Indiana District 1

Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team

Skilled Volunteers Serving the Community, the State, and the Nation

Our Mission

The mitigation of, preparation for, response to, and recovery from a medical disaster is consistent with the tenets of Indiana Homeland Security District One. Through a voluntary cooperative effort, health care providers and support staff will strive to reduce human suffering and the rate of morbidity and mortality subsequent to natural or man-made disasters. Strengths of will and character as well as adaptability and flexibility while working in an environment filled with risk of personal harm and sacrifice are attributes which characterize those individuals who participate in this Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team (MCMRST).

General Membership

To Indiana Department of Homeland Security

District 1 Mass Casualty/Medical Response

Strike Team

The District 1 MCMRST is an all volunteer organization.Applicants must be 18 years of age, a resident of Indiana, be sponsored by an affiliated agency or organization, have a valid Indiana driver’s license, and good driving record. All candidates must pass a background investigation, physical examination, and be available to the needs of the team. Team membership is open to physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, paramedics, police officers, EMT/fire fighters, logistics, administrative and communication support staff.

Upon successful completion of the orientation and acceptance to the team you will be assigned to your deployment team and provided a list of personnel equipment necessary to perform your duties. You will respond to disasters in your community, state, and nation. You will participate in quarterly, ongoing training.You will have the opportunity to participate in additional training offered by outside agencies, such as medical, rescue, law enforcement, and fire service training.

The mission of the District 1 MCMRST is: to prevent and minimize the loss of life; to mitigate the consequences of natural and man-made disasters; to provide emergency and non-emergency support services; and to safeguard the environment and economic base of our community, state, and nation.

Introduction

MISSION STATEMENT:

The mission of the District 1 MCMRST is to provide essential emergency medical care and patient evacuation during times of natural or man-made disaster, or in time of a national security emergency. We augment and aid local jurisdictions who are overwhelmed in managing patient care, and are committed to serve the citizens of the great State of Indiana and the United States of America as an emergency response team through teamwork, professionalism, and ability to serve.

Scope:

In the event of a significant man-made or natural declared disaster, Indiana Department of Homeland Security can activate individual teams, which are locally organized volunteer medical teams, for any of a number of missions for which they train: the establishment and staffing of a Patient Field Treatment site; a Regional Evacuation Point, where patients will be managed as they are prepared for transport to other cities when the ability of the local EMS/hospital system cannot cope with needs; or a Patient Reception Point, and integrated into an untapped EMS System. In addition, if the entire primary care system of an area is destroyed, District 1 MCMRST can be activated to deliver regional primary care until the local area can restore such a critical function. When hospitals have been severely affected or damaged, DISTRICT 1 MCMRST can respond to perform hospital staff relief or they can assist in hospital evacuations.

Standard Operating Procedures

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of the organization shall be: District 1 Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team (DISTRICT 1 MCMRST).

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of the DISTRICT 1 MCMRST shall be to function as a Disaster Medical Response Team within Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Purposes and roles of the organization are defined in the Articles and S.O.P. of DISTRICT 1 MCMRST.

ARTICLE III: Definitions

  1. District 1 MCMRST refers to the Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team for Indiana District 1. This term is the designation used by Indiana Department of Homeland Security to identify the team.
  2. Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team refers to a group of emergency responders from many disciplines and is a collective effort for the common goal.
  3. IDHS refers to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
D.DHS refers to the Department of Homeland Security
E.FEMA refers to the Federal Emergency Management Agency
F.S.O.P. refers to the Standard Operating Procedures of the team.

ARTICLE IV: Steering Committee

  1. The organization will have a Steering Committee whose purpose will be to make decisions regarding non-deployment operations and business of the team
  2. Membership of the Steering Committee shall be as follows:

1)Representative from the fiscal agency;

2)Representative from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security;

3)Representative from the following district organizations:
District One Hospital Planning Group;
District One Fire Training Council;
District One Homeland Security.

4)Five members from each affiliated county;

5)District 1 Administrative Coordinator;

6)Liaison from the District 1 Planning Council (DPC).

  1. The Steering Committee will meet a minimum of quarterly to discuss and decide upon pertinent issues.
  2. Minutes of all meetings will be recorded and available for review to the general membership.
  3. All members of the Steering Committee will have an equal vote.

ARTICLE V: Membership

  1. Application process:

1)All applicants must meet the basic requirements for participation as defined in these S.O.P.’s.

2)All applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

3)Applicants must complete the District 1 Taskforce Affiliation Application and submit them to the appropriate Strike Team Leader.

4)Included in the application packet will be an orientation sheet for the respective Strike Team they wish to join. This sheet will outline training commitments as well as equipment and supplies needed for each member. Purchase of specific items will be the requirement of the member and may be purchased by affiliate departments for the member.

