The requirement for timely, agile, effective, and scalable local EMT response is well demonstrated in disasters and complex emergencies. Given ongoing climate and geopolitical challenges, potential for civil conflict, and the stress on prehospital and health systems post COVID; it is imperative that we ensure local EMTs are appropriately trained and prepared. In recent years a focus for WHO has been to build strong national disaster medical responses, through developing national standards, and embracing community readiness and resilience. Early local disaster medical responses, is considered most important in major emergencies.

Review capacity and standards for Victorian Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT’s) within national and global contexts

We undertook a review of a State based jurisdictional EMT the Victorian Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) to assess the current state of cache, staffing, training, and exercising via stakeholder surveys and onsite visits. In addition, we undertook a literature review including, Medline search, local and international policies, standards and reviewed best practice international and national exemplar EMTs.

In the post pandemic recovery phase, the local Emergency Medical teams have had substantial pressures that negatively impacted training and exercising, and were compounded by staff turnover, maintenance of equipment cache and deployment challenges.

Due to post pandemic pressures, we note the significant challenges to EMTs. As a result of our review, we have formed a local EMT working group to look at outcomes for consideration of number and placement of teams in order to facilitate best practice in team and kit management, rapid mobilization, training and exercising.