What does "Echo" mean on a scanner?

Where Echo fits: medical response levels

Omega

The lowest medical level: a call that may not need an ambulance at all and can be referred elsewhere.

Alpha

A low-acuity medical call, such as a minor fall or a sick person who is alert. Usually a non-emergency response.

Bravo

A medical call one step above Alpha. Often still a non-emergency response.

Charlie

A more serious medical call that usually gets advanced life support (paramedics).

Delta

A serious, possibly life-threatening medical call. Fire units and paramedics usually respond with lights and sirens.

Echo

The most urgent medical level, for a patient who isn't breathing or is in cardiac arrest. The closest units are sent; "upgraded to Echo" means the patient got worse.

Where the levels come from

Call-takers follow a scripted set of questions for medical calls (emergency medical dispatch). The answers set the call's level, from Omega, which may not need an ambulance at all, up to Echo. The level decides who is sent and how fast.

"Upgraded to Echo"

A call can change level while units are on the way. "Upgraded to Echo" means the dispatcher learned the patient got worse, for example the caller says the person has stopped breathing. Units already en route keep going, and more may be added.

Echo with a priority

Some dispatchers give a priority and a level together, as in "Med 1, Echo". The priority is how urgently units respond; the level is how serious the patient's condition sounds.

Echo on police radio

Outside medical calls, Echo is usually just the letter E in the phonetic alphabet, used to spell a name or a license plate. Some agencies say "Edward" instead.