A caller reports that their 16-year-old brother is on fire. What is the next action?

• A. Initiate a 7-E-1 response, provide Case Entry PDIs a and h, and return to questioning.
• B. Initiate a 7-E-1 response, provide Case Entry PDIs a and z, and return to questioning.
• C. Initiate a 7-D-2 response, provide PDIs c and f, and continue the call.
• D. Initiate a 6-E-1 response, provide PDIs a and h, and return to questioning.

Answer: (B)

When a caller reports someone is on fire, the immediate goal is to get help moving fast and to capture the most important details right away. The best move is to initiate the highest-priority EMS/fire response that fits this life-threatening burn scenario. That code, 7-E-1, triggers the correct dispatch path for an urgent burn incident and starts the appropriate units moving without delay.

Next, provide the Case Entry data items that are designated as essential for this situation. In this scenario, those are the data items labeled as PDIs a and z, which cover the critical pieces of information you need to guide care and response. Once you’ve activated the right response and logged these key data items, you return to questioning to gather additional details while responders are en route.

Other options would either use a different, less appropriate dispatch level or request data items that aren’t the ones designated for this scenario, or keep the caller on the line without updating the critical information as the response is being organized. That’s why the chosen action best aligns with the protocol for a person-on-fire event.