Star of Life

Prior to the development of the Star of Life, American ambulances most commonly were designated with a safety orange cross on a square background. In 1973, the American Red Cross complained that the orange cross too closely resembled their logo of a red cross on a white background, the usage of which is restricted by the Geneva Conventions.[1]

The Star of Life was designed by Leo R. Schwartz, Chief of the EMS Branch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States,[2] and adapted from the Universal Medical Identification Symbol[3] that had been trademarked by the American Medical Association in 1967 and in use since 1963. The newly designed Star of Life logo was trademarked on February 1, 1977 with the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety and Administration (registration number 1058022).[4] The U.S. patent trademark is still active.[5]

Six points on the Star of Life

The six branches of the star represent the six main tasks executed by rescuers all through the emergency chain:[6]

1. Detection: The first rescuers on the scene, usually untrained civilians or those involved in the incident, observe the scene, understand the problem, identify the dangers to themselves and the others, and take appropriate measures to ensure their safety on the scene (environmental, electricity, chemicals, radiation, etc.).
2. Reporting: The call for professional help is made and dispatch is connected with the victims, providing emergency medical dispatch.
3. Response: The first rescuers provide first aid and immediate care to the extent of their capabilities.
4. On scene care: The EMS personnel arrive and provide immediate care to the extent of their capabilities on-scene.
5. Care in transit: The EMS personnel proceed to transfer the patient to a hospital via an ambulance or helicopter for specialized care. They provide medical care during the transportation.
6. Transfer to definitive care: Appropriate specialized care is provided at the hospital.

An ambulance in Lausanne (Switzerland) marked with multiple Stars of Life.

While no agency is tasked solely with enforcing its use as a mark of certification, the Star of Life has traditionally been used as a means of identification for medical personnel, equipment, and vehicles. Many ambulance services mark the symbol on their vehicles, and ambulance crews often wear the design as part of their uniform. It appears on various medical textbooks as well as on a wide range of merchandise aimed at the medic market. In hospitals and other buildings, elevators that are marked with the symbol indicate that the elevator is large enough to hold a stretcher.[7]

The snake-and-staff element of the symbol has a Unicode code point called the Staff of Aesculapius and some fonts may show the Star of Life in this position. As of December 2019, the background six-bar star does not itself have a code-point.

• First aid
• Emergency medical technician
• Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Star of life.

• Wikibooks:First Aid
• Star of Life from EMS
• The San Diego Paramedics: Caduceus