STATE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAM (SMAT)

Join Burke County SMAT SMAT Requirements SMAT Application SMAT applications should be returned to: Burke County Emergency Services Attention: Captain Mark Barrier PO Box 219 Morganton, NC 28680 For additional information, contact Mark Barrier at mbarrier@bceoc.org or 828-433-6609. Return to www.bceoc.org

In January 2002 the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, the Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Section of the North Carolina Division of Public Health, and the Special Operations Response Team agreed to create the State Medical Response System. This system is designed to provide trailers and equipment packages for seven Local hospitals and local pre-hospital disaster teams. Burke County Emergency Services has been selected and has received one of the SMAT III trailers. We will begin to train team members to respond this trailer and equipment as part of the State Medical Assistance Team. The Mission of this Team is to provide a rapid victim decontamination mass casualty medical management service at the local, regional, or state level to assist with disaster management. The team will provide a first line of defense locally, assist at hospitals, or be deployed within the region or state at the request of The State through the statewide mutual aid agreement with the State Division of Emergency Management. The State Medical Assistance Team will provide local decontamination/medical treatment and will rapidly assist/start medical decontamination operations on victims from a chemical, biological, or radiological exposure or other potential incidents that require decontamination. Burke County has agreed to have a team with a minimum of 7 members for deployment, (10 members are strongly recommended). In order to be deployed with this staffing level, a minimum of 30 to 50 personnel will be trained. At least 5 of the team members shall be credentialed at a minimum of the Emergency Medical Technician-Basic level. When deployed, the team shall have a minimum of 7 members, and at least one Team member shall be credentialed at the EMT-Paramedic level. At a minimum, each team member shall complete an awareness level Hazmat course (OSHA or NFPA 473 or EMS/HM level I). This training shall be completed prior to being deployed.