Army Emergency Management Program - Federation of American ...

(2) Functions. Medical response is federalized upon NDMS activation. DHHS has the lead for medical response that
includes the following:
(a) Assessment of health and medical needs.
(b) Health/medical equipment and supplies.
(c) Medical care personnel, largely composed of private citizens, to include the following:
Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are community-based volunteer groups affiliated with NDMS. Each consists of
approximately 100 persons, including medical professionals and support staff, who possess a variety of health and/or
medical skills. DMATs perform triage and provide austere medical care, casualty clearing and/or staging at the
disaster site, and patient reception at the local NDMS reception area.
Disaster mortuary teams work under the guidance of local authorities to provide technical assistance and personnel to
recover, identify, and process fatalities. Disaster Mortuary Teams establish temporary morgue facilities, identify
victims, conduct forensic dental pathology and forensic anthropology, and process, prepare and transfer remains.
Veterinary medical assistance teams work under the guidance of local authorities to provide technical assistance and
veterinary services.
National medical response teams-weapons of mass destruction. Three level–1 DMATs have been configured into
highly specialized, nationally deployable subunits. They deploy to a hazardous material environment to provide
medical and decontamination services, and to assist Federal agencies. The National medical response teams-weapons
of mass destruction is configured to travel by ground or air and is fully self-contained except for the water required
for decontamination purposes.
(3) Roles. DOD has the lead responsibility for patient evacuation during an emergency or disaster involving NDMS.
This responsibility involves providing patient movement from the disaster area using all types of transportation,
although patient evacuation will primarily rely on aeromedical evacuation. The DOD and DVA have Joint lead on
providing definitive medical care under NDMS.
(4) Federal coordinating centers. MTFs may be assigned as FCC for NDMS. Each FCC is responsible for a
geographic area, usually 50 miles in radius, with at least 200 hospital beds, a major airport, a Federal medical facility
to provide support, and adequate transportation for patient reception and distribution. All NDMS FCCs are associated
with either a DOD MTF or a Veterans Administration Medical Center. The NDMS FCC Guide describes the FCC’s
role in the planning, exercising, and operations of a local plan to receive and provide definitive care to casualties
evacuated to the area as part of NDMS. MTFs other than FCCs are alerted of NDMS activation by their respective
FCCs. MTFs support NDMS with patient care services under conditions similar to an EM plan or mass casualty
situation. The FCC will regulate patients to the MTFs.
k. Urban search and rescue task forces. The National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, established under
the authority of FEMA, is a framework for structuring local responders into integrated disaster response task forces.
These task forces, complete with tools, equipment, required skills, and techniques, can be deployed by FEMA for the
rescue of victims of structural collapse. There are 28 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces within the U.S. and
are typed as shown in reference FEMA 508–8. Each team is trained and equipped by FEMA to handle structural
collapse and urban search and rescue operations. Urban Search and Rescue involves the location, rescue (extrication),
and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of
victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches. Urban
search-and-rescue is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters,
including natural disasters, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. See www.
fema.gov/emergency/usr/index.shtm for additional information.
Chapter 19
Recovery Operations
19–1. Recovery concept
Recovery is the effort to restore infrastructure and the social and economic life of a community to normal, but it should
incorporate mitigation as a goal. For the short term, recovery may mean bringing necessary lifeline systems (for
example, power, communication, water and sewage, and transportation) up to an acceptable standard while providing
for basic human needs (for example, food, clothing, and shelter) and ensuring that the societal needs of individuals and
the community are met (for example, maintain the rule of law, provide crisis counseling, demonstrate that people do
care and that help is becoming available). Once some stability is achieved, the installation can begin recovery efforts
for the long term, restoring economic activity and rebuilding community facilities and family housing with attention to
long-term mitigation needs. The EM program establishes common recovery standards for Category 5 personnel as
required by NIMS, AR 525–27, DODI 6055.17, and NFPA 1600. Recovery operations must be consistent with existing
OSHA regulations, DHS guidance and NFPA standards. Per AR 200–1, representatives shall ensure that all recovery
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