DMORT
NATIONAL NEWS
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response
Team
January 2002 - Special Edition - Attack on America
DMORT National Commander’s Column
By Thomas J. Shepardson
On behalf of the victims,
their families, and the many agencies that DMORT has interacted with
since the terrible events of September 11, 2001, please allow me to
say thank you to the members of DMORT who have given so unselfishly
of their time and talents to help our country recover.
Even though there is no way we will ever completely recover,
your personal contribution to the recovery process has been an important
asset to the country and your fellow Americans.
Many of our people have
provided the necessary expertise to the people of New York City, Washington
DC and Pennsylvania that has allowed these communities and the victim’s
families to have the confidence that everything humanly possible is
being done to recover, properly identify and return the victims to their
families. There has never been an event in the history
of the United States that has pulled together all the assets of the
various levels of government and the private sector into one common
cause, as these events have, and
DMORT has been an important and credible factor in that process.
We can hold our heads and our hearts high for the dedicated efforts
everyone has made
To give you the perspective
of the magnitude of events over the past several months, let me give
you some statistics: New York
City World Trade Center event, 2,893 victims, of which 92 were on American
Airlines Flight #11 and 65 were on United Airlines Flight #175; Washington
DC, the Pentagon incident, 189 victims of which 64 were on American
Airlines Flight #77; Somerset County, Pennsylvania incident, 44 victims,
all on United Airlines Flight 93.
DMORT was reactivated for
American Airlines Flight #578 which crashed in New York City on November
12, 2001 with 265 victims.
In all of these incidents
DMORT has fulfilled our objective to support the local authorities. In each and every response that we have had
over the nine year history of DMORT, we have lived up to that goal,
to the credit of each of you. We
must continue with this objective of support in each of our future responses
as well. We are a resource of America, to be called
upon knowing full well that we will arrive, accomplish our intended
mission and leave, all the time supporting that local authority.
Thank you for a job well
done, even though we are still performing our task in New York City
until March 31, 2002. We give
special thanks to those team members who spent the holidays away from
their families on deployment. Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Years
, which are special times in every family, were still work days to many
of us. There was no holiday
in the recovery and identification process.
We must also thank the employers who have allowed their employees to respond to these efforts. To the fellow employees who have accepted the added workload of covering the jobs left behind by those responding, and most of all to the families of our team members who have supported their efforts, we offer a special thanks.
There were many personal stories of experiences over the past several months and many honors that were behind the scenes. The New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department were invited to participate in the first ballgame at Shea Stadium following the attack. They invited DMORT, as an outside agency, to participate with them in the ceremonies as part of their team. Several DMORT team members, in uniform, marched onto the field and held the large American flag that was displayed on the field. Shannon Dotson, in complete DMORT uniform, was asked to throw out a first ceremonial pitch with representatives of NYPD, FDNY and PAPD.
First Pitch at Shea Stadium Friday September 21, 2001
FDNY, NYPD, PAPD
And NDMS-DMORT
We were all honored as team players. Whether you were working at ground zero or the Medical Examiner’s Office, off duty, or at home waiting to be activated these individuals represented you, as DMORT was included as a participant and team player on the billboards and the field of Shea Stadium. This, and a special invitation to attend the Thanksgiving Day parade and sit in the reserved grandstand seats were only a couple of the special honors. The greatest honor for everyone was to meet and work with some of the finest professionals in the world at each of these events. We are proud to be AMERICAN CITIZENS, and that has never been more evident than over the past several months. UNITED WE STAND.
NYC Skyline – September
11, 2001The
Pentagon September 11, 2001
We pass along our congratulations
to Mark Russo, who was appointed Director of Operations at the Office
of Emergency Preparedness last month.
He replaces Gary Moore who was appointed Deputy Director of the
Office of Emergency Preparedness. We
all look forward to working with Mark as part of the TEAM EFFORT we
have all exhibited.
