Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness

Be Prepared

Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness (DMEP) teaches planning methods, preparedness, and medical management of trauma patients in mass casualty disaster situations. Through lecture and interactive scenarios, you’ll learn incident command terminology, principles of disaster triage, injury patterns, and availability of assets for support.

View DMEP Courses

How do I bring Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness (DMEP) to my site?

Review the requirements below and contact traumaeducation@facs.org if your site meets them. The first course will require an evaluation by national faculty and final approval by the program director, so please contact our office before scheduling your first course. In the case of international sites, respective the Region Chief and Country Chair should also be notified.

What are the requirements for hosting a DMEP course?

Must have a qualified DMEP course director
On-site coordinator for scheduling of students and resources, and to ensure completion of paperwork
Two to three qualified DMEP instructors for 15–30 students, and three DMEP instructors for 31–40 students
A room with A/V capabilities that can comfortably hold the participants and faculty. A DMEP course generally has 15-40 students.

How do I become a DMEP instructor?

Please consult the Instructor Candidate Form for requirements.

How do I order DMEP materials?

If you register to take a DMEP course, the course site will provide you with a manual. If you are not registered to take a course and are still interested in purchasing a manual, please visit the ACS Store.

How do I search and register for a DMEP course?

Search for a course online, and contact the site coordinator about registration and costs associated with the course.

How much does a DMEP course cost?

Each course site determines the pricing of the course. Please contact the site whose course you are interested in attending.

Who do I contact if I have not received my Certificate of Attendance or CME certificate?

If you have not received your CME certificate or Certificate of Attendance, contact the site coordinator where you took the course.

For all other inquiries, contact traumaeducation@facs.org.

DMEP will be offered several times this year at different locations. Participants will be able to demonstrate:

Understand the surgical problems, injury patterns, and issues that may result from disasters
Discuss the role that surgeons can play in planning for and responding to mass casualty incidents and disasters, especially at the hospital level
Become familiar with the terms and concepts of incident command
Understand the principles and challenges of disaster triage
Become familiar with treatment principles related to blast injury, chemical attacks, and radiological dispersal devices
Know the civilian and military assets available for support

Contact Us

For any questions about the DMEP course, please contact us at traumaeducation@facs.org.

Online Course

Introducing eDMEP

The new eDMEP is a fully online course developed by the ACS in collaboration with a select group of surgeons and subject matter experts who have experience in disaster management. The overall goals of eDMEP include preparing learners to become ready for, respond to, and recover from disasters; contribute effectively to hospital disaster readiness; and use drills to practice their hospital disaster plan. In this course, learners will have the opportunity to work through a triage scenario, practicing their skills in a low-stakes environment.

A second triage scenario, Tornado, was added in March 2024. More triage scenarios coming soon.

Purchase eDMEP

Accreditation

The American College of Surgeons is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

The American College of Surgeons designates this live activity for a maximum of 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Of the AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ listed above, a maximum of 7.5 credits meet the requirements for Self-Assessment.

Of the AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ listed above, a maximum of 7.5 hours meet the requirements for Trauma.*

*The content of this activity may meet certain mandates of regulatory bodies. Please note that ACS has not and does not verify the content for such mandates with any regulatory body. Individual physicians are responsible for verifying the content satisfies such requirements.