Editor’s Letter
By Dennis McGowan
This is the time when we look forward to the challenges of the rest of the year. 2003 was a year of extraordinary loss, with the passing of two of our founders and friends, Tom Shepardson and Fred Berry. It’s fitting that we look back at their contributions to DMORT and add them to our list of blessings and challenges.
For over a decade these two men
devoted their time, energy and inspiration to the birth, development and
refinement of DMORT as an organization of central importance to the citizens of
What was it about these two men that made them so valued in life and so memorable in death? They had a lot in common. Both were highly successful funeral directors with profitable, respected establishments. They organized their priorities around family and community, and gave back in large measure to both. For the members of DMORT they led by example and inspiration. They exemplified leadership and were textbook examples of the difference between being a true leader and just being a boss. Neither was loud or showy, but both would fight fiercely when the rightness of the mission was challenged. Neither took on the demeanor of a General, screaming orders at the troops from the back of a horse. The problem with that kind of behavior, as Fred once explained, was that the troops that had to trail that kind of authority were “still following a horse’s behind.” Tom and Fred shared high ideals and a love of the work and the team that precluded them from ever being driven by a need for personal gain, notoriety or power.
Tom had a vision of the potential
for DMORT as a national resource and he worked tirelessly, sometimes in the
face of strenuous opposition, to see his dream become reality. His energy never flagged and his goal never
wavered. Many team members were moved to
join DMORT by Tom’s quiet confidence in the nobility of the cause and his
optimism in its success. Before his
sudden death, Tom had the pleasure of seeing DMORT become the principal
national asset for mass fatality incidents in the
Fred, always the soft spoken
Southern gentleman, inspired team members to extraordinary levels of
dedication. In the midst of chaos and
stress, Fred served as a reminder to us all that the reason we did the job was for
the families of the victims. Most team
members have heard, at one time or another, that famous quotation of William
Ewart Gladstone that begins “Show me the manner in which a Nation or community
cares for its dead…” which now hangs on
a plaque outside the Fred O Berry Training Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
There is another man of history,
Benjamin Disraeli, who said of
DMORT and the nation will miss
both of these men. Changing times and
new threats to
NDMS
Conference 2004
The
NDMS National Conference was held in
A
report on the conference will appear in the next edition of this newsletter
National
Officers’ Retreat John H. “Jack” Ingle
On September 5 –7, 2003, the officers of
DMORT Region III hosted the First
Annual National Officers’
Retreat. With the passing of our
National Commander, Tom Shepardson, the purpose of this retreat had an
increased significance: the concept was to join the leadership from all
regions. The Regional Commanders discussed current changes, and shared
practical protocols and knowledge to benefit the future of DMORT. To this end,
Region III invited officers from all ten regions to the induction of the Annual
National Officers’ Retreat. Region III hoped that fifty percent of the regions
would participate - they were inspired when all ten regions, along with
representation from the Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU), the stand-alone
teams from Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and Family Assistance Center
(FAC) attended. Opening comments by Region III Commander, Patricia Kauffman,
MD, set the stage for the weekend: she noted the challenges, hopes, and dreams
of the national DMORT community. Further discussions took place during the
leadership breakout sessions and throughout the weekend.
Careful organization of this event
by Region III, including meticulous planning, thorough preparation, and
effective execution, ensured a successful retreat. All regional representatives
who attended were provided and afforded a worry-free stay. John McGuire -
Deputy Commander - made certain that needs were met in a highly professional
and detailed manner. He provided transportation, lodging, and coordinated
team-building evening activities, which included tours of
The weekend would not have been
complete without a visit from key NDMS and the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) personnel. By the conclusion of the weekend, the goals of the retreat had
been achieved: to improve and enhance communication between regional leaderships,
and to promote a professional culture with our colleagues at NDMS and DHS.
Regional News
Region
III
The
People of Flight 93: Who Are They?
The agenda of the most recent
meeting was to refine five questions and present them to the public for their
input on the philosophical perspectives that should be represented in www.flight93memorialproject.org
to contribute their own thoughts. These contributions will be reviewed and summarized
into a format for public park design solicitation next year. DMORT members are
highly encouraged to participate.
