SALT Triage

What Is SALT Triage?

SALT (Sort, Assess, Lifesaving interventions, Treatment/Transport) is a mass casualty incident (MCI) triage method that begins by globally sorting patients through voice commands and observation (those who can walk, those who can wave/follow commands, and those who are still) before individually assessing each patient. During assessment, providers perform limited lifesaving interventions (opening an airway, controlling major hemorrhage, needle decompression, or auto-injector antidotes) before assigning a treatment/transport priority: Immediate, Delayed, Minimal, or Expectant. SALT was developed to unify the multiple competing MCI triage systems used across the U.S. (including START) into a single national model recommended by CDC and federal EMS authorities.

Why SALT Triage Matters on the Fireground

SALT's global-sort-then-assess structure is designed to identify patients needing immediate lifesaving interventions faster than a strict walk-through, one-patient-at-a-time model, which matters directly in the first minutes of a mass casualty incident when the number of providers is far smaller than the number of patients needing care.

Relevant NFPA Standards

• NFPA 455: Standard for Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• NREMT Standards: National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Practice Standards

Field Procedures & Tactical Steps

1. Perform the global sort: direct patients who can walk to a designated area, then assess those who can wave or follow commands, then approach those who are still.
2. During individual assessment, perform limited lifesaving interventions only (open airway, control major hemorrhage, needle decompression, antidote auto-injector) before moving to the next patient.
3. Assign a treatment/transport priority: Immediate, Delayed, Minimal, or Expectant.
4. Reassess priorities as resources and patient conditions change throughout the incident.

Common Context & Application

Used at mass casualty incidents with more patients than immediately available providers; determines the order in which limited resources reach patients based on Immediate/Delayed/Minimal/Expectant priority.

Frequently Asked Questions about SALT Triage