<P> The newly designed Star of Life was adapted from the Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association, which was trademarked by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1967 . The newly designed logo was trademarked on February 1, 1977 with the Commissioner of Patents and Trade - marks in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety and Administration (registration number 1058022). The logo was "given" to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) for use as the emergency medical technicians (EMT) logo after the trademark expired in 1997 . </P> <P> The snake emblem is a symbol from the biblical account of the bronze snake found in Numbers 21: 4 - 9 . The Israelites grumbled against God and Moses for bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and into the desert . Specifically, the text says, "the people grew impatient on the way ." As a result of their ungratefulness, God sent venomous snakes among them and many that were bitten died . </P> <P> However, the people came to Moses and repented of their sin and God had mercy upon them . He commanded Moses to make a snake, put it upon a pole, and all who looked upon it would be healed . So Moses fashioned a bronze snake and put it up on a pole for all to see it and live . It was thereafter seen as symbol of healing . </P> <P> Hundreds of years later, King Hezekiah of Judah (2 Kings 18: 4), destroyed the idols and sacred stones the Israelites had come to worship . He took the bronze snake Moses had made and broke it into pieces because the people burned incense to it . The staff was called Nehushtan . </P>

What does the snake and staff mean on an ambulance