Prehospital Emergency Care

ISSN: 1090-3127 (Print) 1545-0066 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ipec20

Role of Emergency Medical Services in Disaster

Response

National Association of EMS Physicians

To cite this article: National Association of EMS Physicians (2010) Role of Emergency
Medical Services in Disaster Response, Prehospital Emergency Care, 14:4, 543-543, DOI:
10.3109/10903127.2010.497905

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.3109/10903127.2010.497905

Published online: 01 Sep 2010.

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 POSITION STATEMENTS
ROLE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IN DISASTER RESPONSE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMS PHYSICIANS

ABSTRACT 1. Within a defined community, the local emergency

This is the official position statement of the National Asso-
ciation of EMS Physicians on the role of emergency medical
services (EMS) in disaster response. Key words National
Association of EMS Physicians; EMS; disaster; response; pre-
paredness
PREHOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE 2010;14:543
POSITION STATEMENT
The National Association of EMS Physicians believes
that:
Approved by the National Association of EMS Physicians Board of
Directors October 16, 2007. Received April 1, 2010; accepted for pub-
lication April 8, 2010.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: National Associ-
ation of EMS Physicians, P.O. Box 19570, Lenexa, KS 66285-5945.
e-mail: info-naemsp@goAMP.com
doi: 10.3109/10903127.2010.497905
medical services (EMS) authority should have a
lead role in disaster response and collaborate with
other appropriate agencies in a unified command
structure as determined by the specific disaster.
2. EMS physicians and administrators should par-
ticipate in the four phases of disaster manage-
ment for a defined community (mitigation, plan-
ning, response, and recovery).
3. EMS providers are uniquely positioned to re-
spond to disasters and work within an inci-
dent command system (ICS). Therefore, EMS
providers should be utilized in disaster response
at a local level and encouraged to work together
and/or participate with support teams such as
community emergency response teams (CERTs),
medical reserve corps (MRCs), and disaster med-
ical assistance teams (DMATs).
4. EMS physicians and administrators should plan
to address the following issues in anticipation
of EMS providers’ participating in disaster re-
sponse: licensure, worker protection, liability pro-
tection, surge capacity, documentation, and stress
management.

543