About Our Teams

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)

The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The State of NH has 13 MRC units with over 860 registered volunteers. These volunteers are vital to the States ability to fulfill Point of Dispensing (POD), sheltering, and community preparedness requirements and demands.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

New Hampshire currently has 20 active Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) around the state that actively assist communities with disasters, special events, and other items as necessary. The CERT program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters is built and enhanced.

New Hampshire Disaster Animal Response Team (NHDART)

In response to the federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, the New Hampshire Disaster Animal Response Team (NHDART) was formed in June, 2007 and in 2011, became a committee of Volunteer NH. Since reorganizing in 2011, NHDART has focused on training existing disaster response teams in Emergency Animal Sheltering operations, developing stand-alone teams, and working with local and state officials to adopt shelter plans that include domestic pets. During the December, 2008 New Hampshire ice storm as many as 19 municipal shelters provided for companion animals during icy temperatures and power outages. Today, NHDART works with the State, municipalities, animal organizations and volunteer groups to help prepare for and provide animal disaster services.

Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team (DBHRT)

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has developed an organized team of mental health and other helping professionals who respond to the behavioral health needs of New Hampshire residents and responders following disasters (e.g., bio-terrorism, man-made or natural disasters). The Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team (DBHRT) is comprised of five regions that can be deployed rapidly anywhere in the state. NH DBHRT may be called to respond to disasters or critical incidents when local behavioral health resources have been depleted or are overwhelmed. The goal of the NH DBHRT is to provide an organized response to individuals, families, communities, or responders affected by critical incidents or disasters.

New Hampshire Metropolitan Medical Reserve System Task Force 1 (MMRS)

MMRS is a State wide response unit developed and funded by the US Department of Homeland Security in order to strengthen each states ability to respond to mass casualty incidents. This team increases the State emergency management and emergency medical response capability and is designed to be versatile and able to respond to a variety of scenarios effectively. The team consists of licensed paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, and medical personnel. This team’s equipment, training costs, and two paid positions are funded by a federal grant.

ESAR-VHP

ESAR-VHP is a federal program created to support states and territories in establishing standardized volunteer registration programs for disasters and public health and medical emergencies. It is federally required that each state have an ESAR-VHP registry administered at the state level and this also fulfils a Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant requirement. This registry allows volunteers identities, licenses, credentials, accreditations, and hospital privileges to all be verified in advance reducing the number of spontaneous volunteers saving time and valuable assets in emergency situations.

DHHS Emergency Services Unit Auxiliary Response Team (Current NH DHHS Employees only)

The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) is responsible for coordinating the DHHS’ planning for and response to all hazards, emergencies and disasters. Under the State Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), the DHHS has primary responsibilities for Emergency Support Function #6, Mass Care and Sheltering; and Emergency Support Function #8, Health and Medical Services. DHHS staff, in coordination with the NH division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, implement these and other programs and activities related to emergency response. We support our local communities on behalf of the DHHS.