ID
3-508-1236
Name
Emergency Medical Services Task Force
Status
Published
Version
1.5
Updated
11/15/2019 5:47:37 PM
Original Release
06/19/2018
Last Major Release
11/15/2019
Description
The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Task Force is an operational grouping of EMS resources for a medical mission with common communications and a leader that interfaces with the supported healthcare resources
Resource Category
Emergency Medical Services
Primary Core Capability
Public Health, Healthcare, and Emergency Medical Services
Secondary Core Capability
Resource Kind
Task Force
Overall Function
The EMS Task Force:
1. Provides a range of emergency medical services, such as assessment, treatment, and transport, of a wide range of patients, including complex and critical patients, using a range of vehicles, staff, equipment, and supplies
2. Delivers EMS within a variety of functional capacities, such as:
a. Servicing gatherings of large populations, including those in austere or remote environments
b. Augmenting jurisdictional prehospital EMS resources
c. Supporting interfacility treatment and transport
Composition and Ordering Specifications
1. Discuss logistics for deploying this task force, such as working conditions, length of deployment, security, lodging, transportation, and meals, prior to deployment
2. Discuss integration with local EMS resources
3. The number of resources necessary depends on the nature of the mission, logistics, intensity of demand, duration of service activity, and allowance for rest periods
4. A Type 3 EMS Task Force consists of Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) resources and a task force leader
5. A Type 2 EMS Task Force also includes logistics and command resources; while this document reflects only the addition of command and logistics personnel, task forces may include additional lighting vehicles, high-capacity medical buses, and other equipment
6. A Type 1 EMS Task Force also includes critical care and advanced medical capabilities for treating and transporting high acuity patients; while this document reflects only additional medical personnel, task forces may include critical care air ambulances and other specialty equipment
7. Requestor and provider should discuss:
a. The need for specialized capabilities, including hazardous materials response, neonatal care, or high-level infectious disease treatment
b. Vehicle maintenance needs
c. Medical oversight for this task force
d. The need for additional resources, such as specialty medical buses, ambulance strike teams, emergency care teams, mobile medical units, fixed and rotary wing air ambulances (critical or non-critical care), personnel and equipment for treatment and transport of unique or specialty medical needs, and law enforcement
e. Mission duration, operating hours, and the need for additional personnel to ensure an appropriate work-rest ratio and personnel safety
Supporting Core Capabilities |
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None |
Components | ||||||||||||
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Component | Notes | |||||||||||
Minimum Personnel Per Task Force | Not Specified |
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Management and Oversight Personnel Per Task Force | 1. For a Type 1 task force, the EMS Medical Officer should be an emergency medical or critical care physician (board certified or board eligible); alternatively, a board-certified emergency medical or critical care physician should be available remotely for consultation. 2. Request additional division/group supervisors as needed to support management and oversight of specific task force functions. |
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Support Personnel Per Task Force | 1. Request aeromedical transport teams – either rotary wing or fixed wing – separately. 2. Registered nurses on Type 1 teams should have specialty certification, training, or daily practice in critical care. 3. Transporting critical care patients may require additional resources and clinicians. |
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EMS Capability Per Task Force | Not Specified |
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Transportation Equipment Per Task Force | 1. Ambulances should be state licensed or certified and be of a type and size that matches the need. 2. Request additional vehicles as needed for command and logistics capabilities. |
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Emergency Medical Equipment Per Task Force | Not Specified |
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Per Task Force Member | The following regulation addresses PPE: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.132: Personal Protective Equipment. |
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Communications Equipment Per Task Force | Consider alternate forms of communication, such as satellite phones, based on the mission assignment and task force needs. |
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Notes |
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References |
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Reference |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Ambulance Strike Team |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Emergency Care Team |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Air Ambulance Fixed Wing Critical Care |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Air Ambulance Fixed Wing Non-Critical Care |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Air Ambulance Rotary Wing Critical, |
FEMA, NIMS 508: Air Ambulance Rotary Wing Non-Critical Care |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Ambulance Operator |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Emergency Medical Services Task Force Leader |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Emergency Medical Services Logistics Officer |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Emergency Medical Technician |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Emergency Medical Services Medical Officer |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Emergency Medical Services Operations Officer |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Communications Unit Leader |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Registered Nurse |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Paramedic |
FEMA, National Incident Management System (NIMS), October 2017 |
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.132: Personal Protective Equipment, latest edition adopted |
OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910.134: Respiratory Protection, latest edition adopted |
OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910.1030: Bloodborne Pathogens, latest edition adopted |
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Emergency Medical Services Scope of Practice, 2007 |