Incident Management Assistance Teams are made up of dedicated and experienced senior-level emergency management professionals that are able to deploy upon a moment’s notice when requested by the state. IMATs are generally consist of 10 members, with expertise in operations, logistics, planning, and recovery. They are a rapidly deployable asset to anywhere in the region or the country, supporting our states and territories in their emergency response efforts.
Teams provide a forward federal presence to facilitate the management of the national response to catastrophic incidents. The primary mission is three-fold:
- Rapidly deploy to an incident or potentially threatened venue
- Identify ways federal assistance could be used to best support the response and recovery efforts, should it become available
- Work with partners across jurisdictions to support the affected State or territory
One of the most important aspects is to support and take their direction from the state. As our mission states, FEMA’s role is to “support citizens and first responders”. After a disaster, state and local emergency responders, along with voluntary agencies and faith-based groups, are called on to meet the immediate needs of the affected community, and IMATs are FEMA’s team of experts that stand ready to support if they are called upon.