---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 5144"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "5144"
heading: "Emergency support and response teams"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/5144"
units:
  - "Chapter 68 — Disaster Relief"
  - "Subchapter III — Major Disaster and Emergency Assistance Administration"
---

# §5144. Emergency support and response teams

- (a) **Emergency support teams—** The President shall form [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) support teams of Federal personnel to be deployed in an area affected by a [major disaster](/usc/42/5122.md?p=2) or [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1). Such [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) support teams shall assist the Federal coordinating officer in carrying out his responsibilities pursuant to this chapter. Upon request of the President, the head of any [Federal agency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=9) is directed to detail to temporary duty with the [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) support teams on either a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, as is determined necessary by the President, such personnel within the administrative jurisdiction of the head of the [Federal agency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=9) as the President may need or believe to be useful for carrying out the functions of the [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) support teams, each such detail to be without loss of seniority, pay, or other employee status.
- (b) **Emergency response teams—**
  - (1) **Establishment—** In carrying out [subsection (a)](#a), the President, acting through the [Administrator](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-7) of the Federal [Emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) Management [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), shall establish—
    - (A) at a minimum 3 national response teams; and
    - (B) sufficient regional response teams, including Regional Office strike teams under [section 317 of title 6](/usc/6/317.md); and
    - (C) other response teams as may be necessary to meet the incident management responsibilities of the Federal Government.
  - (2) **Target capability level—** The [Administrator](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-7) shall ensure that specific target capability levels, as defined pursuant to the guidelines established under [section 746(a) of title 6](/usc/6/746.md?p=a), are established for Federal [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) response teams.
  - (3) **Personnel—** The President, acting through the [Administrator](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-7), shall ensure that the Federal [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) response teams consist of adequate numbers of properly planned, organized, equipped, trained, and exercised personnel to achieve the established target capability levels. Each [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) response team shall work in coordination with [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4) and local officials and onsite personnel associated with a particular incident.
  - (4) **Readiness reporting—** The [Administrator](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-7) shall evaluate team readiness on a regular basis and report team readiness levels in the report required under [section 752(a) of title 6](/usc/6/752.md?p=a).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 93–288, title III, § 303, formerly § 304, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 148; renumbered § 303, Pub. L. 100–707, title I, § 105(c), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4691; amended Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 633, Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1421; Pub. L. 111–351, § 3(c)(2), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3864.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 93–288, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 143. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 5121 of this title and Tables.

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 303 of Pub. L. 93–288 was renumbered section 302 by Pub. L. 100–707 and is classified to section 5143 of this title.

### Amendments

2011—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 111–351 substituted “Administrator” for “Director” wherever appearing.

2006—Pub. L. 109–295 substituted “Emergency support and response teams” for “Emergency support teams” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted subsec. heading, and added subsec. (b).