July-August 2001

DMORT National Commander's Column
By Thomas J. Shepardson

The activities of DMORT have been extremely busy over the last month even though there has not been a major activation. Several DMORT members, from several regions were, however, activated to support the DMAT operations in Houston following the floods that disabled nine hospitals. Kim Plunk, who was deployed to the operations command center, has written a report in this edition of the DMORT National News. Kim learned, first hand, the importance of having accurate and up to date information on each member.

Todd Ellis, who was activated to work in the MST has written a report on the importance of the MST at any mission. The ability of our members to interact and support the operations of other phases of the NDMS system is drawing all aspects closer to a realization that we are all part of one team, unified in the cause of assisting our fellow Americans as a team.

The Department of Justice, via the National Institute of Justice is developing a Mass Fatality Handbook for medical examiners, coroners, police, fire and emergency managers. DMORT has been honored by having a large representation in each of the phases of the handbook. It will give, in complete detail, every aspect that a responder should be aware of in order to resolve an incident.

We are very appreciative of the participants of the core groups that have been meeting diligently over the past month to develop operational intent and procedures. The DNA, Family Assistance, and Forensic Oversight groups are well on their way to making operations of DMORT more professional and standardized.

Fred Corral was honored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as "Employee of the Month" in March. He is the first employee of the LA County Coroner's Office to receive this great tribute. In the presentation ceremony, Fred accepted the honor on behalf of his fellow employees and for the work in DMORT that has gained such respect for Fred.

We all wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Peter Fallon, DDS of Region 4 on the loss of his brother. On a more encouraging note, we all congratulate carol Gregory on her promotion to the next GS level. Carol will remain our liaison and contact person, the promotion recognizes the outstanding work ethic and ability that Carol brings to the job.

I ask that everyone READ and REACT to the following important information.

Over the years there have been many questions raised regarding insurance for training and the granting of time off for actual deployments. These issues have been discussed at the highest levels of the N.D.M.S. system. There is now a potential solution, but we need everyone's help. A House Resolution, #2333 is presently being developed that will allow the government to grant insurance coverage for actual training and at the same time grant the N.D.M.S. Response Teams the same status with employers as the National Guard has. Many of you have asked for this type of program. In order for this to be pushed we are asking that every member WRITE and TELEPHONE their congressional Representatives and urge the passage of this bill. A copy of a proposed letter written by Bobby Shank is attached for your use.

You will not hear anything about the bill from any of the staff at N.D.M.S. and we ask that you do not contact them in regard to this legislation. They are not allowed to lobby or promote any type of legislation. They have worked extremely hard to support our programs and helped us to achieve the professional image and capability that we as DMORT have. This is your chance to support the System and move it forward.

Your participation is needed NOW!!!!!!

REGIONAL EVENTS

Regions
4 and 6
Combine
Training

Regions 4 and 6 will again conduct a combined annual training, hosted by Region 6 in New Orleans, August 3rd through 5th.

Training will include family assistance, search and recovery, forensic specialty panel discussion, family support, computer lab and more. It will be held at the New Orleans Sheraton at 500 Canal Street downtown. Registration, Friday August 3rd from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Icebreaker reception in the hotel with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Saturday August 4th- Training 8-5 (late registrants 7-8 a.m.)
Sunday August 5th- training 8-Noon.

For those who care to come in early or stay late the room rate is guaranteed. The Sheraton is approximately 15 miles from New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and can be easily reached by shuttle. The hotel is located within walking distance to the French Quarter, the Riverwalk shopping area, St. Charles Trolley line, or HARRAH'S CASINO. A rental car is not only unnecessary, but not recommended.

Region 5 Training
JUNE 2001

Thanks to our ongoing relationship with Robert Harris, Emergency Coordinator of the Detroit Veterans Administration, Region V DMORT was invited to join the law enforcement and emergency organizations participating in "GMEX'01" on Sunday morning, 10 June 2001. This exercise involved a terrorist threat and mock explosion with simulated casualties at General Motors Global Headquarters Tower at the Renaissance Center in Downtown Detroit - an extraordinarily dramatic urban setting on the Detroit River opposite Windsor, Canada.

In anticipation of the exercise on Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing "Lessons from Oklahoma City" from Dr Fred Jordan, the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Oklahoma and Ray Blakney, his Chief of Operations, on Thursday morning. This was a very enlightening and moving experience.

