Preparing Local Professional Community Emergency Response Teams for Mass Casualty Incidents: Lessons Learned from Israel Since October 7, 2023

The response to disasters or mass casualty incidents requires a multi-hazard approach and a rapid, comprehensive response. Community Emergency Response Teams have been formed around the world, where civilians, often laypersons, are integrated into local disaster response. Professionals have been organized into Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, where they are deployed to respond to a distant site. During the October 7, 2023, large-scale attacks in southern Israel, the country found itself in a new and unfamiliar reality. Initiatives began to prepare the population for possible future MCIs. The objective of this article is to describe initiatives that have developed throughout Israel to train medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, and paramedical personnel in local disaster response. These became known as Professional Community Emergency Response Teams. This includes those trained through Magen David Adom, Israel's National Emergency Medical Service, and those through a Frontline Emergency Medicine model.