Which color tag indicates immediate priority in mass casualty triage?

• A. Yellow
• B. Green
• C. Black
• D. Red

Answer: (D)

In mass casualty triage, the aim is to identify who needs immediate life-saving care and who can wait a little longer, given limited resources. The color that signals immediate priority is red. A red tag is for injuries that are life-threatening but where rapid, decisive treatment can save the person’s life. Treat these patients first because delaying care drastically lowers the chance of survival, and their condition can improve quickly with prompt intervention—think of severe bleeding that can be controlled quickly or a compromised airway that can be secured right away. By contrast, yellow indicates injuries that are serious but not immediately life-threatening and can wait a short while, green is for minor injuries, and black denotes those who are deceased or whose injuries are not survivable even with care.