During a transfer of care from BLS to ALS, who is responsible for transporting the patient?

• A. The BLS ambulance will transport the patient.
• B. The patient will be transported by private vehicle.
• C. The ALS ambulance will transport the patient.
• D. The hospital transport team will transport the patient.

Answer: (C)

When care is transferred from Basic Life Support to Advanced Life Support, the ALS unit becomes responsible for transporting the patient because it has the equipment, monitoring, and medications needed to continue higher-level care during the move. The handoff to ALS means the patient should be moved by the ALS ambulance to maintain continuity of advanced care and safety throughout transport. A private vehicle cannot provide the necessary medical oversight, and the BLS crew has already handed off the care they started. Hospital transport teams are used in different contexts and are not the designated EMS transport for this handoff.