COPR PCP Exam – Primary Care Paramedic Certification (study guide and exam
preparation material)
Immediate (red tag) - correct answer ✔✔first priority pts, problems with ABCs, head trauma or
s/s of shock.
Delayed (yellow tag) - correct answer ✔✔will need treatment and transport but it can be
delayed, pts usually have multiple injuries to bones or joints including back injuries with or
without spinal cord injury.
Minimal (green tag) - correct answer ✔✔Patients may require no prehospital or minimal
treatment. Walking wounded. Soft tissue injuries, abrasions etc.
Expectant (black tag) - correct answer ✔✔Patients who are dead or that injuries are so severe
that they have at best, a minimal chance of survival. Cardiac arrest or respiratory, major open
head fracture
START Triage - correct answer ✔✔A patient sorting process that stands for Simple Triage And
Rapid Treatment and uses a limited assessment of the patient's ability to walk, respiratory
status, hemodynamic status, and neurologic status.
JumpSTART - correct answer ✔✔triage for pediatric patients. Used in children <8 or <45kg.
Assess A (patent?) B (RR 15-45?) C (distal pulse present?) AVPU (appropriate or inappropriate
for age)
Triage Special Considerations - correct answer ✔✔-Hysterical patients should be moved out of
disaster site, even if not seriously injured.
-If a rescuer becomes sick or injured they should be handled as immediate and be transported
off the site asap to avoid negative effect on morale.
,-hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction incidents force the hazardous material
team to identify patients as contaminated or decontaminated
How to identify a radiological attack? - correct answer ✔✔-only high levels of it will cause
immediate effect
-localized burns with no apparent cause
-groups of individuals w n/v or abnormal blood counts and no noted disease cause.
Chemical Agents - correct answer ✔✔Vesicants (blister agents);
Pulmonary Agents (choking agents);
Nerve Agents;
Metabolic Agents (cyanides);
Vesicants (blister agents) - correct answer ✔✔Form burn-like blisters on skin and respiratory
tract. Cause most damage in damp parts of the body such as armpits, groin and respiratory
tract. Skin is the primary route of exposure but if left long enough vapors can enter the
respiratory tract.
E.g : Sulfur, Mustard Lewisite and Phosgene Oxime
S/S:
-skin irritations, burning, reddening
-large blisters
-grey discoloration of skin
-swollen or irritated eyes
-permanent eye injury (including blindness)
-if inhaled: hoarseness, cough, stridor, dyspnea, hemoptysis (coughing blood)
,Pulmonary Agents (choking agents) - correct answer ✔✔Cause immediate harm, primary route
of exposure is respiratory, once in the lungs, damage occurs to the tissue and fluid enters the
lungs. Pulmonary Edema + SOB develop.
E.g: Chlorine and Phosgene
S/S:
-burning+ tightness in chest
-hoarseness + stridor due to upper airway constriction
-gasping and coughing
-watery eyes and drooling
Nerve Agents - correct answer ✔✔Deadly toxic substances that attack the central nervous
system. They are organophosphates found in bug spra, pesticide and some industrial chemicals.
E.g: Sarin, Soman, Tabun, V Agent
S/S: DUMBELS
-defecation
-urination
-miosis
-bradycardia
-emesis
-lacrimation
-salivation
Metabolic Agents (cyanide) - correct answer ✔✔Affect the body's ability to use O2. Colorless
and smells like almonds, its effects begin at the cellular level and kill within minutes.
E.g: gold/silver mining, photography, plastic processing, lethal injections.
S/S:
-tachycardia
, -SOB
-flushed skin
-coma
-seizures
-cardiac arrest
Biological Agents - correct answer ✔✔Difficult to be detected due to diseases caused by them
being similar to common EMS ones. Viruses (require living host), bacteria (do not require host
to live), neurotoxins (most dangerous) produced from plants, marine animals, moulds and
bacteria
E.g:botulin, ricin, toxin, anthrax, bubonic plague
Radiological/Nuclear Agents - correct answer ✔✔Radioactive materials used in medicine killing
germs etc become radioactive waste after and are not always well guarded appealing to
terrorists. Most effective in warm temperatures .Once in the body the radiation source will
irradiate the person from within.
S/S:
-n/v
-dizziness
-internal/external bleeding
-diarrhea
-altered mental status
Being exposed to radiation does not make you radioactive, having debris from a dirty bomb do
and pt needs to be decontaminated before treatment .
Levels of PPE for Hazmat [4] - correct answer ✔✔A - Filly encapsulated, chemical resistant suit
with air supply., protects against liquids, vapor, gases, mists, airborne particles, used in
unknown CBRNE
preparation material)
Immediate (red tag) - correct answer ✔✔first priority pts, problems with ABCs, head trauma or
s/s of shock.
