It's Not Just A Decoration

The blue "Star of Life" symbol was designed for NHTSA, (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), in response to the need for a uniform symbol representing the emergency medical services system. The six barred cross was adapted from the personal Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association. For EMS the six bars represent the six systems functions:
1. Detection 2. Reporting 3. Response 4. On Scene Care 5. Care in Transit 6. Transfer to Definitive Care .
There is a Registration Mark and it is supposed to be shown at a certain location as indicated in the drawing.
In the center of the blue "star of life" you see a serpent and staff. The serpent comes from the Bible, Numbers 21:9 and reads: "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."
The staff comes from Greek mythology about a god called Asclepius. He was the son of Apollo (god of light, truth, and prophecy) and the nymph Coronis. In 293 B.C. because of the plague, the Romans adopted the cult of Asclepius who became know in Roman mythology as Aesculapius.
The point is - we have always wanted an identifier, something that says we are emergency care people, not policemen, not firemen, not lay persons on the street, We Are Emergency Medical Service workers. I think our best bet is to use the "Star of Life".
You may say, "But we do use it - it's on my sleeve, it's on my ambulance, there's a sticker on my car, etc,"
Yes, that is probably true, but how much time have you spent in awareness training with the people in your town. Most have seen the blue 'Star of Life', but don't really have a clue what it stands for.
We use it on everything, but have made it so common with no explanation of its true meaning and we make red ones, green ones, yellow ones, ect.
It should be blue, it should be prominent, it should be uniform in size, and you should be proud to wear it. It's a symbol of your training and your ability to care for others. It should stand for help, caring, and protection to the citizens of your community. Do the citizens of your community really know what the blue "star of life" stands for? Do they recognize it when they see it? It's not just a decoration and we all need to get out and start making others aware of that fact.
For more information, including specifications and use, refer to the United Sates Department of Transportation booklet, "The Star of Life" from the department of National Highway Traffic Safety, Office of Enforcement and Emergency Services, Washington, D.C. 20590
This article was edited from an article in the January 2004 issue of the Kansas EMS Chronicle written by Anita Myers, EMT-I