The Disaster Response Team (DRT) of the Maryland State Funeral Directors Association (MSFDA) was created to respond to mass fatality incidents in the state of Maryland as well as being available to assist in other areas of the Country.  Following the same operating and training procedures as the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) - a federal level response unit, the DRT is a first responder to mass fatality incidents and can quickly deploy to a crisis. The DRT is also available to work in concert with DMORT and some members of MSFDA’s disaster response team are also members of DMORT.


       The DRT’s mission is to perform all necessary functions required to resolve an incident which include, but are not limited to, embalming, funeral directing, shipping, logistics, safety, security, and family assistance, as well as all aspects of mass fatality response and the required paperwork involved in the resolution of the incident.

       MSFDA’s disaster response members consist of licensed funeral directors and other professionals who specialize in areas such as computer/information technology.  All members receive extensive mass fatality awareness training and are certified to respond to such emergency incidents.  Training involves classroom instruction and mock disaster incident drills that are coordinated with local, state and federal emergency agencies. Mass fatality training is provided by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certified instructor as well as senior DRT members who have had direct experience in responding to emergency situations.  The DRT works closely with local, state and federal agencies such as the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Preparedness Response (DHMH), Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland (OCME).  DRT members also receive continuous training subsequent to certification through drills coordinated with these emergency response agencies which enable DRT members to stay current and fully prepared to respond to any emergency. The DRT can be activated by the following agencies: OCME, MEMA, DHMH, FEMA, the U.S. Office of Homeland Security, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). When called upon by local fire or police, the DRT will respond in conjunction with the aforementioned agencies.Since the inception of MSFDA’s DRT, many members have been deployed to mass fatality and emergency situations such as to Louisiana and Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More recently, one of our members who is also a member of DMORT, was part of the deployment to Haiti, responding to the devastation caused by an earthquake.


       The DRT is working with Maryland state, county and Baltimore City emergency preparedness managers to assist with their crisis response procedures, and MSFDA’s certification training model is being used for those plans.

Use the Links Below to learn more about the Disaster Response Team:

DRT ACTIVITIES / RESPONSE

DRT MEMBERS

CONTACT THE DRT