Delayed (yellow tag) - correct answer ✔✔will need treatment and transport but it can be
delayed, pts usually have multiple injuries to bones or joints including back injuries with or
without spinal cord injury.
Minimal (green tag) - correct answer ✔✔Patients may require no prehospital or minimal
treatment. Walking wounded. Soft tissue injuries, abrasions etc.
Expectant (black tag) - correct answer ✔✔Patients who are dead or that injuries are so severe
that they have at best, a minimal chance of survival. Cardiac arrest or respiratory, major open
head fracture
START Triage - correct answer ✔✔A patient sorting process that stands for Simple Triage And
Rapid Treatment and uses a limited assessment of the patient's ability to walk, respiratory
status, hemodynamic status, and neurologic status.
JumpSTART - correct answer ✔✔triage for pediatric patients. Used in children <8 or <45kg.
Assess A (patent?) B (RR 15-45?) C (distal pulse present?) AVPU (appropriate or inappropriate
for age)
Triage Special Considerations - correct answer ✔✔-Hysterical patients should be moved out of
disaster site, even if not seriously injured.
-If a rescuer becomes sick or injured they should be handled as immediate and be transported
off the site asap to avoid negative effect on morale.
,-hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction incidents force the hazardous material
team to identify patients as contaminated or decontaminated
How to identify a radiological attack? - correct answer ✔✔-only high levels of it will cause
immediate effect
-localized burns with no apparent cause
-groups of individuals w n/v or abnormal blood counts and no noted disease cause.
Chemical Agents - correct answer ✔✔Vesicants (blister agents);
Pulmonary Agents (choking agents);
Nerve Agents;
Metabolic Agents (cyanides);
Vesicants (blister agents) - correct answer ✔✔Form burn-like blisters on skin and respiratory
tract. Cause most damage in damp parts of the body such as armpits, groin and respiratory
tract. Skin is the primary route of exposure but if left long enough vapors can enter the
respiratory tract.
E.g : Sulfur, Mustard Lewisite and Phosgene Oxime
S/S:
-skin irritations, burning, reddening
-large blisters
-grey discoloration of skin
-swollen or irritated eyes
-permanent eye injury (including blindness)
-if inhaled: hoarseness, cough, stridor, dyspnea, hemoptysis (coughing blood)
,Pulmonary Agents (choking agents) - correct answer ✔✔Cause immediate harm, primary route
of exposure is respiratory, once in the lungs, damage occurs to the tissue and fluid enters the
lungs. Pulmonary Edema + SOB develop.
E.g: Chlorine and Phosgene
S/S:
-burning+ tightness in chest
-hoarseness + stridor due to upper airway constriction
-gasping and coughing
-watery eyes and drooling
Nerve Agents - correct answer ✔✔Deadly toxic substances that attack the central nervous
system. They are organophosphates found in bug spra, pesticide and some industrial chemicals.
E.g: Sarin, Soman, Tabun, V Agent
S/S: DUMBELS
-defecation
-urination
-miosis
-bradycardia
-emesis
-lacrimation
-salivation
Metabolic Agents (cyanide) - correct answer ✔✔Affect the body's ability to use O2. Colorless
and smells like almonds, its effects begin at the cellular level and kill within minutes.
E.g: gold/silver mining, photography, plastic processing, lethal injections.
S/S:
-tachycardia
, -SOB
-flushed skin
-coma
-seizures
-cardiac arrest
Biological Agents - correct answer ✔✔Difficult to be detected due to diseases caused by them
being similar to common EMS ones. Viruses (require living host), bacteria (do not require host
to live), neurotoxins (most dangerous) produced from plants, marine animals, moulds and
bacteria
E.g:botulin, ricin, toxin, anthrax, bubonic plague
Radiological/Nuclear Agents - correct answer ✔✔Radioactive materials used in medicine killing
germs etc become radioactive waste after and are not always well guarded appealing to
terrorists. Most effective in warm temperatures .Once in the body the radiation source will
irradiate the person from within.
S/S:
-n/v
-dizziness
-internal/external bleeding
-diarrhea
-altered mental status
Being exposed to radiation does not make you radioactive, having debris from a dirty bomb do
and pt needs to be decontaminated before treatment .
Levels of PPE for Hazmat [4] - correct answer ✔✔A - Filly encapsulated, chemical resistant suit
with air supply., protects against liquids, vapor, gases, mists, airborne particles, used in
unknown CBRNE
