What is the difference between ALS and BLS in dispatch terms?

• A. ALS is for law enforcement, BLS is for fire suppression.
• B. ALS units provide advanced medical care (IVs, meds, airway control); BLS units provide basic life support (CPR, AED, wound care).
• C. ALS is slower than BLS.
• D. ALS and BLS have identical capabilities.

Answer: (B)

In dispatch terms, Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support differ by what each level can directly provide to a patient. Basic Life Support covers the foundational actions needed to keep someone stable: CPR, use of an AED, basic wound care, and initial patient assessment. Advanced Life Support includes higher-level interventions that require additional training and equipment: establishing IV access, administering medications, and managing the airway with more advanced techniques.

This distinction matters for how calls are triaged and which units are sent, since ALS units can perform procedures beyond the scope of BLS and are dispatched for situations expected to need those additional capabilities, while BLS units handle the essential life-saving tasks when advanced interventions aren’t immediately needed or available. The other ideas—ALS for law enforcement, or that ALS and BLS have identical capabilities, or that one is simply slower—don’t align with how EMS defines these levels.