The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) is a section within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Response Division and Operations Branch. Working in partnership with the Departments of Health & Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) the NDMS section provides immediate medical response assets. It provides a "nationwide mutual aid system" that augments the U.S. emergency medical response capability. The Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) are comprised of physicians, nurses and paramedics able to set up portable hospitals on site of the disaster to provide relief from taxing all of the resources of the local hospitals (National Disaster Medical System, FEMA.gov). This structure response system has been created by the Department of Homeland Security in response to the past failed responses using the guidelines set forth by the National Incident Management System. Emergency Medical System takes command and control the multiple positions and teams on scene; triage, treatment, staging and transportation. .
Triage is the process where systematic sorting of patients and prioritizing their medical needs based on the severity of their condition is performed. This function is usually carried out by first responders, EMTs and Paramedics that initially arrive on the scene. Depending upon the magnitude and geographical areas, this task is completed by multiple personnel with communications to a designated triage officer. Triage may pose an ethical dilemma to the immediate responders due to the limited treatment resources immediately available in relation to the number of injured persons in various states of health (WMA). Injured people are typically categorized into those who are "deceased," those in need of "immediate" care, those who can receive "delayed" care, and the "walking wounded" who need only minor care.