Region IV
Tom Shepardson appointed Cotton Howell Region
IV DMORT Commander in October 2002. He is a Registered Nurse (RN) and
Certified Emergency Manager (CEM). He has been a member of DMORT since
1995. He is the Director of the York
County South Carolina Office of Emergency Management, where he manages the
911system, search and rescue operations,
Training
Officer Appointed
Gail
Works has accepted the position of regional training officer. She brings a wealth of experience and energy
to this very important position. The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is setting rigorous standards for
training
for
all the NDMS teams.
Web site
DMORT
IV now has it's own web site. It is
http://www.dmort4.com . It is still
under construction but is up and running.
Bert Brooks has done a fantastic job of putting it together for us. We will use the site to register for next
years Region IV and Region VI Conference.
The conference will be
expect
hotel reservations to be linked to the conference registration page. Registration for the conference is expected
to open as soon as the hotel contract is
completed.
Region
V
The Region V DMORT Team held its
annual training session at the Radisson Hotel East in
That evening, a reception for
arriving participants was held in the hotel.
An early morning orientation session on Saturday for new members and
spouses was presented by Region V Officers.
The meeting then began with a warm welcome to
In addition to our usual emphasis on core subjects such as VIP, Win ID and FAC, the major theme of the meeting was the role of the forensic sciences in DMORT. Individual specialties separated into groups for round table discussions. Anthropology guest discussants were Dr. Gill-King (Region VI) and Marilyn London (Region III). Odontology was chaired by Dr. Alan Warnik (Region V) who also arranged for a much-appreciated overview/demonstration of digital radiography. Pathology guest discussants were Dr. Fred Jordan (Region VI), Dr. Pat Kauffman (Region III Commander), and Dr. Mark Kaponen (Region IV). DPMU presenters were Mike Gedert and Bob Shank, Jr. (Region V Deputy Commander). FAC/IR/VIP presenters were Christie Whitaker (Region IV and Commander FAC Core Group), Bob Shank, Jr., Don Bloom, Mike Gedert and Brad Targhetta (Region V Deputy Commander).
Dr. Andrew Baker (Region V), who
was until recently a Forensic Pathologist at the Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology, gave us an inspiring insider’s view of the identification process
following the
The Sunday morning session began
with Carl Adrianopoli (FEMA), who gave an informative overview of FEMA, NDMS,
and NTSB and their relationship with DMORT and the Department of Homeland
Security.
An On-line Training review,
update, and troubleshooting lecture was given by Mike Gedert (Region V Training
Officer). He encourages all DMORT
members to log on and begin training, because it will be a requirement in the
near future. This can be accomplished by accessing the website at www.dmort.org .
Dennis McGowan (Region IV) gave a
WMD update, in addition to speaking about his experiences at TOPOFF 2 in
The meeting ended with
enthusiastic thanks to Sue Atwood, our local host, who made it all possible by
securing the training location, accommodations, transportation, meals and
refreshments, and Robert (“Bubba”) Stevens (Region V Quartermaster), who
provided special support and many others who contributed to the success of the
program.
Region
VII
Mobile
Morgue Training Program
The Iowa Funeral Directors
Association (IFDA) and the Iowa Dental Association (IDA), through the Mortuary
Emergency Response Team, hosted a Mobile Morgue Training Program in
The first day of the session
involved didactic work. The topics discussed were the mobile morgue and the
design of a functional temporary morgue set-up following a disaster. The mobile
morgue is owned by the Midwest Forensic and Mortuary Support Foundation, and is
located at O’Hare International Airport in
The second day of the session
involved the actual set-up of the temporary morgue, including unloading the
equipment, assembling the PVC piping, setting up the specific stations of
expertise, and disassembling the morgue at the conclusion of the training. A
mock disaster scenario was created at an outdoor park. The participants learned
proper gridding technique, along with thorough search, documentation, and
recovery of personal effects.
The IFDA and IDA host annual
training programs for mass fatality education at various areas in
Region VIII
By Gary Refsland
Region VIII organized their
annual training session in conjunction with the Division of Emergency Management
and Homeland Security, the Department of Public Safety, and the State of Utah
Department of Emergency Services. The training was held on
Mass Fatality Incident Response
and On-Scene Human Remains Recovery were the focus of the training. Lance
Peterson (Region VIII Commander), Alan Siddoway (Region VIII Deputy Commander),
Julie Stringer (Region VIII Administrative Officer), and Dr. Kim Look (Region
VIII Dentist) instructed the group with lectures, as well as a comprehensive
field exercise in human remains recovery, at the
Due to the overwhelming
participation in the training, and enthusiasm from those who participated,
Region IX 
By John Linstrom
Region IX had a Field Deployment Exercise in October. About 70 members
of Region IX's DMORT Team participated in a Field Deployment Exercise on March AFB.
