NATIONAL
NEWS
DMORT Disaster Mortuary
Operational
Response Team
WINTER 2007
EDITORS: SHEILA HALL AND TERRY
SWANSON
NATIONAL
NEWS
DMORT Disaster Mortuary
Operational
Response Team
WINTER 2007
EDITORS: SHEILA HALL AND TERRY
SWANSON
WHERE IS
DMORT IN DHHS?
Submitted by
Dr. John Frasco, Region VII Administrative Officer
The
question is often asked, “Now that we are with DHHS, where does DMORT fit in
the big picture?”
The
simple answer is that we are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response,
Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations, National Disaster Medical System,
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams. For those of you who like the
acronyms, the path is DHHS/OASPR/OPEO/ NDMS/DMORT.
The
more complete answer is that we are a contributor to the National Response Plan
Emergency Support Function #8 – Public Health and Medical Services Annex. The
Department of Health and Human Services is the primary agency for the
development and coordination of ESF #8 activities. DHHS works with support from
the following departments, agencies, and organizations:
Department
of Agriculture
Department
of Justice
Department
of Defense
Department
of Labor
Department
of Energy Department of State
Department
of Homeland Security
Department
of Transportation
Department
of Interior
Department
of Veterans Affairs
Environmental
Protection Agency
General
Services
Administration
US
Agency for International Development
US
Postal Service
American
Red Cross
The National Response Plan, last updated on
Our responsibilities in
DMORT are within the National Response Plan.
Victim
Identification/Mortuary Services: DHHS may request DHS
(Department of Homeland Security) and DOD (Department of Defense) to assist in
providing victim identification and mortuary services; establishing temporary
morgue facilities; performing victim identification by fingerprint, forensic
dental, and/or forensic pathology/anthropology methods; and processing,
preparation, and disposition of remains.
(NOTE: This is one of the
sections that is under review for the most current revision that will align
NDMS support functions within the Department of Health and Human Services)
To
access the full text version of the National Response Plan with all Annexes go
to:
http://www.dhs.gov/ and Search ‘National
Response Plan’
Under
‘Download the National Response Plan’
Select:
Full Version (PDF,
426 pages, 4MB) including all annexes, "Emergency Support Function
Annexes", "Support Annexes", and "Incident Annexes."
BURIAL OF
THE UNKNOWN DEAD IN
The following
article originally appeared in the February 2007 issue of Region V’s
newsletter: “Voice of V”
I
read the following letter in the “Readers’ Forum” in the November 2006 issue of
Mortuary Management. Perhaps other members of our Region V Team (as well
as other regions) who were deployed to Katrina East would like to know of the
final disposition of the two unidentified victims of Katrina.
I have obtained permission
to rewrite this letter from Mortuary Management as well as from Mr. Harvey.
In his email, Mr. Harvey
commended the efforts of the DMORT Team. He also mentioned that he helped
out the Bradford O’Keefe Funeral home for two weeks after Katrina doing
embalming, removals, etc. He said that it was tough doing the work under
only the light of one 60-watt bulb, as that was all they had when the generator
ran the embalming machine. They even did some embalming by the old
gravity method and no aspiration, as there was no water pressure.
On a hot summer afternoon in
Bill
Harvey, Director
Funeral
Service Technology
REGION III ANNUAL TRAINING
Region III will be holding its annual training
session in
Dental team members will attend forensic dental
training, featuring a didactic session that focuses on digital dental x-ray
technique and technology, followed by hands-on workshops at both ante-mortem
and post-mortem stations.
The main focus of this year’s training will involve
an explosion disaster scenario with multiple fatalities. Accompanying lectures
will address the nature of explosives and explosive devices, as well as the
forensic pathology of explosion injuries.
The PA-2 DMAT’s (NDMS Specialty Crush Injury Team)
will join DMORT III as medical providers in the scenario. Training will also
include discussions on ethical and communication issues encountered during
disasters, as well as self-care during an incident.
The training session will commence on Friday evening
(March 23) in
DMORT REGION VII UPDATED
WEBSITE
The
DMORT Region VII Command Staff would like to announce the introduction of their
new regional website at www.dmort7.org.
Much
gratitude is owed to the past and current Web Masters for their time and
expertise: Mary Phillips, Dane Johnson, and Dr. James McGivney.
The entire Region VII Leadership Team was also instrumental in providing their
input for this endeavor.
Bill
Young
(Region VII Commander), the entire Region VII Leadership Team, and the Web
Masters invite DMORT team members to review their website and contact them with
any suggestions or comments. Their contact information is currently available
on the website.
DMORT REGION VIII UPDATED
WEBSITE
DMORT
team members are welcome to visit Region VIII’s updated website at www.dmort8.org.
Any comments or suggestions can be sent to Carl
S. Higbee (webmaster) at csh@dmort8.org.
Congratulations to Mike Nathe
of
REGION IX NEWS
Barbara Salazar (Administrative Officer)
reports that DMORT Region IX has been internally focusing on their Command and General Staff development.
