DMAT Nurses

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Hey All,

I was wondering if any of you out there are part of DMAT teams, and if so could you share your experiences and impressions? I am looking at joining a DMAT and/or NNRT, and was just wondering what others experiences have been.

(If you're wondering, DMAT and NNRT teams are disaster response teams organized through FEMA and Homeland Security):idea:

Thanks All

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Specializes in 6 years of ER fun, med/surg, blah, blah.

I am doing a disaster plan for our ED. I took a disaster course when my boss, in Oct. 2005 & expect to have hazmat training next month & do a decon exercise. I am interested in any & all into on this.

Thanks for you help!

victoriakem

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Thanks for replying,

there is quite a bit of information on the NDMS.fema.gov site, but their lins page is down, so not real easy to get all the info to apply. (at least for a DMAT) however all of the info is there for joining an NNRT, well except for the applications themselves, if you try to open those, you only get a two page general info sheet on federal jobs, but good background and info there. Also cover sponsoring DMATs and starting DMATs.

hope this helps, stay in touch

Adam

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Hi, I'd never heard of DMAT as I'm in the UK, I guess it stands for disaster management action team?

I'm on the major incident team for my ED, next month I'm on a committee for disaster management to fine tune everything we need to know for any eventuality and no doubt some things none of us have thought of before!

We don't have any national agencies that govern us, the government does of course insist that we have a protocol etc. I'm interested in exactly what the DMAT teams do other than what we do, ensuring all equipment is safe and available and members of the team are equipt to use it.

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I'm a DMAT Nurse Practitioner. Been with my team 3 years now and won team member of the year for 2004. DMAT is Disaster Medical Assistance Team. I've been deployed 7 times thus far (3 of them this Hurricane season). DMAT's go into the most austere environment (I slept on the ground at Keesler Air Force Base the day after Katrina went through!) and set up tent hospitals. We're self-sustainable (equipment, food, water, lodging) for 36 hours on our own before our basic load arrives.

I've done everything from a clinic in a mall in FL (treated a cardiac arrest there) to immunizations in New Orleans, to augmenting medical care to the morgue workers in LA to operating a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU).

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