Fema Disaster Medical Assistance Team Honored With "Everyday Heroes" Award

Release Date: November 4, 2004 Release Number: HQ-04-236

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In recognition of their work following Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) based in Tampa, Fla., was honored this morning with a Court TV Everyday Hero Award during ceremonies in Washington, DC. Team Commander Ron Wegner accepted the award at a breakfast honoring the Court TV Everyday Hero Award recipients.

"We are proud of the work of Ron and his Florida FEMA DMAT team members," said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Homeland Security and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The incredible work of the medical teams in response to all of the Florida hurricanes helped thousands of people with critical medical care."

Wegner and the 35 member medical team he commands were the first team to deploy to the hard hit areas of Florida following Hurricane Charley. One month later they played a critical role in response to Hurricane Ivan in the Panhandle. In all, the FEMA Florida DMAT treated more than 1,000 patients injured as a result of the hurricanes. More than 9,500 patients were treated by FEMA DMATs following the four hurricanes that hit Florida.

FEMA DMATs are part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which is one of the resources brought to FEMA since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

FEMA DMATs have recently responded to large-scale disasters including The World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, and the Bam, Iran Earthquake in December 2003. NDMS Teams have also been deployed in 2004 to support the G8 Summit in Georgia, the National Democratic Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York.

Court TV's Everyday Heroes Award honors individuals who have shown acts of courage or bravery and they have been honoring recipients with the award for the past four years.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.