For medical, I think those A-D responses are something different. Like when they finish a call they code it out with a string of alpha codes. Those refer to a medical coding system. Not sure if you were asking about those as well.
Not what N1GAW wanted but I can provide some insight for anyone else that's curious as to how RWECC dispatches EMS calls and what you may hear over the radio. This info has nothing to do with the question at hand so TLDR at the end.... John was correct. A-E are used in call codes issued by ProQA, which is a fancy question-asking script for dispatchers in order to get as much info from the caller as possible, the answers get dumped into the call notes.
As dispatchers ask questions and key in responses, the system determines the call type and response level, which then determines what units to send and how. Locution won't announce these codes but they are visible in the MDT's. Each medical call has an EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatching) Code associated with it. See the attached PDF if you'd like all of them (Somewhat out of date bc of covid).
For example, a dispatcher receives an "Overdose/Poisoning" call and keys that in as a call type. Overdose has an EMD code of 23, ProQA will then begin asking questions that change with responses. Things like: "Was this intentional? When were the drugs taken? Are they breathing?", as questions are asked, the call remains pending until enough information is received to confirm the call and dispatch units. Dispatchers will continue asking questions and the response level/suffix will change.
When EMS use Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo or Omega, they are referring to response level. These letters determine how many units are dispatched and how they respond (Lights and sirens or not, aka hot/cold.). When ProQA determines that a call is not serious, or serious, it will change the response level accordingly. Response levels work like this:
Alpha: One Unit Cold
Bravo: Multiple Units Cold
Charlie: One Unit Hot
Delta: Multiple Units Hot
Echo: All the units hot
Someone who has toe pain will be an alpha call. An echo call is a working code.
So far we've got our EMD code and response level, that's all we need for the call to be confirmed, but as dispatchers keep asking questions, ProQA will append a suffix to the call. The list of these suffixes is too long, but it's usually common sense as to what they stand for on the call you're dispatched to. U means unknown, I means ingestion (in the overdose case), etc.
Someone who has toe pain will be an alpha call. An echo call is a working code.
Let's combine this info into our Overdose call from above, and assume the patient is awake and oriented and otherwise fine, the call would look like:
40-year-old, Male, Conscious, Breathing. Chief Complaint: 23<--EMD Call Code,
CCText: Overdose / Poisoning (Ingestion)
Dispatch Level: 23B01 (OVERDOSE (without priority symptoms)) Suffix: I (Intentional) (23B1I)
Response Text: Bravo
Responders usually don't care what what the number is or the response type, Fire units will always come hot unless told otherwise and EMS will too unless the call is Alpha. The only place you'll hear this practically is when units say "Call was downgraded alpha", in which case every unit except the first-due ambulance can return to service. If anyone has any questions on this let me know. But yeah bumped the post for some knowledge and everyone else hit the stuff on fireground divisions so I still gotta be involved somehow!
TL;DR: A-E are also used for EMS dispatching, but no responders actually care about them unless they get to return to service as a result.