Thursday afternoon's program was an excellent presentation by Christie Whitaker of Region IV on recent Family Assistance Center developments as well as information on DMORT's own family support program.

On Friday, we divided up into three all-day training sessions:
* The dentists began with Dr Jim McGivney, Region VII, providing an update on his WinID computer program. This was followed by Dr Robert Byrd of the Wyoming VA and Drs Alan Warnick and Gary Berman instructing on how to avoid resection of victims' jaws by using the essentially non-destructive intra-cranial release technique they have developed for dental autopsies. The day closed with a mock disaster dental ID exercise.

Don Bloom and Bob Shank, Jr. updated Family Assistance Center personnel and others on new aspects of Bloom's VIP computer program and gave them the opportunity to practice using it.

John Stanley, Coroner of Dane County, Wisconsin and Dave Walters, the fireman we recruited when he worked with us on the Amtrak crash in Bourbonnais, Illinois, shared their considerable scene recovery and documentation experience with other interested personnel. (Dave showed his devotion to duty by joining us on his way home from his honeymoon in Hawaii. Thank you, Mrs. Walters!) It was an excellent and very interactive session that was followed by a demonstration by Eagle, Sandra Anderson's Death Investigation Dog, who rapidly found and targeted multiple small quantities of hidden human remains.

Saturday's all day sequence of mini-courses included forensic anthropology (the Sauls), odontology (Drs Warnick, Berman and Byrd), field embalming (Brad Targhetta), pathology and the DMORT DNA group (Dr. Joyce DeJong) and concluded with a valuable overview of the latest on WMD presented by Dennis McGowan, Region IV.

The Sunday morning "GMEX'01" went extremely well, with Region V members participating at a variety of levels including demonstration of DMORT activities and serving as rescuers as well as victims (complete with moulage). Our demonstration area drew many interested emergency and law enforcement personnel as well as Detroit area officials (and media) who were pleased to learn more about DMORT once they realized what DMORT represents. Demonstration materials included a partially skeletonized burn victim model created by Mat Naujock (the Region V forensic artist who created the DMORT patch). This reproduction received the ultimate accolade from a senior FBI agent who told us that as one of the first to enter after the fire at Waco (his boots melted) he had seen dozens of victims who unfortunately looked like our model.

The exercise and its glitches (a Detroit Fire Department truck lost its trailer in the wrong place) are still being reviewed, but DMORT participation was much appreciated.

Detroit (the St Regis Hotel, Greektown restaurants and casinos) proved itself to be very hospitable.

We thank Tom Shepardson who introduced us to Robert Harris of the VA at the Denver NDMS meeting in 1998 and of course Robert and the VA itself for providing us with outstanding facilities, including their computer laboratory. We also thank NDMS for their generous financial support (and Amy Garvin for her administrative genius) as well as General Motors for welcoming us to their exercise.

Region 9 Training
Region 9 will be conducting training August 2-4th, in Laughlin, Nevada. Training will include a DMORT update, activation review, blood borne pathogens exposure course (which gives you a certificate of certification per OSHA 29CFR 1910.10310), a VIP update, family assistance center, debriefing issues after mass fatality incidents, anthropology case studies, Alaska Air Flight 261, air disasters in Hawaii, trauma and wound identification and a DMORT video presentation.

Training will be held at the River Palms Resort and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Cost will be $175.00, which includes registration, Thurs., Fri., & Sat. night hotel accommodations, and lunch for two each day.

Registration information is available from Fred Corral, Commander, DMORT Region 9 at 323-343-0714.
All Regions are welcome to participate. We look forward to a very informative training program, and we are looking forward to seeing you all there.

Region 10

The annual training seminar for Region #10 is scheduled for September 14 & 15 in Clackamas, Oregon. The training will include a section on the Family Assistance Center, the NTSB roll and an overview on the Management Support Unit and how the total chaos of a disaster becomes a more manageable task.
DMORT members from all the other regions are invited to join us in this
training. Duane Bigoni

WMD Team
By Dale Downey

The Noble Training Center

For many years the US Army used Ft. McClellan, in Anniston AL as a center for basic training, Military Police School and the Army Chemical School. The military gradually closed most of the schools and in 1997 the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) took over portions of the fort for training in Weapons of Mass destruction (WMD) chemical and biological terrorism response.

