Triage
SALT Triage: Sort, Assess, Lifesaving, Treatment
The SALT mass-gathering triage model that integrates lifesaving interventions before final transport priority assignment.
The four SALT phases
SALT—Sort, Assess, Lifesaving interventions, Treatment and transport—was designed for events where patients may still be arriving and hazards are ongoing. Sort begins with global scene assessment: identify patients who are obviously dead, those with minor injuries who can walk, and those who need individual evaluation.1 This global pass prevents bottlenecks at a single triage officer.
Assess moves to individual evaluation of non-walking patients. Lifesaving interventions occur during assessment when they can be performed in seconds—hemorrhage control, airway positioning, chest decompression per scope—not prolonged field surgery. Treatment and transport assigns final priority: immediate, delayed, minimal, or expectant.
SALT versus START in practice
Unlike START’s rigid sequence for every patient, SALT explicitly allows simultaneous sorting waves as new victims arrive—critical for explosions, structural collapse, or ongoing threats. National EMS planning documents encourage agencies to pre-select and drill one primary MCI triage system rather than mixing incompatible tags on the same incident.2
Documentation includes SALT category, interventions performed during the lifesaving phase, and reassessment after interventions. A patient tagged delayed who deteriorates during treatment must be retriaged immediate without waiting for transport completion.
Practice this skill
Apply what you read with a hands-on SALT Triage drill — instant feedback on every scenario.
