A second-party caller reports an 8-year-old sister is having a generalized seizure, is not awake and not breathing. Which Chief Complaint Protocol is most appropriate?

• A. 12: Convulsions/Seizures
• B. 6: Seizures with loss of consciousness
• C. 9: Generalized seizures
• D. 12: Convulsions/Seizures and unresponsiveness

Answer: (A)

The scenario centers on a seizure event. When a caller describes someone having a generalized seizure, the most appropriate dispatch category to start with is the convulsions/seizures protocol. This broad, seizure-focused protocol is designed to guide responders through the essential steps during a seizure—protecting the patient from injury, avoiding putting anything in the mouth, noting the duration, and preparing to assess and support breathing after the seizure ends.

Even though the patient is not awake and not breathing, you don’t shift to a different category at the start; you use the seizure protocol to address the ongoing seizure while simultaneously guiding the caller on airway and breathing checks and, if needed, CPR instructions once the seizure subsides. The other options narrow the situation to specific seizure features (loss of consciousness, or generalized seizures as a narrower label) and don’t provide the same broad, standard guidance for seizure management that the convulsions/seizures protocol offers.