The DOJ operates the Center for Domestic Preparedness and the DHHS operates the Noble Training center on the site of the previous base hospital. In addition there are facilities for live agent training and an urban village for staging realistic exercises.

The Noble center is not only a hospital, but through the addition of specialized equipment, it is also a decontamination training site for both ambulatory and non-ambulatory victims of WMD terrorism. The pharmacy was converted to classrooms and lecture space, but the rest of the facility was left intact to facilitate training first responders, clinical hospital personnel and hospital administration.

Exercises are planned that will involve simulated releases of chemical and biological agents at sites on the fort and the removal of victims to the Noble facility for triage and treatment. In the near future the facility will be used by the DMORT WMD team for their training as well.

Training curricula are under development that will provide the WMD team with the challenge of highly realistic exercises under conditions that will approximate actual circumstances.

Non-ambulatory decon line

The training staff at Noble is drawn from such places as Louisiana State University, Texas A&M, Johns Hopkins University and the DHHS and the Office of Emergency Preparedness. Future updates will be provided in this newsletter as they become available.

TRAINING AND CONFERENCES

Iowa Funeral Directors Association and Iowa Dental Association disaster training

We will be hosting our 6th annual disaster training in Mason City, Iowa on Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15, 2001. This year's program will be in conjunction with the Mason City Airport terrorism disaster drill. Our training will be at North Iowa Area Community College, 500 College Dr., Mason City. This is located 1 mile East of Mason City on Hwy. 122 on the North Side.

We will meet in the Muse Norris Building, which is on the North East Side of the campus buildings next to the gymnasium. The other part of the exercise will be held at the Mason City Airport property on the West Side of Mason City on Hwy. 122, five miles West of Mason City and one mile East of Interstate 35.

The hotel is two miles from the airport. You must make reservations for hotel accommodations. A reserved rate of $63 per night may be made at the Best Western Holiday Lodge. Please call 1-800-606-3552, ext. 488 for Jennifer. These rates are guaranteed until August 14, 2001. The hotel is one mile West of Interstate 35 on the South side of Hwy. 122.

Registration for the class may be made until September 10, 2001. This is the cut off date, period. NO registrations will be accepted after this date. This class will fill quickly and there are only a limited amount of openings.

We will be brining in a mobile morgue for hands on training and participating in the disaster drill based on a terrorism incident. If you have a disability that will preclude you from doing physical labor, please let me know. This will be a casual dress class, as we will be doing fieldwork for the class and for the exercise.

The class will have 12 CEU's. The registration fee of $50 includes breaks handouts and lunches. Checks should be made out to Iowa Funeral Directors Association. Send Registration to James M. Fullerton, 123 2nd St. SE, Mason City, Iowa 50401-3904 Phone 641-423-8676 Fax 641-423-8670 or send e-mail to Jim@fullertonfh.com

A Letter From
Fred Corral

Hello Tom:

Hope everything is well with you and your family. I am enclosing the article that I spoke to you about, reference my being nominated and selected as the March 2001 Employee of the Month for Los Angeles County. It is quite an honor to be selected from over 300,000 employees. As I told the Board of Supervisors I owe this to my family, my co-workers at the Department of Coroner, and to DMORT and my fellow members.

I have been really busy and getting ready for our annual Region IX training being held in Laughlin, NV. There is a lot to do as far as planning for this training, making arrangements for meals, rooms, speakers and making copies of course materials. I just want everything to go well for our members. I know they will find this informative and enjoyable. If you can make it Tom, we would like to have you. Gary Moore is going to try to make it.

My experience at the EOC went well. I came back and made sure that all of our team member's records have correct birth names, addresses and phone numbers, social security numbers and points of contact. Robyne, my AO, is great. She has kept up with all the members' addresses and any status changes that may come up. I am real grateful to her for her hard work. I can assure you that many DMAT teams had wrong information. I saw how staff at EOP worked hard in trying to locate and get members ready to deploy. Scheduling flights, canceling flights, then again trying to reschedule them on other flights later in the day. It was a good eye opener behind the scenes. I commend Gary Moore for allowing me the opportunity to attend and getting to see our OEP/NDMS headquarters in Rockville, MD. I hope other commanders and AOs have the opportunity to be part of future deployments at the EOC in Rockville. I know Gary will make it happen.

