PASS
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Medical, Government & Politics, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | pass. |
PASS has three meanings. The most common are Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep (hospital) and Personal alert safety system (emergency services); it can also stand for Passive.
Meanings of PASS at a glance
| # | PASS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep | Medical › Hospital |
| 2 | Personal alert safety system | Government & Politics › Emergency Services |
| 3 | Passive | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
Medical · Hospital Abbreviations
Four steps for operating a portable fire extinguisher: pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle and sweep side to side. It is taught in hospital and workplace safety training.
Example: Annual competency: demonstrated PASS technique with training extinguisher.
Staff are taught to use an extinguisher only on small fires and with a clear escape route. Hospital extinguishers are often ABC dry chemical, with special types near MRI or electrical equipment. PASS is paired with RACE in most US hospital fire plans.
2. Personal alert safety system
Government & Politics · Emergency Services Abbreviations
Small alarm device, usually built into a firefighter's SCBA, that sounds a loud, distinctive tone if the wearer stops moving for about 30 seconds, signaling that the firefighter may be down. It can also be activated manually.
Example: A PASS alarm sounded on the second floor, and the RIT team went straight in.
Integrated PASS devices activate automatically when the SCBA is turned on. Standards are set by NFPA 1982. Rescuers can follow the sound to find a downed firefighter in heavy smoke.
3. Passive (pass.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels the passive voice, in which the subject receives the action ("The window was broken") rather than performing it. Grammars and writing guides use it when discussing verb constructions.
Example: The pass. form "Mistakes were made" hides who made them, a construction often criticized in political speech.
English forms the passive with "be" or "get" plus a past participle. Style guides such as Strunk and White advise preferring the active voice, but the passive is useful when the agent is unknown or unimportant, as in scientific methods sections. The linguist Geoffrey Pullum has shown that many sentences attacked as passive are not passive at all.
Related abbreviations
More hospital abbreviations
- OP – Outpatient
- OPD – Outpatient department
- OR – Operating room
- PACU – Post-anesthesia care unit
- PCMH – Patient-centered medical home
- PCU – Progressive care unit
- PGY – Postgraduate year
- PICU – Pediatric intensive care unit
See all 89 hospital abbreviations →
More emergency services abbreviations
- NIMS – National Incident Management System
- NRF – National Response Framework
- P25 – Project 25
- PAR – Personnel accountability report
- PIO – Public information officer
- PPC – Public Protection Classification
- PPV – Positive pressure ventilation
- PSAP – Public safety answering point
See all 72 emergency services abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.