In an active assailant incident, the appropriate what will be dispatched?

• A. MCI level
• B. Incident commander
• C. Emergency medical unit
• D. Special operations

Answer: (A)

During an active assailant incident, the response is scaled as a mass casualty incident (MCI). Dispatching the MCI level communicates to the entire response system that multiple victims are anticipated and that additional, multi-patient resources are needed. This triggers proper triage, treatment, and transport plans, ensures enough EMS personnel and equipment, and enables coordinated staging and hospital coordination. The on-scene incident commander is a leadership role, not a unit to be dispatched. Special operations and a generic emergency medical unit aren’t the standard EMS dispatch designation for this scenario; the MCI level directly defines the scale and resource needs for the incident.