Disaster Action Teams

Teams on Call | Dispatch | Commitment | Communication | Requirements

Disaster Action Teams are the chapter's first contact with a local disaster. Usually the response is requested by the community's first responders: police and fire.

Teams on Call.

• Eight Disaster Action Teams, each on call between 5pm and 8am, one week out of eight. Teams include
  • Members in Training (MITs)
  • Fully qualified DAT members (DATs)
  • A Team Relief Leader
  • A Team Leader
  • At least one Health Services responder
  • At least one Mental Health Responder
• Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, and Columbia Counties have Outlying Responder Teams responding in their local areas.
• Some MITs and DATs also participate as Daytime Responders, signing up to respond between 8am and 5pm on specified days.

Dispatch

• Daytime dispatch is handled by volunteers at the fire call desk in Emergency Services. First responders call for an OTC response and the fire call volunteer calls in responders from the Daytime Responder List.
• Nighttime dispatch is handled by the after-hours answering service, and emergency calls are routed to the DAT Leader for the DAT Team on call that week, or to the Outlying Response Lead of the affected county.

Commitment. Being a DAT (or MIT) requires a certain level of commitment on the part of the volunteer. When you choose to join a team as a Member in Training, your commitment is to be available during the specified time period .

Importance of good communication . Once a fire or other disaster occurs, each failed contact effort by the leader or coordinator extends the time it takes for the Red Cross to arrive on the scene. These delays can result in a loss of confidence by first responders (police and fire) and unacceptable delays in the delivery of services to victims. You can help control this response time by arranging your schedule with your Red Cross commitment in mind, and by communicating changes in the schedule to your leader or coordinator before the disaster occurs.

DAT Requirements

Training and experience requirerments for each of the DAT positions are listed in the DAT Requirements chart (pdf version). The DAT positions currently are:

• MIT (Member in Training) (application form, fillable)
• DAT (full DAT member) (application form, fillable)
• Relief Leader (see requirements chart)
• Leader (see requirements chart)
• Coordinator (see requirements chart)

Please note that DAT requirements and procedures are under review and could change at any time.