Jack Beall oversaw the entire EOC and, as usual, he was great. As calls and requests came in from the MST during the conference calls or while at our stations, Jack made sure that all requests were handled and completed. Jack was able to arrange a visit to the new warehouse. Tom, I don't know if you have seen it yet, but it's great. I know that NDMS will eventually take over the whole facility. NDMS, as you know, has coma a long way. In just the short time I have been associated with this great organization, membership, leadership and commitment has improved to better prepare its members when their assistance is needed.

In seeing the new warehouse and vehicles and preparation for the new west coast morgue there is no doubt that EOP, Gary Moore, Dr. Knouss and staff are looking out for the interests of NDMS and its members.

Well Tom, I will close for now. I have sent Dr. Bowers the application and once I receive it I will send it to you. Take care. I hope to see you in Laughlin. I want to again express my thanks to you, Gary Moore, Dr. Knouss and DMORT as I said; I owe my recognition to DMORT and my team members.

Mayor Antonovich honors Fred Corral (DMORT Commander Region IX) as the March 2001 Employee of the Month!

Frederick Aguilera Corral, the March 2001 Employee of the Month, has worked for the County (Los Angeles) for 15 years and is presently a Supervising Coroner Investigator II with the Investigations Division of the Department of Coroner.

As a Supervising Coroner Investigator II, Corral assigns Coroner Investigators to respond to death investigations that fall under the jurisdiction of the Coroner. In addition, Corral makes notification of the next of kin, prepares written detailed reports, testifies in court, responds to mortuaries and signs death certificates.

Corral was born, raised and went to school in Los Angeles County. He graduated from Ed Rancho High School, Rio Hondo Police Academy and Rio Hondo College. Currently, he is obtaining a B.A. degree in criminology from California State University, Los Angeles. Of his many accomplishments, Corral received a lifetime California State College Teaching Credential in police science and graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Specialist's Course. Corral retired from the United States Marine Corps after 26 years (three years active and 23 years reserves), worked as a Police Officer for the city of Baldwin Park and later became a Deputy Sheriff for San Bernardino Sheriff Department. He was wounded in the line of duty and as a result he was medically retired. It was then that Corral became a Coroner Investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. As well as being a Coroner Investigator, he teaches part time at Rio Hondo College, Public Services Department on Death Investigation.

Congratulations Fred on this great accomplishment!

Gary Moore
Deputy Director
Office of Emergency Preparedness

PRINCEVILLE JUNE 2001
By: Arthur M. Bohanan
DMORT IV/ WMD

Today, 14 June 2001, I returned to Princeville, NC arriving from the east on Hwy 64, taking the Tarboro exit. The new Wal-Mart across from "our motel" is now complete as are several other businesses on the south side of the highway. Ahead, right at the stop sign to the first red light, then left to the warehouse where the morgue operations had been located. The front of the huge building that housed the American Red Cross is now vacant. The rear area where the DPMU was located has fresh paint, a smaller new building where the empty caskets had been stacked and much activity. There were fond memories of the parking lot where we pitched in and cooked the "Brewer Sunday breakfast" for all.

Back to the street and left at the red light to the second red light on the left where we filled the cars with gas. KFC and the Golden Corral are still as busy as usual. Driving through Tarboro, now clean and neat, all the lawns were freshly mowed, headed down to Main Street and right past the business district to the beautiful older home area. Remodeling was still in progress on several homes. Now back into the heart of town, which is still very active. Still going east, crossing the Tar-Pamlico River were the first signs of change.

On the right had been a convenience store, which is now gone and only a pile of rock and mud occupies this vacant lot. The large house that had partly blocked the street is gone and the grass is growing high. To the next intersection, looking right is a vacant mound where the Princeville Police Department and two flooded police cars once sat. Left and into Princeville, seeing newly vacant lots, houses with the big red "X's," some older occupied houses and a few modular homes. At the next intersection, the little store in the fork of the road is open for business.

Right to City Hall. It still stands, the mud line still visible up high, near the roof. Turning into the City Hall Parking I saw that the building is surrounded by a high fence and "keep out" signs posted the area. Talked to a man wearing a maintenance uniform. "No, he was not there during the floods," and he pointed to a group of mobile office structures. One small unit had a large sign designating it as "Princeville Police Department." Outside the door was a police cruiser. I was not sure whether to knock or just go in. I did knock and entered the tiny office and was greeted by a neatly dressed uniformed female officer with the insignia of sergeant on her uniform. I introduced myself as a member of DMORT during Floyd. Her face broadened into a wide smile and a warm welcome. Sgt Fox worked for the jail operations during "Floyd" and moved to the police department afterwards. She says the people are slowly returning to town, that much work has been done and much to be done. I asked permission to look around and was given a warm approval to make myself at home.