The National Disaster Medical System annual conference is approaching very quickly. Many of the preliminary details are behind schedule due to the ongoing activation. We will have a DMORT program again this year in Atlanta, GA from April 13 to April 17, 2002. The pre-conference program will be the Mass Fatality Course. Programs in computer training, family assistance and debriefing will be on the schedule along with presentations on the activities of the past several months.
We express our sympathy
to Fred Berry, Region 4 Deputy Team Leader on the loss of his stepmother.
Another Day of Infamy
By Dennis McGowan
On the morning of September
11th just before 9:00AM a hijacked airliner crashed into
the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Within 30 minutes a second aircraft hit the south tower of the
WTC. At about 10:00AM a third
Mobilization of DMORT Personnel
began almost immediately to New York City and Washington, DC. In the period immediately following the attack
the Pentagon decided to manage medical and mortuary needs with military
resources and DMORT personnel
were to be deployed to Pennsylvania on September 13th. This was the first time that DMORT assisted
in an FBI investigation in this capacity.
The New York incident involved
the establishment of separate operations at the New York City Medical
Examiner’s Office, at two Family Assistance Centers, at two ground
zero sites and at the Staten Island landfill.
The Disaster Portable Mortuary Unit was initially deployed to
LaGuardia Airport in New York to serve as a temporary morgue.
It was eventually relocated to the piers on the west side of
Manhattan.
In Pennsylvania, the DMORT
team grew to 57 members as the crash site was investigated and remains
were collected for DNA testing. The
operation was concluded on September 26th and DNA samples
were forwarded for processing.
Pennsylvania Crash Site
In New York, the number
of DMORT personnel grew to almost 300 at the peak of the operation,
and remains at about 14 as of this weekend.
In all, 571 DMORT team members
have been deployed at one time or another during these incidents. In addition to DMORT personnel there have been
hundreds of members from Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT), Veterinary
Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), National Medical Response Teams (NMRT),
Management Support Teams (MST), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
the Commissioned Corps Readiness Force (CCRF), the Department
of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and other agencies, including the US
military.
The USNS Comfort, a floating
250 bed rest facility for responders was deployed to New York and provided
a rehabilitation center for many of the workers at ground zero during
its two weeks on station. During
that time the US Coast Guard provided harbor security and a contingent
of US Marines provided security aboard ship.
In the aftermath of the
attacks on September 11th the total number of dead and injured
exceeds 3,000. In Washington
the death toll reached 189, while 44 died in Pennsylvania.
The New York City the number is just under 2900. The number of injuries in New York alone topped
4800.
Teams from every region
have contributed to the recovery from the events of September 11th. 
DMORT III Update
By Paul Sledzik
Commander, DMORT
III
While several DMORT teams were deployed to New York
to assist in the World Trade Center collapse response, the members of
DMORT III traveled to Somerset, Pennsylvania, to provide victim identification
services for the crash of United 93.
The flight, which crashed in nearby Shanksville, carried 38 passengers
and 6 crew. Among the passengers
were four terrorists.
The Pennsylvania Team
The response was augmented by personnel from several
other DMORT regions, in addition to two new DMORT specialty teams. Local responders and members of the state funeral
director association also provided assistance. The team arrived on September 13 at the Somerset
County National Guard armory, where the morgue had been organized.
After meeting with the local and federal authorities, the team
went to work on setting up the morgue operation.
The local jurisdiction did a superb job of providing basic equipment
for the facility.
This response marked several firsts, all of note
because of their importance for future responses. These included the deployment of the DNA team, the establishment
of protocols documenting the operation of each morgue section, responding
under a memorandum of understanding with the FBI, the response of the
FAC team and the collection of family blood reference samples, the inclusion
of a formal triage station as the first morgue station, and the first
use of the Kenyon International Services mobile morgue.
The FBI was the lead authority in the investigation
because of the criminal nature of the crash. Although victim identification responsibilities
resided with the local coroner, his capabilities were severely taxed.
Attempts to have the site declared a federal disaster through
the state proved unsuccessful. The FBI stepped in to establish a memorandum
with HHS that allowed DMORT to respond.
During the activation, the crash site was under the control of
the FBI; the DMORT operation focused on the morgue and the family assistance
center.
