Paramedic Lt. Robert Konig of Chalfont and paramedic/firefighter James Herb of Collegeville are back home from Washington, D.C., after providing medical support during the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush.
Both Konig and Herb serve as members of the National Disaster Medical System’s (NDMS) Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).
During the time the public paid their respects, NDMS personnel along with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers stood ready to provide advanced life support and basic medical care to the thousands of people from around the nation who attended the event.
NDMS is a federally administered program that can support communities with medical care, veterinarian care and mortuary assistance during disasters or public health emergencies. NDMS is among the resources made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The team also works behind the scenes at some of the nation’s biggest events, often at the request of the Office of the Attending Physician and the U.S. Capitol Police.
