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The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), through the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), fosters the development of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs). A DMAT is a group of professional and paraprofessional medical personnel (supported by a cadre of logistical and administrative staff) designed to provide emergency medical care during a disaster or other event.

Each team has a sponsoring organization, such as a major medical center, public health or safety agency, non-profit, public or private organization that signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the PHS. The DMAT sponsor organizes the team and recruits members, arranges training, and coordinates the dispatch of the team.

In addition to the standard DMATs, there are highly specialized DMATs that deal with specific medical conditions such as crush injury, burn, and mental health emergencies. Other specialty teams include Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORTs) that provide mortuary services, Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMATs) that provide veterinary services, and National Medical Response Teams (NMRTs) that are equipped and trained to provide medical care for victims of weapons of mass destruction.

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. In mass casualty incidents, their responsibilities include triaging patients, providing austere medical care, and preparing patients for evacuation. In other types of situations, DMATs may provide primary health care and/or may serve to augment overloaded local health care staffs.

Under the rare circumstance that disaster victims are evacuated to a different locale to receive definitive medical care, DMATs may be activated to support patient reception and disposition of patients to hospitals. DMATs are designed to be a rapid-response element to supplement local medical care until other Federal or contract resources can be mobilized, or the situation is resolved.

DMAT members are required to maintain appropriate certifications and licensure within their discipline. When members are activated as Federal employees, licensure and certification is recognized by all States. Additionally, DMAT members are paid while serving as part-time federal employees and have the protection of the Federal Tort Claims Act in which the Federal Government becomes the defendant in the event of a malpractice claim.

DMATs are principally a community resource available to support local, regional, and State requirements. However, as a National resource they can be Federalized to provide interstate aid.

What is a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT)?

The Federal Response Plan tasks the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8) to provide victim identification and mortuary services.

These responsibilities include:

• temporary morgue facilities
• victim identification
• forensic dental pathology
• forensic anthropology methods
• processing
• preparation
• disposition of remains

DMORT members are required to maintain appropriate certifications and licensure within their discipline. When members are activated, licensure and certification is recognized by all States, and the team members are compensated for their duty time by the Federal government as a temporary Federal employee. During an emergency response, DMORTs work under the guidance of local authorities by providing technical assistance and personnel to recover, identify, and process deceased victims.

The DMORTs are directed by the National Disaster Medical System in conjunction with a Regional Coordinator in each of the ten Federal regions. Teams are composed of Funeral Directors, Medical Examiners, Coroners, Pathologists, Forensic Anthropologists, Medical Records Technicians and Transcribers, Finger Print Specialists, Forensic Odontologists, Dental Assistants, X-ray Technicians, Mental Health Specialists, Computer Professionals, Administrative support staff, and Security and Investigative personnel.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP)/National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), in support of the DMORT program, maintains a Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU) at the OEP warehouse located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The DPMU is a depository of equipment and supplies for deployment to a disaster site. It contains a complete morgue with designated workstations for each processing element and prepackaged equipment and supplies.

More information about HHS' role in national emergency response efforts is available at www.hhs.gov/news.