Rain was falling as I left. Looking westward, the sky was dark with the rain clouds of tropical storm Allison. I noticed several mobile offices were located behind the police department. The place was busy with activity.

Back on the street that was once cluttered with debris, the household items, muddy wet furniture and flooded cars were now gone from the area. Further on the left , Princeville Cemetery came into view, I slowed to enter and stopped to look at the cemetery overgrown with weeds and briars over three feet tall. As I drove the perimeter, some new vault lids were seen where once the vacant graves gaped at us as we surveyed and counted for disturbed graves. Small family plots here and there were freshly mowed and well kept. Others had mounds of dirt to cover the now empty graves. There was no indication of burials since the flood in this cemetery.

I would estimate that about 50% of the houses have been repaired or torn down with new homes built or moved in. The other half still have the big red "X" on the front and appear abandoned.

As I left Princeville during heavy rains of tropical storm Allison, I could only imagine how the people still living there react when news of an approaching storm is announced. Operation Floyd left an impact on every DMORT member who responded to this incident of nature. I'm so thankful for the special people of DMORT for the special job they do. It's an honor to be part of the DMORT family.
Forensics expert leaves fingerprints on city police - "Prominent KPD scientist retires, pursues research"
by Don Jacobs, Knoxville News Sentinel staff writer (excerpt).

Arthur Bohanan developed a process to lift fingerprints from ancient documents, invented a device to reveal prints left on dead bodies and has started research on why a child's fingerprint disappears after a day. His brainwork has drawn international attention.

Bohanan's love for forensic science was born from a book about the FBI he read when 14 years old. At 16, he had completed a home-study course and had a diploma on fingerprint examinations. At 18, Bohanan was testifying in Sevier County criminal court about fingerprints he had lifted
in a burglary. The local sheriff was aware of Bohanan's studies and regularly had him take pictures and prints at crime scenes. Three weeks after graduating from Sevier County High School, Bohanan was in Washington D.C., working for the FBI. After a year, he joined the ranks of the military police. On his return to Tennessee, Bohanan was hired in 1975 by the Knoxville Police Department. Bohanan moved into the newly created crime lab in 1976, where he was able to follow a zest for fingerprints.

Bohanan's zest hasn't ebbed but his future research concerning fingerprints will be done as a former Knoxville officer. He retired May 31, leaving a void Police Chief Phil Keith doesn't expect he can fill. "You don't replace Art Bohanan; you just try to get others to follow in his footsteps - he leaves a tremendous legacy - I would put Art in the top mix of forensic experts in the nation, there's a lot more people with bigger budgets than us, like the FBI, CIA, and Scotland Yard, but he has led the way" said Chief Keith.

In 1988, his first research project resulted in discovering a chemical that revealed fingerprints on ancient documents. He lifted the fingerprints from an 1892 scroll; thus, detailing the sizes of Indians' hands. Although the science of fingerprints already was decades old, there was no way to lift prints from a human body. Bohanan, by the end of 1992, developed a device to reveal the prints that killers leave on the bodies of their victims - the invention is called Cyanoacrylate Blowing Contraption. About 200 of the contraptions have been sold and law enforcement agencies in England, Germany, Malaysia and Canada have made the devices part of their crime-fighting arsenals. The FBI ordered 58. If a police agency couldn't afford the $1,885 CBC, Bohanan would send the department instructions on how to construct its own device, along with permission to do so.
With the help of his four grandchildren, he has launched his latest research. He had each child touch bottles and watched the fingerprints left behind. He found prints left by children, because of undeveloped sweat glands, leave a different residue that doesn't endure like an adult's. At the Oak Ridge National Laboratory he is working with scientists to develop a process to resurrect the faded prints of children. Bohanan's vision extends beyond fingerprints. The oils from a person's skin, he says, can reveal their gender, diet and drug use. He is working with scientists in Oak Ridge on a drug test that involves just touching a piece of paper.

