Hospital colour codes
Hospital colour codes in Quebec, in a single table: what each colour signals, what you will hear over the loudspeakers, and the differences from one institution to another.
Updated on October 14, 2026. Institution documents consulted on October 14, 2026.
The table of codes
| Code | What it signals |
|---|---|
| White | A violent or threatening person |
| Blue | A cardiac arrest. A threat to life at the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, a medical emergency at the CISSS des Laurentides |
| Pink | A cardiac arrest in a child. A paediatric emergency at the CISSS des Laurentides |
| Purple | A medical emergency other than a cardiac arrest, in the two Montreal CIUSSS consulted |
| Yellow | A missing patient |
| Red | A fire |
| Green | An evacuation |
| Orange | A mass arrival of injured people or disaster victims |
| Brown | A hazardous materials spill |
| Grey | A toxic leak from outside |
| Black | A suspicious package or a threatening call |
| Silver | An armed person or an armed threat |
Sources for the table: the documents of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale (July 2019), the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal and the CISSS des Laurentides (March 2024).
A code does not mean the same thing everywhere
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal says so in its presentation: standardization of the codes is not finished in its institutions, and some codes have a different meaning there. Each employee must know the emergency measures of their own institution.
| Institution | Number of codes | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, July 2019 | 12 announced, 11 described | No code purple. Blue covers cardiac arrest and threat to life |
| CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 12 | Purple covers a medical emergency other than a cardiac arrest |
| CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 11 described | Its presentation does not describe a code silver |
| CISSS des Laurentides, March 2024 | 11 | No code purple. Blue means a medical emergency, yellow a patient who has run away |
Why colours
Calling a code is a signal that designated staff respond to, according to the CISSS des Laurentides. It also calls for the cooperation of all staff. The colour avoids alarming patients and visitors.
What you will hear
At the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, the announcement always follows the same form, repeated three times:
- "Attention, attention, code [colour]" and the exact location, when the code is called
- "Attention, attention, code [colour] cancelled", when the alert is cancelled
- "Attention, attention, code [colour] over", at the end of the response
For most codes, the leaflet first asks you to dial the emergency number in effect in your facility. For codes white, blue and pink, the trained response team then takes over.
Training
At the CISSS des Laurentides, the ENA 14246 training on emergency measures is mandatory for all staff, according to its quality sheet of March 2024. The same sheet asks each employee to locate the evacuation plan of their facility: emergency exits, fire extinguishers and the assembly point. For code white, see the Oméga training.
All our articles on the codes
- Code white in hospital: what it means and who responds
- Code blue in hospital: cardiac arrest, who calls and who responds
- Code pink in hospital: the emergency in a child
- Code purple in hospital: a medical emergency that is not a cardiac arrest
- Code yellow in hospital: a patient is missing
- Code red in hospital: fire, from the alert to the evacuation
Frequently asked questions
What are the hospital colour codes?
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal has twelve: silver, white, blue, brown, grey, yellow, purple, black, orange, pink, red and green. The CISSS des Laurentides has eleven, without purple. The meaning of each colour varies from one institution to another.
What are the codes in a hospital?
They are the emergency measure codes: one colour per situation, from the violent person (white) to evacuation (green). The list and the meaning of each colour vary from one institution to another. The table above brings together the four institutions consulted.
What are the hospital colours?
In emergency measures, the colours used in Quebec are white, blue, pink, purple, yellow, red, green, orange, brown, grey, black and silver. Purple does not exist everywhere.
What is a code white in a hospital?
It is the call for immediate help when faced with a violent or threatening person. The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal describes it as a request for immediate help when a person shows aggressive behaviour that poses a risk to their own safety or that of others.
What are the codes in the emergency department?
The codes are not specific to the emergency department: they apply to the whole facility. Code orange covers the mass reception of injured people or disaster victims beyond the regular capacity of a facility, according to the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.
What is a code yellow in a hospital?
It is the call made when a patient is missing and their disappearance may have consequences for their safety or that of others. The CISSS des Laurentides calls it "fugue d'un usager" (a patient running away).
What is a code pink?
At the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, code pink signals a newborn or a child from 0 to 36 kg in cardiorespiratory arrest. At the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, it covers paediatric cardiac arrest or a threat to life.
Sources
- CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Mesures d'urgence, leaflet, July 2019, consulted on October 14, 2026
- CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Présentation des codes de couleur, consulted on October 14, 2026
- CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Introduction aux mesures d'urgence, consulted on October 14, 2026
- CISSS des Laurentides, Mesures d'urgence, quality sheet, March 2024, consulted on October 14, 2026