What Is A Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)?
DMAT is a group of professional and para-professional medical personnel (supported by a cadre of logistical and administrative staff) designed to provide medical care during a disaster or other event. NDMS recruits personnel for specific vacancies, plans for training opportunities, and coordinates the deployment of the team. To supplement the standard DMATs, there are highly specialized DMATs that deal with specific medical conditions such as crushing injuries, burn, and mental health emergencies. 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. 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. The personnel are activated for a period of two weeks. In mass casualty incidents, their responsibilities may include triaging patients