5)If the application is not complete, the applicant will be notified in writing of those items that are missing. If the applicant does not complete the application within ninety (90) days after notification, the applicant will be considered no longer interested and the application process will be terminated.

6)The Applicant may reapply by submitting a new and updated application; the fee (if required)may be waived with Steering Committee approval.

7)A background check will be done (by County EMA/DHS) on all new applications submitted.

8)Completed application packets will be forwarded to the Taskforce Membership Committee of the DPC, for final disposition.

9)Once approved by District 1 DPC, the applicant will be notified in writing and invited to the team’s next orientation meeting.

10)Applicants may not participate in DISTRICT 1 MCMRST approved activities until final approval by the District 1 Taskforce Membership Committee and receipt of a team identification card.

  1. Members:

1)Active:

a)In order to remain as an Active Member, the following requirements must be met:

  1. Supply current credentials relevant to the member’s position to the appropriate strike team leader
  2. Mandatory equipment in deployment ready status.
  3. Members must comply with all requirements of IDHS and all team policies
  4. Members shall conduct themselves in accordance with the ethical principles of their respective professions, and with courtesy and respect towards patients, colleagues and any group of persons whom interact with the organization.
  5. If a member does not meet the criteria to be an Active member of the District One MCMRST, a written (discrepancy) notice will be sent to the member requesting that outstanding items be resolved within 30 days.
  6. All members will comply with the IDHS “code of conduct”
  7. All members will be physically able to perform the duties of their position. Please refer to Participation Requirement document in Team Manual.
  8. All team members will have a completed “Self Care” packet, which will remain on file with the team’s Medical Director.
  9. Members who do not comply with items (B) or (C) or who violate any team or District 1 Taskforce rules may be asked to surrender their identification card. Such notice will be in writing from the Steering Committee.
  10. If a member wishes to resign, a letter of resignation must be submitted to the Steering Committee and the identification card must be surrendered.
  11. The Steering Committee may reinstate members who have resigned or have been asked to surrender their identification cards.
  12. Only those members who meet the criteria as an Active Member may participate in deployment activities.
  13. Active members may request a leave of absence for a period of up to one year by submitting a written request to the Steering Committee.

b)Member must be in good standing in order to be on LOA.

c)Members on LOA may not participate in deployments, training exercises, or any federalized activity.

d)In order to return to active status, the member must submit a written request to the Steering Committee and provide verification that all criteria for active status has been met.

e)If after one year, the member has not returned to active status, the Steering Committee will request that the member either return to active status or resign.

  1. Consulting

1)The Steering Committee may approve individuals with professional expertise, when requested, to assist the team with non-deployment operations as Consulting Members.

2)Consulting Members do not need to fill out an application for membership.

3)Consulting Members will not be required to pay dues (if required)

4)Consulting Members may not deploy, actively participate (may observe) at training, or participate in federalized activities

ARTICLE VI: Deployment

  1. In the event of team activation, all team members must adhere to all policies, procedures, or other regulation of the District 1 Taskforce.
  2. The team will function under the principles of the Incident Command System during activation
  3. All team members must complete the National Incident Management System Course(s) (ICS 100; ICS 200; ICS 700; ICS 800) on the FEMA website.
  4. All team members must complete the “pre-deployment training”.
  5. All team members must complete the core courses for specific certification levels.
  6. Team members may be deployed if they meet the following criteria:

1)Meet all criteria for active membership as defined in Article V, Section B-1

2)Obtain team uniform as described in Article VIII

3)Obtain personal deployment pack and gear

4)All Immunizations are complete and on file

5)Meet requirements of positions as defined by IDHS and are eligible through point system to deploy

6)Complete health history

ARTICLE VII: Meetings

  1. Schedule

1)Meetings will be held a minimum of quarterly. These meetings will be scheduled and all stakeholders notified. The location of these meetings will rotate through the five counties in the district.

2)All meetings will be kept to team business only. No exceptions!

3)In the event of inclement weather, a message will be posted via email.

4)Additional meetings will be communicated to the members at least 14 days in advance

  1. Attendance

1)Attendance will be kept at all meetings and minutes will be available for review.

2)Active members must attend 50% of the scheduled meetings in order to remain active

3)Members who are present for less than one half of a scheduled team meeting may only get credit for attendance if approved by one of the members of the Steering Committee

ARTICLE VIII: Uniforms

Keep available for future consideration.

ARTICLE IX: Committees

  1. Steering Committee
  2. Training Committee
  3. Equipment Committee
  4. Communications Committee
  5. Additional committees can be formed at the discretion of the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE X: Organizational Chart

ARTICLE XI:Responsibility of MCI Resource Hosting Agency

The agency that is responsible for hosting the MCI Resources (Truck and Trailer) will play a very important part in the success of this program. The following is a list of obligations that the hosting agency agrees to perform.

