Interested in joining our team?

If you are interested in joining DMAT CA-11, we invite you
to attend our meetings, and to read the following information to gain a
better understanding of what it is and what we do.

What Is A Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)?
DMAT is a group of professional and para-professional medical personnel (supported by a cadre of logistical and administrative staff) designed to provide medical care during a disaster or other event. NDMS recruits personnel for specific vacancies, plans for training opportunities, and coordinates the deployment of the team. To supplement the standard DMATs, there are highly specialized DMATs that deal with specific medical conditions such as crushing injuries, burn, and mental health emergencies.

DMATs are designed to be a rapid-response element to supplement local medical care until other Federal or contract resources can be mobilized, or the situation is resolved. DMATs deploy to disaster sites with sufficient supplies and equipment to sustain themselves for a period of 72 hours while providing medical care at a fixed or temporary medical care site. The personnel are activated for a period of two weeks.

In mass casualty incidents, their responsibilities may include triaging patients, providing high-quality medical care despite the adverse and austere environment often found at a disaster site, patient reception at staging facilities and preparing patients for evacuation.

Under the rare circumstance that disaster victims are evacuated to a different locale to receive definitive medical care, DMATs may be activated to support patient reception and disposition of patients to hospitals. DMATs are principally a community resource available to support local, regional, and State requirements. However, as a National resource they can be federalized.

NDMS/DMAT personnel are required to maintain appropriate certifications and licensure within their discipline. When personnel are activated as Federal employees, licensure and certification is recognized by all States. Additionally, DMAT personnel are paid while serving as part-time federal employees and have the protection of the Federal Tort Claims Act in which the Federal Government becomes the defendant in the event of a malpractice claim.

There are two "branches" of our team:
On one side is the Federal DMAT, CA-11. To join the Federal team, you must fill out an application packet, obtain fingerprinting (when requested, not before), and pass the background check done by the Federal Government.
On the other branch is the non-profit team. Initially, all applicants for CA-11 are placed in the non-profit team, to learn, be guided through the Federal application process, and become acquainted with working in austere environments. The non-profit team provides manpower into the CalMAT operation, providing medical care during state disasters, including CalFire medical missions).

You may choose to belong only to the non-profit, only to the Federal team (once approved), or both.

Making the decision to become a DMAT member involves realizing that you are dedicating time and energy toward training, readying for deployment through obtaining the necessary equipment and uniform (at your cost), becoming an intermittent federal employee (For those that wish to deploy as an NDMS member), and becoming a member of CDMSA (For those that wish to deploy only for state disasters including fire medical missions).

Deployment involves living and working in austere settings. This can be in a tent, in a building not meant for normally providing healhcare, working in a medical center or hospital, or any other situation. Work is all-weather, all-season, and involves working difficult hours. You may be working on a team of 35+ personnel, or one a small "strike team" of 5-10 people all of varying medical skills from EMT to physician. Deployments are typically 2-3 weeks in duration.

You do not have to have medical credentials to join, but it does improve your odds of deployment if you do. We have needs for people with logistic and communications skills.

General requirements for DMAT CA-11 Members:

• Attend 2 of 4 quarterly meetings per year
• General Meeting - 3rd Saturday in January, April, July and December (0900-1600
  hours)
• Be in good general health (Certain medical conditions
  preclude deployment)
  
• Be able to pass the physical screening
• Go up and down two flights of stairs and recover within a
  specific timeframe
• Move a 75-lb tote with help from one other person
• Walk 1 mile in 16 minutes and recover within a specific
  timeframe
• Body Mass Index (BMI) under 40 (over 30 requires MD
  approval)

Current required immunizations

• Hepatitis A vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Current PPD (or clear chest x-ray if positive)
• Current MMR (or proof of immunity)
• Current influenza vaccine

Please fill out the following form and bring it with you to the first meeting you attend: