Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team
Encyclopedia
A Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team or DMORT is a team of experts in the fields of victim identification and mortuary services. DMORTs are activated in response to large scale disasters in the United States
to assist in the identification of deceased individuals and storage of the bodies pending the bodies being claimed.
DMORT Teams:
DMORTs are organized under the Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System
. The DMORTs are composed of civilian funeral director
s, medical examiners, coroner
s, pathologists, forensic anthropologists, fingerprint
specialists, forensic odontologists, dental assistant
s, and radiographers. They are supported by medical record
s technicians and transcribers
, mental health
specialists, computer professionals, administrative support staff, and security
and investigative personnel
. When a DMORT is activated, the personnel on the team are treated and paid as a temporary Federal
employee.
FEMA maintains two Disaster Portable Morgue Units (DPMU) which are staged at FEMA Logistics Centers, one each in Rockville, Maryland
and San Jose, California
. Each DPMU is a cache of equipment and supplies for a complete morgue
with designated workstations for each process the DMORT team is required to complete.
The committee's work came to the attention of the Federal Government following the complaints of families whose family members had been lost in airline incidents. The families felt that the remains hadn't received adequate treatment. The United States Congress
passed the Family Assistance Act in 1996. The National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) was assigned the role managing the Federal response to aviation disaster victims and their families. The division responsible for this response was the Office of Family Affairs, later renamed the Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance. The NTSB made use of DMORTs to handle large scale transportation disasters.
Following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security
in 2002, the DMORTs were moved into the Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate as part of the National Disaster Medical System.. In 2007 the National Disaster Medical System was removed from DHS and returned to the Department of Health and Human Services under the control of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. April 8, 2011 http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/responders/ndms/teams/Pages/dmort.aspx
s, photograph
s or descriptions of tattoos, clothing and jewelry; blood type information and objects that may contain the deceased's DNA
, such as hair or a toothbrush. The information gathered, called antemortem, or "before death" information, is entered into a computer program called VIP (Victim Identification Profile), which is capable of assimilating 800 different item categories, including graphics
, photographs and x-rays. As forensic
scientists (pathologists, anthropologists, odontologists) examine the recovered remains, they enter their findings - called postmortem data—into VIP (Victim Identification Profile). Depending on the availability of data, the WIN-VIP system enables scientists to match the remains to their identity.
In 2006, DMORT operated the Find Family National Call Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. This is the center of all operations concerning the location and reuniting of families scattered by Hurricane Katrina
and Hurricane Rita
. Out of nearly 13,000 people reported missing after the impacts of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Stan
, and Wilma
, nearly 7,000 were found alive and reunited with their families.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to assist in the identification of deceased individuals and storage of the bodies pending the bodies being claimed.
Organization
For organizational purposes, the country is divided into ten regions, each with a Regional Coordinator. For the duration of their service, DMORT members work under the local authorities of the disaster site and their professional licenses are recognized by all states.DMORT Teams:
- REGION I (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI)
- REGION II (NY, NJ, PR, VI)
- REGION III (PA, MD, DC, DE, VA, WV)
- REGION IV (AL, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, MS, FL)
- REGION V (MN, WI, IL, IN, MI, OH)
- REGION VI (NM, TX, OK, AR, LA)
- REGION VII (NE, IA, KS, MO)
- REGION VIII (MT, ND, SD, WY, UT, CO)
- REGION IX (AZ, NV, CA, HI)
- REGION X (WA, AK, OR, ID)
DMORTs are organized under the Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System
National Disaster Medical System
The National Disaster Medical System is a section of the United States Department of Health and Human Services responsible for managing Federal government's medical response to major emergencies and disasters....
. The DMORTs are composed of civilian funeral director
Funeral director
A funeral director , also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony...
s, medical examiners, coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
s, pathologists, forensic anthropologists, fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
specialists, forensic odontologists, dental assistant
Dental assistant
Dental assistants assist the dental operator provide more efficient dental treatment, by preparing the patient for treatment, sterilizing instruments, passing instruments during the procedure, holding a suction device, exposing dental radiographs, taking impressions, and fabricating provisional...
s, and radiographers. They are supported by medical record
Medical record
The terms medical record, health record, and medical chart are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient's medical history and care across time within one particular health care provider's jurisdiction....
s technicians and transcribers
Medical transcription
Medical transcription, also known as MT, is an allied health profession, which deals in the process of transcription, or converting voice-recorded reports as dictated by physicians and/or other healthcare professionals, into text format.-History:...
, mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
specialists, computer professionals, administrative support staff, and security
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
and investigative personnel
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
. When a DMORT is activated, the personnel on the team are treated and paid as a temporary Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
employee.
FEMA maintains two Disaster Portable Morgue Units (DPMU) which are staged at FEMA Logistics Centers, one each in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. Each DPMU is a cache of equipment and supplies for a complete morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
with designated workstations for each process the DMORT team is required to complete.
History
In the 1980s, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) formed a committee to address the need for a way of dealing with mass casualty situations. The group had the goal of formulating a plan for funeral directors to deal with the situation. As the committee worked on the plan, it was revealed that such a situation would call for multiple forensic specialties. The committee created the first portable morgue unit in the country.The committee's work came to the attention of the Federal Government following the complaints of families whose family members had been lost in airline incidents. The families felt that the remains hadn't received adequate treatment. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the Family Assistance Act in 1996. The National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) was assigned the role managing the Federal response to aviation disaster victims and their families. The division responsible for this response was the Office of Family Affairs, later renamed the Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance. The NTSB made use of DMORTs to handle large scale transportation disasters.
Following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
in 2002, the DMORTs were moved into the Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate as part of the National Disaster Medical System.. In 2007 the National Disaster Medical System was removed from DHS and returned to the Department of Health and Human Services under the control of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. April 8, 2011 http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/responders/ndms/teams/Pages/dmort.aspx
Identification of remains
It is a two-part process that utilizes a sophisticated computer program for matching physical characteristics. The families of the deceased provide as much information about them as possible: dental records, x-rayX-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s, photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s or descriptions of tattoos, clothing and jewelry; blood type information and objects that may contain the deceased's DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, such as hair or a toothbrush. The information gathered, called antemortem, or "before death" information, is entered into a computer program called VIP (Victim Identification Profile), which is capable of assimilating 800 different item categories, including graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
, photographs and x-rays. As forensic
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
scientists (pathologists, anthropologists, odontologists) examine the recovered remains, they enter their findings - called postmortem data—into VIP (Victim Identification Profile). Depending on the availability of data, the WIN-VIP system enables scientists to match the remains to their identity.
Incidents
For the World Trade Center disaster, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson activated the National Disaster Medical System. It was the first time this federally coordinated response system had been activated on a full nationwide basis.In 2006, DMORT operated the Find Family National Call Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. This is the center of all operations concerning the location and reuniting of families scattered by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
. Out of nearly 13,000 people reported missing after the impacts of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Stan
Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan was the eighteenth named tropical storm and eleventh hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the sixth of seven tropical cyclones to make landfall in Mexico. Stan was a relatively weak storm that only briefly reached hurricane status...
, and Wilma
Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...
, nearly 7,000 were found alive and reunited with their families.