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Fatality Management Resources
The process of effectively transporting, storing, processing, identifying and delivering the deceased to loved ones, when combined with scientific and technical aspects of the associated law enforcement evidentiary processes, is long and arduous. The following resources may enhance preparedness and response effectiveness for mass fatality incidents.
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Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT)
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Guidance for Safe Handling of Human Remains of Ebola Patients in U.S. Hospitals and Mortuaries
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Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders
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Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health—October 2018 (cdc.gov)
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Fatality Management Webinar Recording
Fatality Management Resources
The Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) for mass fatality incidents, provides support to the state’s local medical examiners for recovery, identification, and dignified handling of the deceased.
Upon request, mass casualty incidents within the State of MI are primarily coordinated by the Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT), working under the authority of the local medical examiner's office.
Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT):
- A multi-disciplinary team includes volunteers that can assist county medical examiners during mass fatality incidents Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT):
- Functions: The team provides support for recovery, processing, identification, and dignified handling of victims. They can also help with temporary morgue operations, victim information collection, and personal effects.
- Deployment: The team is deployed at the request of a medical examiner, with an assessment team first establishing the specific resource needs.
- Membership: Individuals with relevant experience in forensic, mortuary, or disaster response can apply to join the team.
Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) Membership
The team is comprised of a variety of professionals, including:
- Forensic pathologists
- Dentists
- Anthropologists
- Funeral directors
- X-ray technicians
- Search and recovery personnel
The team's goal is to recover, process, identify, and return deceased victims to their loved ones in a dignified and professional manner.
Activation Process
The local medical examiner retains jurisdiction in a mass fatality incident. If they determine that additional support is required, the request for MI-MORT resources flows through the local emergency management system to the state level, eventually reaching the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) or Community Health Emergency Coordination Center (CHECC).
Resources and Operations
MI-MORT can deploy various components based on the needs of the situation, including a Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU) which can establish a fully functional morgue operation. The team handles aspects like:
- Scene processing
- Temporary morgue operations
- Victim Information Collection (VIC) and Morgue Identification Center (MIC)
- Remains management and identification