What is DMORT?

The Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  DMORT, a component of the National Disaster Medical System may be requested by any state or local jurisdiction.  The request is made via the local Emergency Operations Center, which will asses and then forward the request to the State Emergency Operations Center.  The SEOC will then assist in the formal request for federal resources such as DMORT.  All requests for assistance should be sent via the local Emergency Operations Center.  The National Response Plan assigns the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Section under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8).

DMORT's are composed of private citizens, each with a particular field of expertise in forensic science, evidence recovery and processing, funeral service, or mortuary operations.  These individuals are activated during disaster events in which local resources are deemed insufficient.  All DMORT members are required to maintain any appropriate licensure and certification within their discipline.  When activated, DMORT members are compensated for their duty time by the Federal Government as a temporary Federal employee.  During emergency response, DMORT's work under the direction of local authorities by providing technical assistance and personnel to recover, identify, and process deceased victims of mass fatality events. 

DMORT is composed of several functional groups.  These groups are the DMORT Administration, Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU), the Family Assistance Center (FAC), and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Decontamination Team (WMD). 

DMORT Administration provides team organization and leadership, general administrative functions, planning, and logistical support for field operations. 

DPMU is comprised of a team of specialists (Red Shirts) who are responsible for the transportation, setup, and operations of the Portable Morgue Unit and its associated equipment.  They provide for the needs of the staff who work within the morgue itself to accomplish the mission of DMORT in the recovery and identification of victims of mass fatality events.  Two DPMUs are maintained and staged at FEMA logistics Centers in Rockville, MD and San Jose, CA.  It contains a complete morgue with designated workstations for each forensic/identification discipline.    

FAC is composed of individuals who work directly with surviving family members involved with mass fatality incidents.  A major goal of the FAC is to collect vital information on possible victims so that those working in the morgue will have factual information on which to base identifications.

WMD is responsible for the decontamination processing of remains as a result of a chemical, biological, or nuclear event.  Find out more about DMORT-WMD.

Why have DMORT?

DMORT is an asset of the federal government that provides support to local and state governments during a mass fatality event.  Such an event can be defined as any event which overwhelms the resources of the local government.  Cities and counties have differing response capabilities to such events, and what may be easily handled by a large municipality, can quickly surpass the ability of a small town or county. 

During a mass fatality event, DMORT can provide:

Who composes DMORT?