Disaster Medical Assistance Team

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A Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) is a group of professional and para-professional medical personnel organized to provide rapid-response medical care or casualty decontamination during a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other incident in the United States. DMATs are part of the National Disaster Medical System and operate under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).^[1]

Originally created as a partnership between the United States Public Health Service and communities throughout the U.S., DMATs were absorbed by the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

1 Organization
2 Team composition and equipment
3 Incidents
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Organization

There are 55 DMATs across the country formed by local volunteer groups of health care providers and support personnel that receive funding from FEMA, and other sources such as states, counties, and private donors. Under the National Response Plan, DMATs are defined according to their level of capability and experience. In addition to standard DMATs, there are DMATs that specialize in specific medical conditions such as crush injuries, burns, and mental health emergencies.

A DMAT deploys to a disaster site with enough supplies and equipment to be self-sufficient for 72 hours while providing medical care at a fixed or temporary medical care site. Responsibilities may include triaging patients, providing high-quality medical care in adverse and austere environments, and preparing patients for evacuation. Other situations may involve providing primary medical care or augmenting overloaded local health care staffs. Under rare circumstances, disaster victims may be evacuated to a different locale to receive medical care. DMATs may be activated to support patient reception and dispersal of patients to hospitals.^[1] On January 1, 2007 the National Disaster Medical System and the associated DMAT teams are transfered back the the Department of Health and Human Services.

Some of the teams:

AK-1 [1]
AL-1 [2]
AL-3 [3]
AR-1 [4]
AZ-1 [5]
CA-1 [6]
CA-2 [7]
CA-3 (Mental Health)
CA-4 [8]
CA-6 [9]
CA-9 [10]
CA-11 [11]
NY-2 [12]
OH-5 [13]
TX-4 [14]
IA-1 http://www.ia-1dmat.org

More to come later! (Hey, add your team here!)

[edit] Team composition and equipment

DMAT's are composed of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, and a variety of other health and logistical personnel. DMAT's typically have 50-125 members, from which the Team Leader chooses 35 to deploy on most missions.

DMAT's come equipped with medical equipment and supplies, large tents, generators, and other support equipment necessary to establish a Base of Operations in a disaster area and treat up to 250 patients per day. The capability is similar to an urgent care-level health care facility. In 2005, FEMA increased the response capabilities of DMAT's by issuing trucks to most of the teams.

[edit] Incidents

DMAT's have distinguished themselves in hundreds of large and small-sized disasters, most recently as a critical part of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. DMAT teams treated and helped evacuate patients at the New Orleans Superdome, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and in many areas in and around New Orleans.