scope:

In a mass fatality incident, members of the medical examiner or coroner's office are faced with a host of complex and time-sensitive responsibilities. These include identifying victims, collecting property and evidence, determining cause and manner of death, issuing death certificates, and returning the bodies to their families. Written for all personnel involved in these incidents, Mass Fatality Management Concise Field Guide outlines the necessary components to prepare for and manage mass fatalities.

Topics covered in this practical manual include:

• Administrative operations, including the release of information, death certificates, logistics, and personnel management
• Incident site assessment, search and recovery, and evacuation
• Morgue operations, including the admitting station, radiography, dental examination and fingerprints, DNA testing, and release of the body
• Site selection and procedures for the Family Assistance Center
• Issues related to weapons of mass destruction, including recognition, personnel assignment, decontamination, and the transportation of fatalities
• Mass burial guidelines

Each chapter features a convenient bulleted format and includes forms and illustrations to enhance the narrative. The Appendix includes supplemental information on mass fatality personnel description, external physical examination procedures, standard internal body examination procedures (the forensic autopsy), dental identification procedures, body release, and the mobile morgue equipment inventory list. An accompanying rewritable CD-ROM allows readers to enter data electronically and print out completed forms.

The information in this book will enable those organizations tasked with managing these incidents to more effectively develop a mass fatality plan; prepare a needs-assessment list; identify local resources for equipment, supplies, and personnel; and adequately train personnel. It will also be a useful resource for preparing a community's local plan to meet the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accreditation standards for medical examiner offices and to comply with the federal emergency support function (ESF)-8 requirements.