Disaster response from Australia: What is the role of Forward Teams?

Summary•Large scale Australian civilian medical assistance teams were first deployed overseas in 2004.•The deployment of small Forward Teams in the early phase of a health disaster response allows for informed decisions on whether, and in what form, to deploy larger medical assistance teams.•The prime consideration is to support the capacity of local services to respond to the specific needs of the affected population.•In addition, Australian citizens caught up in large numbers in overseas disasters may need health assistance.