Since the DMORT morgue was deployed to New York,
we relied on the mobile morgue of Kenyon International Services, Inc. Kenyon did an outstanding job of outfitting
the morgue and providing supplies for the operation. The Kenyon team served as the “red shirts”, locating supplies
through local channels, tracking down unique equipment, and supporting
the morgue operation to the fullest.
Pennsylvania Morgue Site
In their first response, the DMORT DNA team, headed
by Dr. Joyce deJong, worked closely with personnel from the Armed Forces
DNA Identification Lab (AFDIL). Given
the particulars of the crash, DNA identification played a primary role
in this response. The DNA team
had trained earlier in 2001 at AFDIL, and the coordinated response with
AFDIL proved beneficial.
The DMORT Family Assistance Center team, who had
just completed training a few weeks before September 11, had their first
chance to deploy to Pennsylvania and New York.
In Pennsylvania, the team was headed by Cindy Arnold. The FAC team worked out of the Seven Spring
Mountain resort, the site of the family center established by United
Airlines. They worked closely
with United, the Red Cross, and the NTSB to collect victim information. The national travel restrictions posed some
problems in obtaining records, and some families chose not to travel
to the assistance center. Collecting
family reference blood samples for DNA analysis was established. A DMAT nurse collected and documented the samples
from family members and helped to collect direct reference samples.
Given the legal investigative aspects of the crash,
a decision was made to produce written protocols for each section of
the morgue operation. Under
the direction of Marilyn London, each section of the morgue operation
produced a written protocol explaining how the section worked.
These protocols were compiled, producing a document describing
the particulars of the United 93 morgue operation.
These protocols will serve as a tool to describe morgue procedures
in the event of legal proceedings.
Given some of the concerns involving the numbering
and processing of remains at previous responses, a triage station was
established. Staffed by a pathologist,
an anthropologist, and a dentist, the triage team sorted through the
remains, first separating personal effects from remains. Once the personal effects were transferred to the FBI, the remains
were examined to ascertain their potential for identification. Potentially identifiable remains were assigned
a sequential number, a file was created, and the specimen was carried
through the morgue operation. Non-identifiable
remains were stored in containers, weighed daily, and stored in a separate
area of the refrigerated truck. The
triage process helped to focus work on remains that would most likely
lead to identification, eliminated unidentifiable remains from the morgue
flow (also reducing unnecessary paperwork), and greatly simplified the
numbering system.
The DMORT response began on September 13 and concluded
on September 25. While on site,
ten positive identifications were made through dental and fingerprint
examinations. As of December
2001, 40 of the passengers and crew had been positively identified. Four unique DNA profiles, representing the
terrorists, have also been isolated.
Thus, all passengers and crew have been identified to the extent
possible.
DMORT III and their colleagues from Regions IV, V, IX, and X are honored
to have served the brave passengers and crew of United 93, the “flight
of heroes”. The support
and camaraderie between the local officials, the FBI, and the DMORT
teams proved invaluable to team morale.
While isolated from the events in New York and Washington, the
team focused intently on their work.
Each team member held a deep understanding of the importance
of their role in providing the highest level of care to these victims.
The Morning of Sept. 11
By Cliff Oldfield
Team Leader, Region 2
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was at the funeral home trying to get through the mountains of paperwork that we generate. The phone rang – “ Cliff, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center” my manager, John Huff, informed me in disbelief.
We talked for a few minutes
about how something like this could happen and the calls started to
come in. John was very patient with being put on hold every 10 seconds.
He knew at that point that he was losing me again. But for how long?
The second plane hit as we were still talking and I told him that I
had better get going and that I would be in touch. I called my wife
and told her where I was going and that I was ok I asked about my oldest
daughter, who works in Manhattan She had talked with her mother and
was hooking up with her husband and brother-in law, who were also in
Manhattan that day. They would make their way home to Long Island the
best way they could.
I called a neighbor and
asked him to drive me to the Medical Examiner’s office at 1st
Avenue and 30th Street. I told him not to go down 2nd
Avenue because the 59th Street Bridge was closed and the
traffic approaching the bridge would be horrible. He went down Lexington
Avenue and we sailed. The people evacuating lower Manhattan had reached
the streets and sidewalks of the area by now and were starting to create
problems with the traffic flow. I walked from Lexington and 30th
Street to1st Avenue where the Medical Examiner’s office is located.
As I walked those few blocks, I could smell and see the smoke from the
fires burning at the WTC. At each intersection I stopped and looked
south at the hole in the skyline where the buildings had stood not long
ago.
David Schomburg, Director
of Medical Legal Investigations, was in his office. The both buildings
had collapsed at this point and we just looked at each other trying
to comprehend what was happening. I had contacted Susan Rivera, our
Regional Deputy and Joe Noll our Admin. Officer to get the team ready
for the activation to come. The request for DMORT assistance was made
and a decision by the Chief
Medical Examiner to request the DPMU was made. The word came from Rockville
to deploy the Team and a staging area was setup at Stewart AFB. Susan
traveled to Stewart and Joe somehow made it to the ME office along with
some Team members. David Schomburg made space for us in the conference
room and provided phones for our use.
Bill Ambler, Commander of
the DPMU Team, arrived in Manhattan late in the afternoon and we met
with David Schomburg regarding placement of the DPMU.
Several sites were inspected and a hanger at LaGuardia Airport
was finally chosen. Bill assembled
his team and started putting the morgue in place. The MST secured rooms
in the Marriott LaGuardia hotel and the Team members from Regions I,
II, IV and V started to arrive from Stewart AFB. A move to the Sheraton
Hotel in Manhattan was subsequently engineered. This move cut our travel
time by more than half.
Meetings were held with
the Medical Examiner’s office to determine the needs for staffing
the 24-hour a day, seven day a week operation that was to be mounted.
Members of the Family Assistance Core Team were activated.
Not only was DMORT to be involved with the WTC victims but also
with the victims of the hijacked planes.
Operations of the airlines family assistance center were set
up in a hotel close to the Marriott LaGuardia. The initial WTC family
assistance center was set up the night of the 11th at a lab
building just south of the Medical Examiner’s office on 1st
Ave. Dr. Charles Hirsch, the Chief Medical Examiner, approved the DMORT
VIP forms for use in interviewing families. The FAC was moved a number
of times before it finally found a home at pier 94.
A Management Support Team
was assigned to support the needs of the Team. The responsibilities
of the MST included housing, travel of Team members, transportation
to and from the various work venues, purchasing or providing equipment
necessary for the mission , interface with the EOC and OEP in Rockville
and the welfare of the Team members.
An administrative team was
set up at the LaGuardia Marriott Hotel. This team’s responsibilities
included interface with the Management Support Team, scheduling of personnel
at all venues, insuring a personnel pool large enough to fill the requested
assignments and any matters relating to the welfare of all the Team
members.
DMORT members were assigned
to many jobs at the Medical Examiner’s office. Data entry, tracker,
runner, DNA specialists, scribes, forensic dentistry (both ante and
post mortem), supply officers, mortuary officers, medical legal investigators,
forensic anthropologist, evidence specialists and both ante mortem and
postmortem record scanners.
Team members working at
the family assistance center worked with the NYPD and input data from
the family interviews into computers and worked in an advisory capacity
to assist family members. Another
group of family assistance team members worked with both American and
United Airlines personnel to secure to information from the families
of the victims aboard the hijacked planes.
Additional team members
worked at Ground Zero. Functions there included chain of custody issues
with recovered remains, determination of bones and tissue (human vs.
non human) and determination as to whether recovered remains were members
of service (fire, police, etc.) or civilian. DPMU team members were
responsible for the setup and maintenance of the recovery morgues.
Team members also worked
at the Fresh Kills landfill operation in Staten Island. Debris from
the collapsed buildings is being brought there for further inspection
by the NYPD and DMORT anthropologists became an integral part of that
operation.
DMORT Team Members deployed to New York City numbered over 300 at the height of our response and
while we are staffing only 14 positions presently, our continued presence
is an integral part of the operation of the Medical Examiner’s
Office.
Dr. Hirsch and the personnel
at the Medical Examiner’s office have welcomed the assistance and expertise of the DMORT Team Members and continue
to praise the continued support of their mission.
I can only tell you that
I have never been prouder to be a DMORT member. To have worked with
and come to know so many of our members from all the regions is an honor
that I will always cherish.
This is certainly an overview
of the DMORT response to the WTC and not meant to be a detailed report.
DMORT
SHINES DURING WTC ATTACK
Frank A. Ciaccio, MPA, DABMDI
Many of us will never forget
the horrific tragedy that took place in our nation on September 11,
2001. On that day, terrorist, using a weapon that
represents a great means of transportation, attacked our nation. Four
jumbo jets struck strategic landmarks in our country that represent
freedom, capitalism and the hard work of many men and women to build.
This tragedy was something
many of us never thought would happen. Although we train for it, read
about it and discuss what can happen, we can never prepare enough for
the devastation that took place.
The NTSB along with many
other federal agencies was taxed immediately by launching federal investigators
and specialist to three different crash sites.
Since this was a terrorist attack, the Federal Aviation Family
Assistance Act did not apply. However, it was the only means of a structured
plan that was available to handle a multiple mass disaster in the aviation
industry.
Immediately the NTSB along
with United Airlines, American Airlines, FBI, DOD, and HHS orchestrated
a game plan that allowed for victims to be recovered, and identified
as quickly as possible. In addition, provide families with information
and support as needed.
It was the tremendous dedication,
professionalism and support of DMORT that accomplished this goal. Many
DMORT members worked long and countless hours at times in makeshift
conditions.
In addition to the DMORT
members in the morgue I want to recognize the outstanding work of the
Family Assistance Center (FAC) core group and their team members. Many
people don’t realize that five days prior the attack, the FAC core
group, NTSB, and HHS met in San Francisco to write the protocols and
guidelines for this new team in DMORT.
The dividends paid off ten fold.
The team, at times, creating procedures as they went along, performed
better then expected. Like many other teams present, the FAC group
was divided among the three different crash sites. However, it was the team in NYC that without their commitment and
dedication in obtaining family information the airlines would have been
lost in a sea of bureaucracy.
Early on it was estimated
that over 6,000 people were missing or presumed dead in the World Trade
Center. The NYPD and medical examiner were over worked
in obtaining missing persons reports and completing victim identification
packets. The FAC core group
under the leadership of Christie Whitaker, worked exclusively with the
airlines to get all the information needed for NYPD and medical examiner. All interviews were done over the phone with
no family members present at the family assistance center. This task was accomplished in less then a week.
The airlines, NYPD and medical examiner greatly appreciated all
the hard work done by this group.
DMORT is highly regarded
among the airline industry and continues to raise the bar of excellence
every time they are called upon. The
NTSB Office of Family Affairs, ME/coroners cannot fulfill their mission
and goal without the fine outstanding men and women of DMORT
On behalf of Chairman Blakey
and the Office of Family Affairs, THANK YOU for your continued support
and dedication to the identification of victims and families of aviation
disasters.
WHO
IS IN CHARGE?
National Transportation Safety Board
As the Manager of Forensic Sciences for the National Transportation
Safety Board, I am called upon to speak to law enforcement agencies,
medical examiners and coroners throughout the country. The reasons for these briefings are to educate
the agencies on the Federal Aviation Family Assistance Act and the role
of the Office of Family Affairs has at an accident.
I am amazed at how many
times I am asked “is it true DMORT is in charge and will
take over?” I cannot stress enough the support
and cooperation DMORT will give to the medical examiner or coroner in
achieving the goal of victim identification.
The only person who is in
charge is the Medical Examiner or Coroner! The NTSB is there as the
primary investigative agency and is responsible in determining the cause
of the crash. In addition, NTSB
will facilitate all local, state and federal resources in victim recovery
and identification and oversee the Family Assistance Center with the
air carrier.
Under a memorandum of understanding
between HHS and NTSB, HHS will launch a DMORT team to SUPPORT
the local medical examiner or coroner in positively identifying
and returning victims to their families. Under no circumstance
is DMORT taking over an operation for a medical examiner or coroner! DMORT will incorporate their morgue procedures
into the operations of the local ME/coroner and work under one umbrella.
DMORT is being provided because local resources are either taxed
or non-existent.
I urge all DMORT members
to become familiar with the role and responsibilities of DMORT. Most of the inaccurate comments come from members
who currently work in local jurisdictions full time and are part time
DMORT members who are not aware of what DMORT’s authority and responsibilities
are at an accident.
NEW CHAIRMAN SELECTED AT NTSB
Marion Clifton Blakey was
sworn in September 26, 2001 as the 9th Chairman of the National
Transportation Safety Board.
Ms. Blakey has served in
a number of positions in government, most recently as Administrator
of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (1992-1993).
As the nation’s leading highway safety official, she was
charged with reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting
from motor vehicle crashes.
For the last eight years,
she has been the principal of Blakey & Associates, a Washington,
D.C. public affairs consulting firm particularly focusing on transportation
issues and traffic safety.
Ms. Blakey was extremely
honored when President Bush nominated her for the position. “ I look forward to the challenges ahead as the National Transportation
Safety Board continues its decades-long mission of improving the safety
of all modes of transportation during this critical time in our nation’s
history.”
Ms. Blakey is very supportive
of Family Affairs and is impressed with the outstanding commitment,
dedication, and hard work of everyone at DMORT.
Ms. Blakey’s current term as Chairman ends September
23, 2003. Her term as Member of the Safety Board ends December 31, 2005.
Mark Russo Appointed to OEP Post
Mark R. Russo was appointed
Director, Division of Emergency Readiness and Operations (DERO), Office
of Emergency Preparedness (OEP), effective Sunday, November 4.
Mark served as the Chief
of the Field Operations Branch, DERO/OEP, from July 15, 2001 until his
appointment to his new post. In
that capacity, Mark was responsible for providing leadership and direction
in development and implementation of emergency response systems that
include management of health and medical supplies and equipment,
pharmaceuticals, biological products, telecommunications, transportation,
equipment maintenance and repair,
and other activities in support of the National Disaster Medical System
(NDMS) Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs), Disaster Mortuary
Operational Response Teams (DMORTs), and other specialty response teams,
and the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) operations.
Following the World Trade Center terrorist attack in September, Mark supervised the emergency health and medical response operations of more than 500 responders of the NDMS DMATs, DMORTs, Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMATs), a National Medical Response Team (NMRT) and a Management Support Team (MST). He coordinated emergency health and medical response operations with representatives of the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New York City Hospitals Association, State of New York, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mark has also worked for
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where he was the Program
Manager for the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. He led 28 task forces comprising of more than 5,200 people that
had diverse technical, social and organizational backgrounds in the
performance of lifesaving missions during disasters.
He also served as Functional
Leader for Emergency Support Function (ESF) #9, Urban Search and Rescue,
of the Federal Response Plan. He
has vast experience in coordinating the efforts of four emergency support functions:
firefighting, health and medical recovery activities during disasters and emergencies, urban search and
rescue, and hazardous materials. When at FEMA, he worked closely with OEP and
the medical teams of each of the 28 NDMS urban search and rescue task
forces. For more than 20 years,
Mark has been involved at the local level with the delivery of emergency medical services during emergencies
as a member of several volunteer fire departments. From July 1989 through December 1999, Mark
also served in various capacities from Firefighter/EMT to Deputy Chief
at the College Park Volunteer Fire Department.
Mark brings to OEP extensive
experience and understanding of the emergency health and medical preparedness
and response system and the application of the Federal Response Plan
to disaster and emergency response.
Family Assistance Team Travels to Santo Domingo
By
Christie Whitaker and
On the morning of November
12, 2001 American Airlines flight 587 crashed in Queens, New York, and
DMORT was once again activated to respond to a disaster.