Of course he is still traveling across the nation as he speaks to groups for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Each year he conducts a fingerprinting course for the Virginia State Police, and he is helping the University of Tennessee develop the only National Forensic Academy in the country!

Congratulations Art, you have had an extraordinary career!

Gary Moore
Deputy Director
Office of Emergency Preparedness

HOUSTON FLOODS 2001
Todd W. Ellis
DMORT VI Commander

Recently, I was deployed to Houston during tropical storm Allison flood disaster to deal with any DMORT issues that may have arisen from the severe flooding of the city of Houston or surrounding county's in the Federal Declaration.

During the first few days after my arrival I began keeping in contact with the Harris County Medical Examiners office. My initial concern was if their facilities had been flooded like so many other hospitals and medical facilities in that area, if they were fully operational, and able to handle their normal daily case load. Fortunately they received no flood damage and were functioning normally. Twenty-two flood related fatalities were not overwhelming for local resources to handle.

Another issue that DMORT was concerned with was the possibility of remains being displaced from local cemeteries. The local M.E. had not given any thought to this possibility until DMORT had brought up the issue and was very receptive to DMORT checking into it for them. We contacted 34 local cemeteries in the Houston area and only found one that came close to having a real problem. Thirty-six inches of rain in a twenty four-hour period is a lot of water sweeping through a major metropolitan city. Lucky for Houston, their cemeteries remained intact.

The medical centers and their infrastructures were not so lucky which in turn brought NDMS DMAT teams in to assist local authorities with medical care in the city. This brings me to the point that I really want to discuss. When the DMORT issues were resolved I had the opportunity to stay on with the MST in supporting the medical mission. This really gave me a first hand account of how the MST operates on a mission.

I have been a part of DMORT almost since its inception and have worked six major incidents in the field. I never realized the great lengths the MST goes to in support of operations in the field or the great hurdles they have to overcome in support of us. I can remember some of those push, pull battles between the team and the MST and we must all remember we are all part of the same team out to accomplish the same mission. There is a reason why things don't always happen at the snap of our fingers. I was given an opportunity to work with the logistics section of the MST for a week. It really gave me a different outlook. The MST staff is to be commended for the job they do for us in the field. We must work in support of the MST as they also work in support of us so that we all can accomplish the over all mission.

Experiencing the Emergency Operations Center
Kim Plunk
Administrative Officer DMORT IV

As a member of DMORT I have had many good experiences to learn and work with people in disaster related situations. Recently I was afforded the opportunity to work and see how
disasters are coordinated in the Emergency Operations Center in Rockville, MD. This is the location of our National Disaster Medical Systems and Office of Emergency Preparedness. The disaster during this time was Tropical Storm Allison, which flooded most of the Houston, TX., area and handicapped the city's ability to function and offer medical care. Many of the hospitals were flooded , so several DMAT team members were called in to help provide medical care.

Working in the EOC was an eye opening experience for me. I was able to see just how a disaster related situation is handled through communications between those team leaders and members in the field of disaster, the Mission Support Team there to help those in the field, and the Emergency Operations Center. Coordination and Communication are vital to having a successful mission!

Even simple misunderstandings or erroneous information between these three entities could cause significant stress for those involved. An example was the confusion caused by travel arrangements for team members being miscommunicated from the site of the disaster to those working in the EOC trying to arrange travel. Several times travel for team members was not correct and this caused significant stress for those working in the MST and the EOC.

Travel home to a certain airport may have been given to us at the EOC and this information was then changed. This was usually due to a different return destination other than the original departure point or due to a team member returning home earlier than originally planned.

Another factor was availability of travel via airlines on short notice. his in turn put the MST in a bind to get in touch with us in the EOC to arrange a change in flight and get this
person to the right destination or travel on the appropriate date. We at the EOC were working with a new travel agency the government contracts with. This agency had not dealt with much travel like this previously, so they were confused many times and stressed also. All of this in turn would tend to make the team member out there in the field think we were disorganized, when in reality it was a matter of poor communication. This is just a mere piece of the pie that exists when work is being done in the EOC during a disaster situation. Many people there in the EOC are working to make sure all who are in the field have the appropriate working conditions in the field, are healthy, fed, housed and given support for mental or physical conditions that may exist.

