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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Ambulance and Prehospital Care

First responder

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌfɜːrst rɪˈspɑːndər/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, first responder means: A person trained to reach an emergency quickly and give early care before or alongside the ambulance, such as a police officer, firefighter, lifeguard or volunteer.

In Turkish: ilk müdahale ekibi, olay yerine ilk ulaşan kişi, ilk müdahaleci

How it is used

In US usage 'first responders' often means police, fire and EMS together. Many areas have community first responders, volunteers sent to nearby cardiac arrests and other serious calls. In the US, 'emergency medical responder' (EMR) is an entry-level certification.

Example sentences

  1. A first responder from the fire station started CPR before the ambulance arrived.

  2. First responders were at the scene within four minutes.

Common collocations

  • community first responder
  • first responder training
  • police and other first responders
  • EMTShort for emergency medical technician: a trained ambulance worker who gives basic emergency care, one level below a paramedic in most US systems.
  • paramedicA trained health professional who works mainly on ambulances, assessing and treating patients at the scene and on the way to hospital.
  • EMSShort for emergency medical services: the system of ambulances, staff and call centres that gives urgent medical care outside hospital.
  • first aidThe help given straight away to someone who is injured or suddenly ill, before a doctor, nurse or ambulance crew arrives and takes over.

More terms: Ambulance and Prehospital Care

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.