The drill was conducted simultaneously with a major DMAT Field Exercise on the
same base. The DMORT Objectives were:
1. Simulate field conditions for a disaster deployment
2. Conduct WMD Awareness Training
3. Certify Dental Personnel on the Dexis System
4. Conduct three field Search and Recovery scenarios utilizing new technology
5. Refresh Crime/Crash Scene photography skills
6. Refresh Family Assistance skills
7. Provide team building opportunities
8. Issue personal equipment and uniform items
9. Provide Logistical Support for all activities using DMORT Logistics Team
The exercise met or exceeded all planned objectives. Personnel were reminded
as to what to pack, how to travel, work and play together as a team. The
University provided the WMD training for all Region IX members. Dr.
Laura Fulginiti headed up the Search & Recovery training and Peter Williams
conducted the photography sessions. Our own Dr. Jim Wood, and Dr. Brian Chryz
(on loan from Region VI) provided the Dental update training.
The ability to interact with a functional DMAT MST and also to connect
with DMORT program Manager Gary Lindberg from
In closing, DMORT
Region IX recommends that you "train like you play." The "all-field"
training exercise was really appreciated by the attendees. The "hotel"
training is nice, but it doesn't approximate so many of the situations that we
are confronted with on a DMORT Mission. Training is a tool to correct and
improve organizational behavior. But trainers and team leadership need to model
the behavior that we ultimately expect from the members.
Moldovan Appointed Region IX Training
Officer
John Linstrom, Commander of DMORT
Region IX has announced that Emil Moldovan has been appointed as Training
Officer for Region IX of the Federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response
Team (DMORT).
Emil has been a member of DMORT
since 2000 and has been deployed to the Alaska Air tragedy and the New York
World’s
Emil has a strong belief in
education and training. He is a first
generation immigrant, arriving in the
Emil has a background in public
safety, having served with the Arcadia Police Department, the Los Angeles
County Fire Department and the Department of Coroner. His training includes extensive courses in
the ICS system and has served at various positions during numerous campaign
fires throughout the State of
“The key to improving the
Homeland Security posture for emergency response and recovery teams lies in the
on-going training and personal preparedness of the individual team members”,
stated Linstrom. Emil’s extensive
background in all facets of public safety and his foundation in training and
education make him the best choice to develop our team into a world-class
organization.”
Emil was welcomed by other members of the Command Staff and
will assume the Training Officers’ duties on
Region
X
By Jeff Gibson
Region X held their annual training
session in
The curriculum of the training included a variety of topics, ranging from administrative
issues to scientific knowledge. Dave Boyer, Director of the Repository Operations
at the Armed Forces DNA Laboratory, prepared an excellent lecture on DNA, encompassing
aspects pertaining to the collection of DNA. Mike Gedert, Region V Training
Officer, thoroughly reviewed DMORT On-Line Training, emphasizing the need for
team members to commence and complete these training modules. Don Bloom of Region
V updated the team on the current VIP Program. A representative from the MST
informed everyone on the restructuring of the
The next Region X annual training
session will be held jointly with Region VIII on the first weekend in June 2004.
Participation from both regions is encouraged, and well anticipated. More information
will be shared, as they become available.
Combined Training for 2004 Regions
VIII and X
June
4-6, 2004
Regions VIII and X will conduct
a combined training session in
For more information, please contact
Duane Bigoni – Region X Commander - at dbigoni@comcast.com.
Region X News
By Duane Bigoni
Jeff Gibson has been designated
Region X’s Training Officer. He will be responsible for training schedule formats,
and encouraging the team to participate and complete the series of DMORT web-based
online training exercises. Jeff will also monitor team members’ immunization
records for accuracy, and oversee required annual biohazard updates.
Help Us!! The staff of your newsletter
needs your help in developing articles of interest and relevance to the
members of the DMORT Teams. The
newsletter is now published quarterly in February, May, August and
November. Please submit anything
that you think may be appropriate by the first of the publication month for
inclusion in that edition. DMORT
National News Dennis E. McGowan, Editor 770-985-8296 Newsletter
Committee Sheila Hall Terry Swamson