On Friday, November 16, four DMORT members (Cindy Arnold, Robyne
Bohn Borik, Gary Daugherty and I) and seven NYPD detectives left for
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to collect ante mortem information
from family members of some of the passengers who died in the crash.
Passports in hand, DMORT
identification badges hanging from our necks and suitcases in tow (filled
with clothing suitable for cold weather, not tropical heat), we arrived
at JFK Airport in the wee hours of the morning to begin our four day
assignment.
We landed in Santo Domingo early afternoon, cleared customs
and headed to our hotel. American
Airlines personnel met with us, gave us a quick tour of their operations
center and then directed us to the hotel desk where we secured our rooms. We moved into our rooms and began seeing families
shortly thereafter.
We worked late into the
evening that first night meeting a number of families and ending just
in time to rush to the restaurant for dinner before they closed the
serving at 10 P.M. We were in the islands where the blue water
of the Caribbean is very inviting, and we worked. We had
very little down time during our stay.
The team began at 8:00 a.m. each morning and continued until
all families had been seen, sometimes ending after 9:00 p.m.
We worked in teams, one DMORT member and one NYPD detective. The detectives were fluent in Spanish, which
facilitated the interview process,
and we were helpful to them in securing DNA swabs.
Overall our working with the detectives prove to be positive
with each supporting the efforts of the other.
We were resourceful individuals.
Life is different in the Dominican Republic from that which we
are accustomed to in the U.S. Many factors could influence the events of
the day, so it was necessary for us to remain flexible. It was virtually impossible to have good organization.
Time is not an important issue with the islanders so scheduling was
difficult. Additionally some families had difficulty finding transportation
to the hotel where we were located thus we never knew when they might
show up. The electricity would
go off numerous times during the day without warning; the phones in
our rooms may or may not work; the doors to our rooms may or may not
lock and some of the keys fit a number of other doors in the complex.
We discovered new ways to secure ourselves in our rooms while
sleeping. The stay was pleasant
with plenty of food, clean rooms and friendly and accommodating personnel
at the hotel.
We worked hard, and we worked
long hours. We accomplished
what I consider to be more than adequate work.
The families that we interviewed were very appreciative of our
presence, of our desire to assist them and of the time we spent with
them. Each of us has heart-warming stores to share
about the families we met. I
personally feel this trip was more about goodwill than about the amount
of data we collected. We did
gather some important information and a number of DNA samples, but our
best work was in serving as ambassadors for the agencies involved.
It was a
privilege for me to have had this experience, to have worked with the
other DMORT team members and with the detectives and especially to have
met and worked with the families of the victims.
I returned to New York exhausted but thankful for the opportunity
to be a part of this group and a member of DMORT.
American Airlines Flight 587
By Cliff Oldfield
Team Leader, Region 1
On the morning of November
12, 2002, I was in the lobby of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office
when a Police Officer came in with the news of a plane crash. Where?
What type of plane? Was
it happening again? She did not know.
I went into the conference room and asked the police officers
if they had any information. They looked at me incredulously.
One of them turned on the radio and put it on the citywide band. As you can imagine the radio traffic was enormous.
I was amazed with the transmissions and learning how the response
to yet another tragedy in NYC was being handled.
Flight 587 crashed in a residential area just outside JFK
Airport. Homes were burning, jet fuel was in the sewer system. People were dying; 260 on the plane and 5 on
the ground. The area of the
crash, Belle Harbor, had already been devastated by the losses in the
WTC tragedy and now another tragedy was unfolding in their small community. Many police officers and firemen live in the
area and there had already been many funerals and memorial services
held. Now there would be more, though unrelated to the WTC, but again
tragic.
The response to the crash
was swift. No survivors were found.
The Medical Examiner’s office dispatched a truck carrying
body bags to the scene. This
truck was manned by DMORT team members already on duty for the WTC Incident. The remains were recovered and transported to a temporary morgue
located at Floyd Bennett Airfield in Brooklyn.
