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  • National Disaster Medical System 

    • The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) is a cooperative effort of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency, State and local governments and the private sector.   

    • The NDMS does not replace State and local disaster planning efforts, rather it supplements and assists where State and local medical resources are overwhelmed and Federal assistance is requested.  The NDMS is operated as part of the Federal Response Plan. 

    • The NDMS is designed to provide:   

      ·         Medical Assistance in disaster areas in the form of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs), medical supplies and equipment. 

      ·         Patient Evacuation, for those that cannot be cared for locally, to designated locations throughout the United States. 

      ·         Hospitalization in a network of medical care facilities that have agreed to accept patients.  The NDMS currently includes 107 metropolitan areas of the nation. 

    • The NDMS is designed to care for as many as 100,000 victims of any incident that exceeds the medical care capability of an affected State, region, or Federal health care system.  It may be used in a variety of emergency events, such as an earthquake, hurricane, industrial disaster, refugee influx, terrorist activity or military casualties evacuated to the United States.

  • Disaster Medical Assistance Teams 

    • A Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) is a group of volunteer physicians, nurses, other health care professionals and non-medical support staff trained to provide austere medical care in a disaster area or medical services at transfer points and reception sites associated with patient evacuation. 

    • The three primary responsibilities of DMATs in mass casualty incident or disaster include: 

      ·         Triage - patient sorting, injury and survivability assessments 

      ·         Medical Care - under field conditions in the immediate disaster area 

      ·        Staging - preparation for mass transport to medical facilities outside the affected area   

    • The NDMS provides several benefits to DMAT members when activated for a Federal response. Those benefits include: 

      ·         Worker’s Compensation coverage for death or disability due to injury during the performance of official duties 

      ·         Licensing Reciprocity for health care professionals and technical personnel during operations outside Oklahoma 

      ·         Federal Tort Claims Act protection against personal liability for members within the scope of their employment 

      ·        Compensation for team members during Federal activation’s

       

  • OK1-DMAT.....  Oklahoma’s Team! 

    • The Oklahoma Disaster Medical Assistance Team (OK-1 DMAT) was formed in May 1991 as a not-for-profit corporation.  

    • The United States has more than eighty DMATs nationwide. OK-1 DMAT is one of twenty-six (26) Level One teams in the United States that are fully trained, equipped and capable of rapid deployment to disaster scenes throughout the United States. 

    • The Oklahoma DMAT has deployed to major disasters including Hurricane Ivan (2004), the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Houston Flooding caused by Tropical Storm Allison (2001), the Oklahoma City area tornadoes (1999), Hurricane Marilyn, St Thomas, USVI (1995), Murrah Federal Building Bombing (1995) and Hurricane Andrew (1992).

    • The team has also assisted in the NDMS response regarding the Atlanta Olympics (1996), Northeast Blizzard (1998) and the Kosovo Refugee Reception (1999) to name a few!  

    • To maintain team readiness the team exercises and provides ‘real time’ medical support for events such as Sail Boston and air shows throughout the Midwestern United States, as well as participating in informational programs to educate Oklahomans about disaster preparedness. 

    • OK-1 DMAT members take pride in representing all Oklahomans, as we stand ready to respond to the medical needs of our State and Nation in times of disaster. 

  • Questions about Oklahoma DMAT 

    • What are the time commitments involved with membership in the OK-1 DMAT?

      Members are expected to participate in at least half of the training exercises and general meetings offered each year to be considered active in the team. 

    • How long should my employer expect me to be gone during a national disaster? 

      During a disaster, OK1-DMAT is committed to provide personnel to the NDMS for a period of ten (10) to fourteen (14) ten consecutive days.   

    • What are the qualifications for membership in the Oklahoma DMAT?   

      To become a member of OK-1 DMAT, applicants must be approved by NDMS for temporary employment with the Federal government. and (where applicable) hold current licensure for their specialty field. 

    • Are there any dues or fees required by the Oklahoma DMAT? 

      There are no dues.

For more information about OK1-DMAT, e-mail:  inquiries@ok1dmat.org