The Star of Life was originally designed by the American Medical Association in 1963 as the Universal Medical Identification Symbol. The AMA did not trademark or copyright the symbol. The symbol was promoted by the American Red Cross and rapidly adopted worldwide as an emergency medical symbol. In 1970, when the American Medical Association's Committee on Emergency Medical Services formed the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, the AMA chose the Star of Life as the organization's logo and a symbol to be used to designate nationally certified Emergency Medical Services personnel. In 1973, the NREMT filed for a trademark for the Star of Life logo. The United States Trademark was granted in 1975 and remains part of the trademark of the National Registry of EMTs. 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. Dr. Dawson Mills, Chief of the EMS Branch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, asked the National Registry of EMTs for permission to extend the use the Star of Life symbol as the "national identifier for Emergency Medical Services" in the United States. Leo R. Schwartz, Chief of the EMS Branch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, modified the Star of Life by adding the six main tasks of Emergency Medical Services and changing the color the blue. The "blue Star of Life" was recommended for adoption by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare on October 25, 1973, and trademarked on February 1, 1977 in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety and Administration.
Symbolism
The six branches of the star represent the six main tasks executed by rescuers all through the emergency chain:
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.
Response: The first rescuers provide first aid and immediate care to the extent of their capabilities.
On scene care: The EMS personnel arrive and provide immediate care to the extent of their capabilities on-scene.
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.
Transfer to definitive care: Appropriate specialized care is provided at the hospital.
Common use
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.
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. Unicode has no dedicated code point for the Star of Life.