The decision to transport the victims to the Manhattan facility
of the Chief Medical Examiner was made early in the incident. Everything necessary to process the victims
toward identification and return to their families was already in place.
An increase in the DMORT
staffing at the Medical Examiner’s office was requested and approved. The newly arrived Team members were put to
work in the DNA lab. The FAC
core team members were again reassembled and the computers were back
up and humming again. VIP and
WIN-ID were the words of the day. FAC
team members were dispatched to the Dominican Republic to help interview
families, gather the VIP forms and collect the DNA samples that had
been provided by the victim’s family members.
All of the victims, both
on the ground and on the plane were recovered and identified; a daunting
task in the midst of the continuing WTC recovery and identification. The Medical Examiner’s office set up another
database using the same procedures as the WTC incident. The procedures were the same. The morgue stations were the same with the
exception that autopsies were performed on the victims of the flight
587 crash.
DMORT has earned the respect of everyone who comes in contact
with us and I am proud to say I am a DMORT and stand shoulder to shoulder
with other DMORT team members.
A LETTER HANDED TO CLIFF OLDFIELD
December 30, 2001
To Whom It May Concern:
I am an ordained Episcopal Priest, working on the site of
World Trade Center Ground Zero, the Disaster Mortuary at Bellevue and
the Staten Island Landfill. I
work fulltime as a Disaster Chaplin and have been on-site since shortly
after the attack of 9-11-2001.
As such, I have witnessed the dynamics of how the interacting
organizations solved out how to do their particular piece of work and
integrate it into the whole of the disaster relief effort. I feel compelled
to comment on one of the numerous interacting groups which distinguished
itself, in fact set itself
And I feel it necessary to further underscore how critical
their skills were when shockingly American Airlines Flight 587 crashed
in Queens and again the cool-headed professionalism of the DMORTS took
the lead on that highly emotional tragic day, Nov.12, 2001.
It was for those of us who had that early privilege to observe
them in action, a real learning experience in Disaster Management to
watch them handle all the complicated aspects of one tragedy on top
of another. In a clearly unprecedented way, they systematically, calmly
and methodically went forward with the critical work in what can only
be described as an emotionally rarefied environment. Their devotion
and attention to task under the most dire of circumstances warrants
them, in my opinion, superlative recognition.
Sincerely,
New York City
REGIONAL
EVENTS
Region 4 and 6 Combine
Training
Combined Region 4 and 6 training will be the first weekend in August
in Charleston, SC. Details are
being worked out now. We also
hope to have a full WMD set up and demonstration in Charleston so everyone
can see the operation in the works.
Region 4 has some DMORT
jackets, DMORT patches &
pins WMD patches & pins DMORT
hats and window decals for sale. Those
interested can email Gary Dougherty at GADARTY@AOL.Com
Region
10 Training
Region
#10 is planning their annual training exercise for July 26 and 27 at
the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, north of Tacoma. Some of this conference will include the Washington
State Dental Association's Dental ID Team. Our training this last Fall,
was scheduled to begin just three days after the disasters of 9-11 and
had to be canceled. This year's plans are in their earliest planning
stages but we will attempt to bring in some of those speakers that were
scheduled then.
Also Region #10, as a team fund raiser, has
several of the green DMORT lanyards available. Price, including the
mailing, is $6 each. Please send your check to DMORT #10 to D.L. Bigoni
at 301 N.E. Knott Street; Portland, OR
97212.
WMD
Team
MAY 17-19
The last exercise in Winston Salem allowed
our WMD Team to work hand-in-hand with the NMRT/SORT (medical) Team
from that area and utilize their equipment. Since those days, we have
been designated as a stand alone team and provided with our own equipment. This will be a first so it is definitely going
to be an eye-opening and learning experience.
As soon as more information becomes available
you will be updated.
Steve Tinder Editor’s Note The scope and impact of the events of September
11th are so enormous that they cannot be adequately
covered in one edition of this newsletter.
Future editions will include articles relating to these
events. A few items were submitted for inclusion in this edition that
could not be included due to space constraints. They will appear in the next edition.
Deputy Commander