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MISSION
The Illinois Medical
Emergency Response Team (IMERT) will respond to and assist with
emergency medical treatment at mass casualty incidents, including,
but not limited to, chemical, biological, and radiological incidents,
when a need is identified. The team will respond when activated
by the Director of Public Health or designee in collaboration with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
In addition,
members of IMERT will coordinate and participate in educational
programs throughout Illinois to EMS System participants.
HISTORY
The IMERT concept
emerged in 1999 when a small group of emergency physicians, nurses,
and toxicologists met with individuals in the Division of Emergency
Medical Services of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The
initial intent of the group was to assess the level of awareness
and preparedness of emergency department personnel in Illinois to
respond to a large-scale WMD event that might overwhelm hospitals
and surrounding communities.
Although
planning to enhance preparedness for a major incident was underway
in many large cities, the Illinois group realized that the state
as a whole needed a network of coordinated mutual support and a
more systematic approach to responding to a large scale catastrophe.
They realized that it was important to develop organized protocols,
formalize communications systems and recognize a core of specially
prepared responders to assist in case of a mass casualty event,
including one resulting from a WMD.
In the
summer of 1999, The Illinois Department of Public Health, along
with this group, applied for and received a grant from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for see funding for the
Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) to develop educational
and infrastructure to formalize the ability to respond to mass casualty
events.
ILLINOIS MEDICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
(IMERTEC)
The IMERT Executive
Council (IMERTEC) was created to oversee the development of IMERT.
Members include emergency physicians, nurses, and paramedics with
leadership experience in EMS and disaster planning, as well as selected
individuals with relevant military and technical expertise. Advisors
from governmental agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Public
Health (IDPH), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the US
Public Health Service (USPHS) also sit on IMERTEC.
TEAM COMPOSITION
A standard IMERT response
will consist of two medical teams of (minimally) four to five medical personnel and additional support staff. The
team will be comprised of a Physician (MD or DO), Registered Nurse
(RN), Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P or EMT-I), and one or
two other members, with a minimum of Emergency Medical Technician
Basic (EMT-B) qualification. Support staff for a team consists of a safety specialists, logistics specialists, communications specialists, and information technologies specialists.
Team
positions have also been developed for allied health professionals (ex. Physician Assistant and Dentist).
Teams are organized throughout
the state, based on 3 Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) regions and in conjunction
with the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) in the City
of Chicago. Teams are supported with appropriate equipment and provided
with educational opportunities. Currently, there are approximately
1200 medically trained volunteers located throughout the state.
SPECIALTY TEAMS
IMERT also has multiple specialty teams. The specialty teams have similar composition to general team members but they have additional training in the specialty area of that team. At this time we have a specialty team that provide medical support for the members of the state Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team when they are at the scene of an incident. We have a (Command) team of personnel trained in disaster management and incident command. We are currently forming a specialty (Peds) team for pediatric patients and pediatric associated needs in disaster situations.
DEPLOYMENTS
IMERT has been actively participating in drills, trainings, and deployments since 2003. To view a list of all the deployments and pre-deployments IMERT has participated in CLICK HERE.
Our most prominent deployment was our initial response to Hurricane Katrina. On August 30, 2005, the State of Louisiana sent out an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request for medical assistance. The EMAC request was received by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and forwarded to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). IDPH contacted the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) with the intention of using IMERT volunteers to fulfill the request. 51 IMERT members were dispatched. The team was assigned to go to the Louisiana State University (LSU) Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) to assist with a field hospital. This assignment came from the Louisiana’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). IMERT teams combined with New Mexico DMAT team, U.S. Public Health Service and local providers to staff the hospital 24 hours a day. The PMAC field hospital treated more than 6,100 patients, handled 15,000 evacuees, and inoculated 500 Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and 150 Louisiana State Police personnel throughout the course of the deployment. Overall, the mission was a huge success for IMERT and IDPH.
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