| Just as a pharmacists have the
mortar and pestle and doctors have the caduceus, Emergency Medical Technicians have a
symbol, its use is encouraged both by the American Medical Association and the Advisory
Council within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The symbol applies to all
emergency medical goods and services which are funded under the DOT/EMS program. Designed by Leo R. Schwartz, Chief of the
EMS Branch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the "Star of
Life" was created after the American National Red Cross complained in 1973 that they
objected to the common use of an Omaha orange cross on a square background of
reflectorized white which clearly imitated the Red Cross symbol. NHTSA investigated and
felt the complaint was justified.
The newly designed, six barred
cross, was adapted from the Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical
Association and was registered as a certification mark on February 1, 1977 with the
Commissioner of Patents and Trade-marks in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety
and Administration. The trademark will remain in effect for twenty years from this date.
Each of the bars of the blue
"Star of Life" represents the six system function of the EMS, as illustrated
below:
The
staff on the star represents Medicine and Healing.
The snake and staff in
the center of the symbol portray the staff Asclepius who, according to Greek mythology,
was the son of Apollo (god of light, truth and prophecy). Supposedly Asclepius learned the
art of healing from the centaur Cheron; but Zeus - king of the gods, was fearful that
because of the Asclepius knowledge, all men might be rendered immortal. Rather than have
this occur, Zeus slew Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Later, Asclepius was worshipped as a
god and people slept in his temples, as it was rumored that he effected cures of
prescribed remedies to the sick during their dreams.Eventually, Zues restored Asclepius to
life, making him a god.
Asclepius was usually shown in a
standing position, dressed in a long cloat, holding a staff with a serpent coiled around
it. The staff has since come to represent medicine's only symbol. In the Caduceus, used by
physicians and the Military Medical Corp., the staff is winged and has two serpents
intertwined. Even though this does not hold any medical relevance in origin, it represents
the magic wand of the Greek deity, Hermes, messenger of the gods.
The staff with the single serpent
is the symbol for Medicine and Health and the winged staff is the symbol for peace. The
Staff with the single serpent represents the time when Asclepius had a very difficult
patient that he could not cure, so he consulted a snake for advice and the patient
survived. The snake had coiled around Asclepius's staff in order to be head to head with
him as an equal when talking. The Winged staff came about when Mercury saw two serpents
fighting,and unable to stop them any other way placed his staff between them causing them
to coil up his winged staff.
The Bible, in Numbers 21:9, makes
reference to a serpent on a staff: "Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and
mounted it on a pole and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the
bronze serpent, he recovered.
Who may use the "Star of
Life" symbol? NHTSA has exclusive rights to monitor its use throughout the United
States. Its use on emergency medical vehicles certifies that such vehicles meet the U.S.
Department of Transportation standards and certify that the emergency medical care
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. No
other use of the symbol is allowed, except as listed below:
States and Federal agencies which
have emergency medical services involvement are authorized to permit use of the "Star
of Life" symbol summarized as follows:
- As a means of identification
for medical equipment and supplies for installation and use in the Emergency Medical Care
Vehicle-Ambulance.
- To point to the location of
qualified medical care services and access to such facilities.
- For use on shoulder patches
worn only by personnel who have satisfactorily completed DOT training courses or approved
equivalents, and for persons who by title and function administer, directly supervise, or
participate in all or part of National, State, or community EMS programs.
- On EMS personnel items -
badges, plaques, buckles, etc.
- Books, pamphlets, manuals, reports
or other printed material having direct EMS application.
The "Star of Life" symbol
may be worn by administrative personnel, project directors and staff, councils and
advisory groups.
The capitol
letter "R" enclosed in the circle on the right represents the fact that the
symbol is a "registered" certification.
If shoulder patches are worn, they should be 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.
Special function identification and
physical characteristics must be adhered to when applying the "Star of Life" to
personal items, as follows:
- Administrative and dispatcher
personnel must use a silver colored edge, and the staff of Asclepius should be with a
silver colored serpent. These items do not need a white background.
- The shoulder patches and other
EMS patches may be displayed on uniform pockets and the symbol can also be placed on
collars and headgear.
This article was
written by Arline Zatz for Rescue-EMS Magazine, July-August 1992.
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