Hospitals often use code names to alert staff to an emergency. Code blue means a medical emergency. Code red means fire or smoke. Code black typically means there is a bomb threat. Hospitals are ...

If you've ever heard a code red hospital call, an expert explains what this and 12 other healthcare emergency alert codes mean.

For example, “code blue” may refer to a life threatening medical emergency. Other codes refer to a fire, missing children, the need for decontamination, an active shooter or person with a ...