Disaster Medical Assistance Team

Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) is a group of professional and paraprofessional 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.

History

The concept of DMATs was first developed in the 1980s during the height of the Cold War. The initial idea was to form medical teams that could respond to a nuclear disaster. Over time, the concept evolved to include response to any disaster, natural or man-made, that resulted in a surge of casualties that local medical resources could not manage.

Structure

A DMAT is typically composed of physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and other medical professionals. The team also includes logistical and administrative staff. DMATs are part of the National Disaster Medical System and operate under the Department of Health and Human Services.

Role and Responsibilities

DMATs are designed to be a rapid-response element to supplement local medical care until other resources can be mobilized, or until the situation is resolved. DMATs deploy to disaster sites with sufficient supplies and equipment to sustain themselves for a period of 72 hours while providing medical care at a fixed or temporary medical care site.

Training

Members of a DMAT undergo specialized training in disaster medicine and response. This includes training in incident command system (ICS), hazardous materials, and emergency operations.

See also

• National Disaster Medical System
• Emergency management
• Disaster medicine
• Incident command system

References

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