Unsolicited Medical Personnel Volunteering at Disaster Scenes

Reaffirmed October 2008 by the ACEP Board of Directors
Approved by the ACEP Board of Directors June 2002 

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) believe an organized approach is needed for the utilization of unsolicited medical personnel who volunteer to respond to disaster scenes or mass casualty incidents. To ensure the efficient, effective, and safe mobilization of such volunteer medical resources, medical command must come under the authority of the medical director for the emergency medical services (EMS) system and the jurisdiction's established incident command system (ICS). This practice will ensure the integration of all medical functions in the area and accountability under the jurisdiction's established (ICS) without hampering authorized and established functioning rescue efforts.

Volunteer medical personnel (eg, physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians, etc.) should not respond to a disaster scene unless officially requested by the jurisdiction's established ICS. All personnel must understand the authority and resources of local EMS and health care systems, the importance of staffing their facilities as their primary responsibility, and the dangerous conditions associated with on-site operations.