My highest respect goes out to Gary Moore and Dr. Robert Knouss for their efforts in commandeering a mission during these critical times. We as team members really do not know how many people and how much hard work goes on 24 hours a day while we are involved in a deployment. It takes all involved working together to have a successful
mission and to accomplish what we are really there for, to help those in need when they need it most!

DMORT Participates in National Institutes of Justice Technical Working Group
By Paul Sledzik,
DMORT III Commander

The National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS) has received funds from the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ) to produce a booklet on mass Fatality incident response. Designed for police, fire, and rescue personnel, and the small coroner/medical examiner office, the booklet will aid in devising and implementing a mass fatality plan, and help the target audiences to think about the issues involved in MFI response. The NIJ has published booklets on many crime scene investigation and law enforcement topics.

The National Center for Forensic Science provides research, education, training, tools and technology through quality processes and creative methods to meet the current and future needs of the forensic science, investigative and law enforcement communities. The NCFS is a program of the National Institute of Justice and is hosted by the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

As the research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, the NIJ is the only Federal agency solely dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues. The NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, and focuses largely on the state and local levels. Through working partnerships and soliciting the views of criminal justice and other professionals, the NIJ produces tools to guide policy and practice in order to reduce crime, to improve law enforcement and the administration of justice, and to promote public safety.

DMORT team members provided input into the booklet development process, called a Technical Working Group (TWG). The TWG met in Orlando from June 13-15. In keeping with the NIJ approach, federal, state, and local agencies were represented by the 50 TWG members. Many of the DMORT members that attended served dual roles of representing their professional agency along with their DMORT experience.

Some of the agencies represented included the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory; Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory (University of Florida), Dade County (Florida) Medical Examiners Office, FBI; Fulton County (Atlanta) Medical Examiners Office; International Commission on Missing Persons; NTSB, NY State Police Crime Lab; Oklahoma City Medical Examiners Office; Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forensic Laboratory and Forensic Identification Section, Suffolk County (NY) Medical Examiners Office; US Army Central Identification Laboratory; and the Ventura County (California) Medical
Examiners Office.

Forensic specialists in odontology, anthropology, radiology; pathology;
DNA; and fingerprints created working drafts of the pertinent information for their disciplines. Other groups created working drafts for the various stages of responses (planning, arrival at the scene, search/recovery; and morgue operations). The staff of the NCFS will organize the drafts for review by the TWG. The process of creating the guide began in January of 2001 when a planning panel met in Orlando to devise the parameters of the guide and create a list for the TWG. The TWG will meet again in November. Following a series of reviews, the final booklet should be published by the NIJ in the fall of 2002.

DMORT members present included Brian Chrz, Tony Falsetti, Scott Firestone, Diane France, Laura Fulginiti, Roy Heim, Fred Jordan, Thomas Shepardson, and Paul Sledzik.

For more information:
National Center for Forensic Science: www.ncfs.ucf.edu
National Institute of Justice:
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/
NIJ booklet on Death Scene Investigation: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/167568.htm

Michael Fowler Appointed by Governor to GA Board

Georgia Governor Roy Barnes appointed Region 4 member Michael Fowler to the State Board of Funeral service on May 7th.

Greetings from the land of landmines and mass graves.
From Rick Snow
Region 4
Rick is in Bosnia working at identifying victims of the war there.

I've been here 7 weeks today and have already looked at over 600 sets of skeletal remains. What an incredible experience!!!!!!!! Last week I was in Foca doing an exhumation at the bottom of a 110-foot vertical shaft cave that we had to reach by rappelling. We found 61 sets of skeletal remains in a 15 x 20 foot area at the bottom. Needless to say, commingling was a problem. You couldn't put a coffee cup down anywhere on the bottom without touching multiple bones. It was something very few anthropologists have EVER seen. Unbelievable!!!!!!

The food situation here is still a problem. I had a huge filet mignon, French fries, salad, coke, and bread last night for 12 DM (just under $6.00). I'd trade it in a minute for some fried okra, or any veggies from Wright's Cafeteria. The open-air markets are full of veggies, but for some reason they don't make it to the restaurants. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be wishing for an MRE! The food is the only problem, though, and I'm learning to deal with it. This minor problem is swamped by the experience I'm getting.
Let me hear from you guys occasionally. I'm able to get the Knoxville News-Sentinel over here via e-mail, but it's always good to have news from back home.

