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The New Jersey Disaster Medical Assistance Team (NJ-1 DMAT)
Executive Summary for Prospective Members
The New Jersey Disaster Medical Assistance Team (NJ-1 DMAT) is a Federal disaster medical team based in New Jersey. The team is part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), under the authority of the United States Department of Health and Human Services / Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response.
NJ-1 DMAT deploys anywhere in the United States as a fully equipped, self-sufficient, mobile field hospital with a complete medical team including physicians, RNs, respiratory therapists, social workers, EMT and paramedics, pharmacists, and many logistics, communications and support personnel.
Upon request of the Federal Government, we deploy to natural and man-made disasters where the local healthcare infrastructure has been depleted or overwhelmed; types of disasters include hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, bombings, wildfires, etc. The team has deployed to a variety of events, including the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, Hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Additionally, we are pre-deployed to Federal High Security details, such as Presidential Inauguration, State of the Union Addresses, the funeral of former President Gerald Ford, and the last two Olympics in the U.S.
There is some work underway to allow us to respond to “in state” disasters that are not federally "declared". This function of NJ-1 is still in the discussion phase.
The time commitment of NJ-1 membership is three team activities per year, such as meetings, training sessions, or deployments. Meetings are held throughout the state, but mostly in the Central and Northern parts of the state, where the greatest numbers of our members reside. You must also complete an on-line training program, with some annually recurring requirements. Some courses may provide CEU/CME credits.
The team is "on-call" three months of the year, although DHHS has extended our on-call by 2-4 weeks after some on-call months (due to elevated threat levels and predictions for severe weather). You provide your availability before each of these months for a 2 week deployment. You can change your availability should an incident occur and your situation changes.
Two sets of uniforms are provided to each member, including BDU tops, BDU pants, and team t-shirts. It is recommended that each team member purchase additional t-shirts and an additional pair of pants. In addition, you are required or advised to purchase some personal equipment that could cost $200.00 or more (e.g. uniform boots, duffel bags, sleeping bag, etc). Some equipment may be provided by the team, and you may already have much of the required equipment. Uniform and personal equipment needs can be discussed at your interview.
As an intermittent federal employee, you are paid an hourly wage commensurate with your job title. Additionally, you are paid a per-diem amount for meals and incidentals during deployments and paid training events. Travel expenses, workman’s compensation, and liability insurance are all provided for by the Federal Government. Being a federal employee, the federal government extends to you licensure in all 50 states and any protectorates.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email the team’s administrative section at admin@nj1dmat.org.
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