Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
•
During evaluation:
•
Determine issues (e.g., fragmentation,
difficult excavation).
•
Take initial pictures of site.
•
Determine total number of remains and
their location.
•
Determine initial number of cases for
autopsy.
3.
Plan incident specific operations with
appropriate agencies
(e.g., Law Enforcement,
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team
(DMORT), Emergency Manager, and Depart-
ment of Public Health)
•
•
Establish effective communications
between Holding Morgue, Temporary
Morgue, Family Assistance Center (FAC),
and the ME/C Headquarters.
•
Avoid 24-hour operations when possible.
4.
Assemble necessary resources
•
See Resource Management.
Resource Management
1.
Personnel.
•
Determine and assemble personnel who can
operate in PPE and assist in the response
effort.
•
Determine and assign responsible jurisdic-
tion's ME/C personnel to supervisory posi-
tions.
•
Form teams with local ME/C and law
enforcement for each function.
•
Determine if additional non-ME/C
personnel are needed and assign task to
each.
•
Establish shifts/breaks with PPE limitations
in mind.
•
Coordinate water/hydration stations.
•
Establish support for ME/C staff (e.g., Crit-
ical Incident Stress Management (CISM)).
2.
Assemble other agencies according to estab-
lished plan.
•
Local agencies: HazMat teams, funeral
home directors, surrounding ME/Cs, local
forensic labs, public health department, etc.
•
State agencies: Department of Environ-
ment, National Guard, public health depart-
ment.
•
Federal agencies: Disaster Mortuary Oper-
ational Response Team (DMORT), Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
•
Military agencies: Joint Task Force—Civil
Support.
•
Volunteer agencies: American Red Cross
(ARC).
3.
Assemble equipment according to estab-
lished plan.
•
Coordinate
security
requirements
for
remains
processing
with
Incident
Commander.
Determine morgue requirements and loca-
tion: Holding Morgue and Temporary
Morgue.
•
•
Try to co-locate Mass Fatality Manage-
ment functions in close proximity to one
another.
Determine decontamination solvents and
safe handling procedures based on the
specific agent.
•
Establish criteria for autopsy based on
ME/C capability and Law Enforcement
evidence requirements.
•
•
Determine chemical monitoring method
and procedures, monitoring location and
who will perform the monitoring.
•
To obtain accurate chemical vapor
concentration reading, monitor bodies at
the same temperature that they will be
processed.
Create infrastructure to process remains
(see processing flow of contaminated
remains diagram on the back of this guide).
•
•
Establish who, what, when, where, and
how for each function of Remains
Processing.
Personnel must continue to wear PPE
until remains are verified clean by
chemical agent monitoring.
•
Evaluate requirements for embalming
based on incident circumstances.
Appropriate level of PPE for personnel.
•
Waterproof durable tracking tool.
•
