Morgue Site Requirements
Any temporary facility must meet certain requirements for size, layout,
and support infrastructure.
• Airplane hangars and abandoned warehouses have served well as
incident morgues.
• School gymnasiums, public auditorium, or similar facilities used
by the general public will not be used.
• Facility should not have adjacent occupied office or work space
Structure Type
• Hard, weather-tight roofed structure
• Separate accessible office space for IRC
• Separate space for administrative needs/personnel
• Non-porous floors, preferably concrete
• Floors capable of being decontaminated (hardwood and tile floors
are porous and not usable)
Size
• Minimal size of 10,000 - 12,000 square feet
• DPMU re-supply and staging area, minimum of 5,000 square feet
• More square footage may be necessary for casket storage or other
mission-specific needs
Accessibility
• Tractor trailer accessible
• 10-foot by 10-foot door (loading dock access (preferable) or ground
level )
• Convenient to scene
• Completely secure (away from families)
• Easy access for vehicles & equipment
Electrical
• Electrical equipment utilizes standard household current (110-120
volts)
• Power obtained from accessible on site distribution panel (200-amp
service)
• Electrical connections to distribution panels made by local licensed
electricians
• Two Diesel generators (7K) carried in DPMU cache
• DPMU may need 125K generator and a separate 70K generator for
Administrative and IR Sections
Water Supply
• Single source of cold water with standard hose bib connection
• Water hoses, hot water heaters, sinks, and connectors in the DPMU
Communications Access
• Existing telephone lines for telephone/fax capabilities
• Expansion of telephone lines may occur as the mission dictates
• Broadband Internet connectivity
• If additional telephone lines are needed, only authorized personnel
will complete any expansion and/or connections
Sanitation/Drainage
• Pre-existing rest rooms within the facility are preferable
• Gray water will be disposed of utilizing existing drainage
• Biological hazardous waste, liquid or dry, produced as a result
of morgue operations, will be disposed of according to local/state requirements
Special Equipment Needs
• A forklift must be provided that is capable of lifting eight thousand
pounds, with six-foot forks, or fork extensions and possibly all terrain
to safely off-load the DPMU pallets
• A smaller forklift, two to four thousand pound lifting capacity,
is needed to move heavy equipment within the morgue during set-up
Miscellaneous Requirements
• Placement of 53’ refrigerated trailers for morgue personnel
access.
• Number of decedents will dictate the number of refrigerated trailers
needed.
• Separate refrigerated trailers will be designated for processed
vs. unprocessed remains
Exact placement of the morgue within the facility is determined
by:
• Electrical source location
• Water source location
• Morgue accessibility by personnel
• Placement of refrigerated trailers
• The morgue flow plan
• Security concerns
It is Never the Same
• Always mission and building specific
• Can be round, rectangle, square, L-shaped etc.
• Must use what you have