department
SDS
Safety Data Sheet
SME
Subject Matter Expert
SO
Security Officer
SOF-T
Special Operations Forces Tourniquet
SOP
Standard or Standardized Operating Procedures
SOS
International Morse Code Distress Signal
SRO
School Resource Officer
SWAT-T
Stretch-Wrap-and-Tuck Tourniquet
TAT
Threat Assessment Team
TATM
Threat Assessment and Threat Management
TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury
TCCC
Tactical Combat Casualty Care
TCP
Tactical Command Post
T-CPR
Telecommunicator Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
TECC
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care
TOD
Time of Day
Tx
Treatment
WHO
World Health Organization
WPV
Workplace Violence
WV
Workplace Violence
WPPP
Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
Workplace Violence Prevention Program
WVTS
Workplace Violence & Threat Specialist