INDIANA CRISIS ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM

          "Called to respond with respect                                         for those in crisis."

Who We Are

Unexpected traumatic events can overwhelm a person and a community physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I-CART is a crisis response team that assists victims and survivors of crime, trauma, and disasters at the scene of a traumatic event or at a designated site following the event. By providing a safe place for those affected to debrief about their situation, I-CART team members allow individuals to share their crisis reactions with others involved.  By debriefing those affected, we hope our crisis intervention support session will minimize further crisis reactions and help provide education and support on the topic.  I-CART follows the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) crisis response model and protocol.

All I-CART response team members have successfully completed the NOVA basic training in community crisis response.  All response team members are volunteers and include mental health professionals, nurses and individuals associated with law enforcement, fire departments, victim assistance, the faith-based community, emergency management and hospitals.

I-CART is included in the comprehensive emergency management plan for Marion County.  The services and expertise provided by I-CART are designed to be a supplemental resource to:

• Law enforcement agencies
• Fire departments
• Victim assistance
• Chaplains
• American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis
• Emergency Management
• Other responses established in Indiana
• Mental Health Therapists

Our Mission

To provide:

• A network of trained professionals coordinated through a single system to respond to the needs of victims of disaster or traumatic events in a timely and planned way by allowing them to talk about the specific disaster or event that occured.
• Our objective is to provide a safe place to debrief about the current situation.
• Since mental health counseling is not provided by our team members, referrals can be made to those in need.
• These services are free of charge and offered with dignity and respect for individual and cultural differences.