  1. Maintaining the resources in a temperature controlled, secure location.
  1. Perform monthly inventory checks of the equipment and supplies.
  1. Perform necessary preventive maintenance on the equipment.
  1. Rotate supplies with sponsoring medical center, prior to expiration.
  1. Make the resource available to strike team members for non-deployment activities.
  1. Deploy the resource within 15 minutes of being notified.
  1. Remain with the resource upon arrival to an incident, until relieved by strike team member(s). The goal is to provide this relief within one hour of deployment. Transportation will be provided upon request.
  1. Provide access to team members following deployment in order to restock and re-inventory trailer equipment and supplies.

ARTICLE XII: Amendments & Changes

  1. Changes to these bylaws may be made at any time. All recommended changes must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Steering Committee at a “special” public posted meeting. All changes must than be approved by the DPC and DPOC.
  1. Any Active Member of DISTRICT 1 MCMRST may propose amendments. Such proposals must be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing. All proposed amendments will be discussed at the next scheduled Executive Committee meeting.

ARTICLE XIII: Availability

Keep available for future consideration.

ARTICLE XIV: Hierarchy

Nothing in these bylaws shall be construed to supersede the authority of the FEMA, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, or District 1 Taskforce. In the event of any conflict between these policies and those of the organizations referenced above, the latter shall prevail.

ARTICLE XV: Adoption

Recommendations approved by the Steering Committee must be approved by the DPC.

ARTICLE XVI: Appendix

All attached articles will be assigned by appendix distinction and revisions may be made and attached at any time without further notice

District 1 Mass Casualty/Medical Response Strike Team Activation

All District 1 MCMRST activations shall originate from a local, county, district, or state agency by calling the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at (219) 755-3333. If you are unable to make contact, please contact the Indiana Emergency Operations Center at (800) 669-7362 or (317) 233-6115. Activation of the team will be made by utilization of the emergency notification system. Once contacted, team commandersshall respond by returning telephone contact to the Sate Operations Center 1-800-669-7362 to verify the activation and scope of the response. This process will ensure an accurate timeline on activation and response times. The State Operations Center shall notify the required Department of Homeland Security Staff concerning the response. Below is a call list of team commanders for direct communication.

Team Member Activation:

  • Once a request has been made either by Department of Homeland Security Emergency Operations Center or via a mutual aid request from an Emergency Service Organization, the Team Commanders will be notified to discuss what resources and response type is necessary.
  • Once the initial briefing between Team Commanders has occurred, the team responders will be notified via alphanumeric paging system informing team responders of the request for deployment. Surrounding county responders will contact the designated county contact person to advise of availability. Then each county contact person will contact the team Communications Officer to inform personnel accountability.
  • Team Members should respond to the designated staging area for deployment.

Method of activation

  • Team will be alerted of activation via alphanumeric paging to cell phone or pager.
  • Direct contact from designated county communication / staging personnel.

Activation staging locations

  • Based on the location of the response and the number of resources needed.
  • Staging areas may be established in multiple counties in the district.
  • Once activation and request for resources has been made, information will be sent via page to all members listed on team roster. Along with initial information, contact information and location of staging sites will be decided upon and sent.
  • Responders should report to staging locations or, at minimum, contact staging location and/or inform them of your ETA to staging location so an adequate accounting of responders is available and a response team can be organized.

All counties may not have staging locations and responders may be requested to stage in a different county than their home county due to geographic location.

Communications

Radio Operations:

  • Initial Radio operations will be on the 800 MHz Hoosier Safety Frequency as outlined by the state of Indiana. Contact will be made with the State EOC on the 800 MHz Frequency with the State Wide Mutual Aid Channel.
  • Once on scene, units will go to local channel, if possible, to communicate with incident command or to make personal contact with Incident Command. If not able to do so by radio, Unit Commander will establish a communications plan at this point whether it is by cell phone or by separate radio channels.
  • Once on scene, responders with the MTF trailer will be issued mobile radios from the trailer and units will operate off of this commercial frequency, if needed.
  • Alternate Communications: Personnel on scene should have a cell phone and your number should be left with Logistics and Communication Officers when arriving on scene.

Identification

Identification

  • All responders should have an issued MTF photo ID card with ready pack.
  • All responders reporting to a scene of an emergency must have (1) one of the following with them: DISTRICT 1 MCMRST ID, drivers license,or a department issued ID card.
  • The MRT team will create a temporary ID card for all responders responding to an incident. This will serve as an accountablility system.
  • Both forms of ID should be carried during an incident and be clearly visible at all times.

Command Officer Guidelines