The ALS ambulance also carries medications onboard. The ambulance is equipped with airway support equipment, cardiac life support, cardiac monitors as well as a glucose-testing device. The advanced life support ambulance has a paramedic on board, along with an Emergency Medical Technician. Both ambulances are designed for pre-hospital life support while transporting a patient to the hospital, but that's where the similarities end.
To the patient, that could mean the difference between life and death. But by looking at the ambulance, can you tell whether it's an ALS transport or a BLS? You don't know from the exterior, but there are some significant differences on the inside.įirst of all, ALS stands for Advanced Life Support, while BLS stands for Basic Life Support. The sirens are on, the lights are flashing, and a Type 2 ambulance is en route to the hospital.
