What is a Disaster Medical Team?

A Disaster Medical Team (DMT) is a group of medical and support personnel who provide emergency medical care during a disaster or other unusual event. Team members are organized, trained, and prepared to activate as a unit.

Each deployable DMT unit consists of approximately 41 individuals; however, teams may need more than three times this number to provide some redundancy for each job role and ensure that an adequate number of personnel are available at the time of a given deployment.

DMTs deploy to disaster sites with adequate supplies and equipment to support themselves for a period of 72 hours while providing medical care at a fixed or temporary medical site. They may provide primary health care and/or augment overloaded local health care staff. DMTs are a rapid-response element designed to supplement local medical care until other federal or contract resources can be mobilized, or until the situation is resolved.

Missouri’s first State Disaster Medical Team was formed as part of MO-1 DMAT in St. Louis in 2004. The second state team was established in Branson in 2005. A new team is currently being organized in the Kansas City region. Kansas City’s Disaster Medical Team will deploy primarily in the state of Missouri and on occasion may cross the border into Kansas.

TEAM STATUS:

Contact:

Nicki Carlton
Administrative Officer
Kansas City Region
P.O. Box 140
Grandview, MO 64030
816/215-7419 or
816/289-8617

MARC Contacts:

Dan Manley
816/701-8209

Tanya Kraatz
816/701-8342