When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast last year, Edina paramedic and firefighter Ryan Quinn, fire marshall Jeff Siems and police officer Eric Carlson traveled to Queens, New York, as part of the Minnesota Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). DMAT is a federally coordinated disaster relief program. Its members are called into service during times of national significance, such as natural disasters that have critically affected a region’s infrastructure.
During the —13-day mission to the East Coast, members of MN-1 DMAT supported a shelter at Queens College, providing medical aid for up to 700 residents, from newborns to nursing home tenants. The team also supported Brookdale Hospital in New York, a high-volume trauma center, setting up an impromptu triage and patient intake center in the lobby that eased the patient surge. Finally, the team worked side-by-side with the National Guard during a search and rescue mission of the Barrier Islands, clearing more than 100,000 homes with the support of volunteers, and providing medical relief to those who had been stranded by the hurricane.
“The relationships established with the volunteers and the displaced members of the community remain the most significant part of my experience,” says Siems. “While we never wish for anything bad to happen to others, being a part of their healing and recovery makes us stronger returning home.”
