What is MN1DMAT?
Minnesota 1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team is part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). NDMS is a federally coordinated system that augments the Nation's medical response capability. The overall purpose of the NDMS is to supplement an integrated National medical response capability for assisting State and local authorities in dealing with the medical impacts of major peacetime disasters and to provide support to the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical systems in caring for casualties evacuated back to the U.S. from overseas armed conventional conflicts.
The National Response Framework utilizes the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), as part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Preparedness and Response, under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8), Health and Medical Services, to support Federal agencies in the management and coordination of the Federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters including:
The National Response Framework utilizes the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), as part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Preparedness and Response, under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8), Health and Medical Services, to support Federal agencies in the management and coordination of the Federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters including:
- Natural Disasters
- Major Transportation Accidents
- Technological Disasters
- Acts of Terrorism including Weapons of Mass Destruction Events
| MN-1 DMAT Katrina PPT |
When the Red River overflowed its banks and flooded Minnesota towns in the spring of 1997, three special medical teams provided emergency medical care to citizens in the aftermath of the disaster. But the teams weren’t from Minnesota; they were dispatched from other states because Minnesota had no such emergency medical teams.
Now, that scenario has changed. In October 2002, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the addition of a new, Minnesota-based Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). Designated MN-1DMAT, it is the first such team in the Upper Midwest is based in the Twin Cities. The team is sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Emergency response services
DMATs are teams of professional and paraprofessional medical personnel (supported by logistical and administrative staff) that can provide emergency medical care during a disaster or catastrophic event. DMATs respond to a variety of local and national emergencies, including bioterrorism attacks, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. During a disaster, a team can provide emergency medical care to victims for up to two weeks.
Though DMATs are principally a community resource available to support local, regional and state requirements, they can provide interstate aid when necessary. 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.
In recent years, DMAT teams have responded to an unprecedented number of challenges, including the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing; natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and ice storms; and transportation disasters such as the TWA Flight 800, Egypt Air, Alaska Air and American Flight 587 crashes. The most recent multi-team federal DMAT activation occurred in 2005 in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
A complete DMAT emergency response team includes 35 physicians, nurses, and other allied healthcare and support personnel. There are just 29 level-one (fully deployable) DMAT teams — qualified to respond to the highest level of emergency medical need — throughout the United States. The MN-1 DMAT will be trained not only for federal disaster medical response, but also for public health emergencies within the state and surrounding region.
Team composition
The MN-1 team will consist of approximately 120 team members, three to five members deep at each position. This depth of team composition will allow the team some flexibility when there is a short notice call-up and some team members are not available for immediate deployment.
In addition to the leadership team, the team will include: 21–35 M.D./P.A./N.P. positions; 24–40 R.N./supervising R.N. positions (including a nurse epidemiologist); 6–8 Respiratory Care Practitioners; 12–20 paramedics/E.M.T.s; 6–10 pharmacists/pharmacy assistants; and 6–10 communication, logistics, safety and security specialists.
The leadership team will recruit and select the other team members. Members will be selected based upon their past experience, their qualifications for the position and their ability to work well with the DMAT in training, team development and deployments. DMAT members must be physically fit, available for immediate deployment and capable of working in an austere environment for at least two weeks. They are required to make a minimum two-year commitment when joining the team.
The MN-1DMAT is a volunteer organization. Team members train and exercise on a voluntary basis, but they become federal employees working for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services during a deployment.
Training and deployment
The team holds regular training and informational meetings. Each DMAT member must complete various training activities each year.
When the medical needs resulting from a natural disaster or terrorist event overwhelm the capacity of a community to respond, then the state requests federal assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will dispatch DMATs to the site. The team leader of the deployed DMAT is notified and is expected to assemble the DMAT within six to 12 hours and report for deployment within 12 to 24 hours. DMAT members will communicate via the Internet and telephones/beepers/cell phones and communication equipment provided by NDMS in the field.
Funding
The team is an IRS approval Tax Exempt 501(c) (3) organization. MN-1 DMAT hopes to raise additional funds for ongoing operational costs from the Minnesota state legislature and from the private sector. These funds will enable the DMAT to cover training, storage and ongoing administrative costs not covered by the NDMS grant.