The strategy has been to decentralize the team management and develop
team members who can manage activities at the lower levels. A second Deputy Commander was promoted; the
Training Officer vacancy was filled; an additional Administrative Officer
joined the Leadership Team to focus on recruitment; two Planning Officers were
added; four new Search & Recovery Site Supervisors were appointed; a
Logistics Coordinator/Officer was named; and a Communications Officer position
was staffed. The Search & Recovery
Supervisor positions will be the primary Squad and Strike Team Leaders and the
first-line supervisors for Team members, when deployed or in training
status.
This
reorganization allows the Primary
Command Staff (Commander, Deputy(s), Administrative Officer, and Training
Officer) to focus on Strategic Issues and the day-to- day integration and
coordination of Headquarters level initiatives.
These include the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)
transition, Budget, National Conference coordination, and overall coordination
with our Regional Emergency Coordinator(s) and with other teams in the NDMS
System. The General Staff will focus
on specific Tactical and Task Activities which will include: Personnel
Accountability, Search & Recovery, Logistics, Communications, Morgue
Operations, and overall Forensics and Mortuary Operations.
The
staff changes are:
Rocky Shaw - Deputy Commander for
Operations
Bruce Anderson, Randy Emon,
Laura Fulginiti and Rod Walters - Search & Recovery Supervisors
Melinda Latta - Roberts - AO/Recruitment
Anna “Ski” Cahill - Logistics Officer
Ron Foster - Communications Officer
Michael
Iliescu -
Training Officer
John Linstrom (Commander) said, “I am very
proud of the caliber of personnel that has chosen to serve on our team. This new leadership team is an example of the
world-class professionals that we have in the NDMS System. I am thrilled to serve alongside some of
DMORT WMD
THE EVOLUTION
OF A TEAM
DMORT
is a proven group of professionals from all walks of life who respond to any
Mass Fatality Incident in order to provide assistance during a tragic
situation.
Nearly
ten years ago, Mr. Jack Beall (Chief, NDMS Section), observing the need
for a very specialized DMORT team, outlined a concept - one that would be
responsible for decontaminating recovered human remains from Mass Fatality
Incidents. Having such a team would ensure that all remains were decontaminated,
and the potential for hazardous exposure in the DMORT incident morgue, as well
as to DMORT personnel, would be greatly reduced.
Directed
by DMORT Region IV Team Commander - Dale Downey - the DMORT NBC
(Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) Team was created and initially staffed by DMORT
Region IV team members. As the DMORT NBC Team slowly developed, new members
were selected from the other nine DMORT teams across the nation.
As
the scope of operation expanded, more specialized personnel were recruited. The
team was renamed DMORT WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Today, the team has over 80 members and will
continue to grow until it is sufficiently staffed to manage decontamination
operations 24 hours a day/seven days a week for a major WMD incident.
The
team’s original training consisted of decontaminating manikins. The need for
the team to develop and implement effective protocols in a realistic
environment, using human remains, became obvious. For several years, plans were
discussed to accomplish this specific type of training. The University of
Tennessee (UT) Department of Forensic Anthropology and the UT Forensic Facility
(better know to all as the “Body Farm”) in
Plans
were drafted, and agreements were signed between NDMS/DMORT WMD and the
In
May 2005, the first such training was held in
In
September 2006, the expanded DMORT WMD Team returned to
All
guests were suited in PPE (Protective Personal Equipment) and took a hands-on
part in the training. This training simulation was extremely realistic,
involving everyone in attendance. This training was the first time that the
newly developed Recovery Section of DMORT WMD exercised their skills in
recovering human remains from some complex areas at the
This
second DMORT WMD Team training received a 100 percent positive response from
not only the team members, but also the guests from other teams. Arrangements
are currently underway, in preparation for the third such training in
DMORT
WMD trainings are always open to all regional DMORT team members. We feel it is
vital for every DMORT team to have the knowledge and understanding of how DMORT
WMD operates, since we are all part of the DMORT system. We all need to work
together, in order to accomplish our ultimate goal of returning loved ones back
to their families.
Every
DMORT Commander will be contacted during the next several months, with an
invitation to send one or more representatives from their team to the September
2007 DMORT WMD training in
Dr. William
Bass, internationally known
forensic anthropologist and author, lecturers to members of the DMORT WMD
Team and other visitors during the September 2006 training in
DMORT WMD
personnel secure a body for removal from an attic structure
DMORT WMD
personnel remove the body through a window by lowering it to awaiting team
members on the ground
DMORT WMD
decon technicians use a sprayer to apply a decontamination solution to the body
DMORT ITEMS
FOR
Dr. Jim Adams, our DMART proprietor, will
be at the upcoming NDMS Conference in
For
on-line orders, please contact Jim at Jim@dmort.org.
2007 NDMS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Gaylord Opryland Resort and
Convention Center
For
those still interested in attending the 2007 NDMS Conference in
If
you have any questions or comments regarding the conference, you may email CHEP
at events@chepinc.org
or call 410-642-1857.