frontliners
First to respond
Frontliners are workers who interact directly with the public or operate in exposed, high-risk positions—healthcare workers, grocery clerks, first responders.
The term gained wide currency during the COVID-19 pandemic to describe those who couldn't work remotely: Frontliners risked their health while the rest of us stayed home.
The singular frontliner also appears.
Licensed medical practitioners
- nursesMedical care professionals
- paramedicsEmergency medical technicians
- surgeonsDoctors performing operations
- physiciansMedical doctors collectively
clinicians · pharmacists · therapists · EMTs · orderlies · radiologists · anesthesiologists · PPE
Emergency medical technicians
- firefightersEmergency personnel combating blazes
- rescueSave from harm
- EMTsPrehospital care providers
- ambulanceEmergency medical transport
evacuation · search-and-rescue · triage · lifesaving · hazmat
Admired courageous figures
- courageFortitude facing danger
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
- riskPossibility of harm
dedication · exhaustion · burnout · gratitude · applause · essential · duty · service
Military personnel who fight
- troopsMilitary personnel collectively
- infantryGround combat troops
- marinesNaval infantry soldiers
- commandosElite assault troops
warriors · combatants · deployed · battlefield · veterans · servicemembers · peacekeepers · guards
doctors
Licensed medical practitioners
- nursesMedical care professionals
- paramedicsEmergency medical technicians
- surgeonsDoctors performing operations
physicians · clinicians · pharmacists · therapists · EMTs · orderlies · radiologists · anesthesiologists · PPE · bedside
paramedics
Emergency medical technicians
- firefightersEmergency personnel combating blazes
- rescueSave from harm
- EMTsPrehospital care providers
ambulance · evacuation · search-and-rescue · triage · lifesaving · hazmat
heroes
Admired courageous figures
- courageFortitude facing danger
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
risk · dedication · exhaustion · burnout · gratitude · applause · essential · duty · service · overworked
soldiers
Military personnel who fight
commandos · warriors · combatants · deployed · battlefield · veterans · servicemembers · peacekeepers · guards · patrol
grocery
Food retail shop
- cashiersWorkers processing purchases
- deliveryConveyance of goods
- sanitationCleanliness for public health
transit · postal · warehouse · retail · drivers · utility · custodial · security · farmworkers · meatpackers
frontlinersbackroom staff
Non-public employees
support staff · remote workers · administrative staff · paper pushers
frontlinersrear echelon
Non-combat support zone
headquarters staff · brass · executives · top brass · desk jockeys