Rick rollthebonesnow@aol.com

Special Notice About
House Resolution #2333

This resolution, currently in committee, is sponsored by Congressman Richard Burr of N.C. and would give much needed and critical support to the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) response teams.

One of these teams is the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT). House Resolution 2333 has two goals: First, to provide insurance coverage to our volunteer members during necessary training activities; and second, to provide job protection during deployments to ensure that members will have jobs when they return from service to the American public. This job protection is similar to the job protection offered by the National Guard.

You are encouraged to request that your local legislator co-sponsor or at least support this legislation. Currently, when our teams are in training, no insurance coverage is provided. Also as temporary federal employees, we do not currently have any type of job protection similar to members of the National Guard. With cost cutting and employee efficiency high on the list of corporate goals, this situation is getting worse for the majority of our regions. I know many people in the DMORT system who have been touched by this issue. With National Guard type protection, we could all be assured that our jobs would be waiting for us after we have gone to help to our fellow Americans.

Please get involved, use the enclosed template, call your representative, make an appointment, BE ACTIVE. This is a grass roots lobbying effort and we need every team to make it work!

"Fatal Voyage" Features DMORT

Noted author and DMORT Region 4 member, Kathy Reichs whose previous books include Deja Dead and Death Du Jour has a new release, titled Fatal Voyage, which features the response of DMORT to an air crash. The book provides an accurate, realistic portrayal of DMORT and lists actual deployments as part of the background information.
The fictional DMORT character, Earl Bliss, is reputedly our very own Dale Downey. Thank you Kathy Reichs for recognizing DMORT's mission and competence.

DMORT Websites
National Site
www.dmort.org
Region 2
http://dmortregion2.netfirms.com
Region 5
http://r5.dmort.org/

If your region has a website that features DMORT and it's activities, let us know and we will post the links in the newsletter.

The Honorable {your representative's name}
{your representative's address}

Dear Congress{man, woman} ___________

I am writing you to ask for your support of H.R. 2333. This resolution, sponsored by Congressman Richard Burr of N.C., would give much needed and critical support to the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) response teams. One of these teams is the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT), of which I am a member. House Resolution 2333 has two goals: First, to provide insurance coverage to our volunteer members during necessary training activities; and second, to provide job protection during deployments to ensure that members will have jobs when return from service to the American public. This job protection is similar to the job protection offered by the National Guard.

I am a member of the Region ____ DMORT team living in your district and would like to request that you co-sponsor or support this legislation. The DMORT team responds to any incident that causes mass fatality in the United States and its territories when local resources become overwhelmed. DMORT is the team that has worked under the auspices of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on all major transportation incidents since the passing of the Family Assistance Act of 1996. We have responded to airplane crashes in Guam, Michigan, California, Rhode Island, Illinois and Pennsylvania in support of the NTSB's responsibilities to the American flying public. During these events, DMORT has assisted local authorities in the identification and return of family members for over 500 families.

DMORT also assists local, state and federal authorities with other major issues such as flooding and terrorism. Over the past ten years, the destruction of cemeteries by flood waters has caused the expulsion of buried remains from the ground in Missouri in 1993, Georgia in 1994 and North Carolina in 1999. During these missions, DMORT helped rebury a total of more than 1000 Americans. And possibly the most notable incident that DMORT has responded to was the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City where DMORT members assisted the State Medical Examiner of Oklahoma with the identification and return of victims' remains to their families.

Currently, when our teams are in training for these missions, no insurance coverage is provided. If I should get hurt, or worse, killed while training with this federal team, I will have no type of assistance for my family. We take our work very seriously and as such, we train very seriously. I joined this team to help families get through some of their worst possible times. It seems unfair that the people who volunteer to help are themselves left with no help in the case of injury or death.

As temporary federal employees, we also do not currently have any type of job protection similar to members of the National Guard. Many team members have had difficulty convincing employers to allow them time off to respond to these incidents. With cost cutting and employee efficiency high on the list of corporate goals, this situation is getting worse for the majority of our teams. With National Guard type protection, we could all be assured that our jobs would be waiting for us after we have gone to help to our fellow Americans.

For more information on DMORT, please feel free to contact me directly, contact our National Commander Tom Shepardson at 1217 N Salina St, Syracuse, NY 13208, (315) 471-2349 or visit our website at www.dmort.org.

Thank you for your consideration in helping us so that we may continue to help others.

Sincerely,
{your name}
{your address and phone}