Filling a need
Minnesota’s DMAT is expected to play an important role in the state’s MMRS (Metropolitan Medical Response System) in the event of a local disaster, especially with respect to off-site care. The Minnesota Department of Health has supported the development of MN-1 DMAT as an important component of local disaster response in augmenting state and local resources. The team attained level-two status in late 2005.
There are currently no level-one medical DMAT teams in the Upper Midwest, including the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and the Chicago area. We cannot expect other teams from elsewhere in the country to come to Minnesota and to fill our needs in times of emergency, especially if multiple events occur simultaneously in the nation. Minnesota will benefit by having a well-trained, organized cadre of medical and logistic personnel that would be ready on short notice to support medical care in a disaster area
Now, that scenario has changed. In October 2002, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the addition of a new, Minnesota-based Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). Designated MN-1DMAT, it is the first such team in the Upper Midwest is based in the Twin Cities. The team is sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Emergency response services
DMATs are teams of professional and paraprofessional medical personnel (supported by logistical and administrative staff) that can provide emergency medical care during a disaster or catastrophic event. DMATs respond to a variety of local and national emergencies, including bioterrorism attacks, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. During a disaster, a team can provide emergency medical care to victims for up to two weeks.
Though DMATs are principally a community resource available to support local, regional and state requirements, they can provide interstate aid when necessary. 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.
In recent years, DMAT teams have responded to an unprecedented number of challenges, including the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing; natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and ice storms; and transportation disasters such as the TWA Flight 800, Egypt Air, Alaska Air and American Flight 587 crashes. The most recent multi-team federal DMAT activation occurred in 2005 in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
A complete DMAT emergency response team includes 35 physicians, nurses, and other allied healthcare and support personnel. There are just 29 level-one (fully deployable) DMAT teams — qualified to respond to the highest level of emergency medical need — throughout the United States. The MN-1 DMAT will be trained not only for federal disaster medical response, but also for public health emergencies within the state and surrounding region.
Team composition
The MN-1 team will consist of approximately 120 team members, three to five members deep at each position. This depth of team composition will allow the team some flexibility when there is a short notice call-up and some team members are not available for immediate deployment.
In addition to the leadership team, the team will include: 21–35 M.D./P.A./N.P. positions; 24–40 R.N./supervising R.N. positions (including a nurse epidemiologist); 6–8 Respiratory Care Practitioners; 12–20 paramedics/E.M.T.s; 6–10 pharmacists/pharmacy assistants; and 6–10 communication, logistics, safety and security specialists.
The leadership team will recruit and select the other team members. Members will be selected based upon their past experience, their qualifications for the position and their ability to work well with the DMAT in training, team development and deployments. DMAT members must be physically fit, available for immediate deployment and capable of working in an austere environment for at least two weeks. They are required to make a minimum two-year commitment when joining the team.
The MN-1DMAT is a volunteer organization. Team members train and exercise on a voluntary basis, but they become federal employees working for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services during a deployment.
Training and deployment
The team holds regular training and informational meetings. Each DMAT member must complete various training activities each year.
When the medical needs resulting from a natural disaster or terrorist event overwhelm the capacity of a community to respond, then the state requests federal assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will dispatch DMATs to the site. The team leader of the deployed DMAT is notified and is expected to assemble the DMAT within six to 12 hours and report for deployment within 12 to 24 hours. DMAT members will communicate via the Internet and telephones/beepers/cell phones and communication equipment provided by NDMS in the field.
Funding
The team is an IRS approval Tax Exempt 501(c) (3) organization. MN-1 DMAT hopes to raise additional funds for ongoing operational costs from the Minnesota state legislature and from the private sector. These funds will enable the DMAT to cover training, storage and ongoing administrative costs not covered by the NDMS grant.
Filling a need
Minnesota’s DMAT is expected to play an important role in the state’s MMRS (Metropolitan Medical Response System) in the event of a local disaster, especially with respect to off-site care. The Minnesota Department of Health has supported the development of MN-1 DMAT as an important component of local disaster response in augmenting state and local resources. The team attained level-two status in late 2005.
There are currently no level-one medical DMAT teams in the Upper Midwest, including the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and the Chicago area. We cannot expect other teams from elsewhere in the country to come to Minnesota and to fill our needs in times of emergency, especially if multiple events occur simultaneously in the nation. Minnesota will benefit by having a well-trained, organized cadre of medical and logistic personnel that would be ready on short notice to support medical care in a disaster area
| History of MN-1 DMAT Slideshow |