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Appendix H: Fatalities Management Strategies
Pages 143-156

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From page 143...
... Senior Advisor Public Health Preparedness National Association of County and City Health Officials STATE-OF-THE-ART SUCCESSES IN MASS FATALITIES MANAGEMENT There have been many defining moments in U.S. history where the challenges of responding to mass fatality incidents have been clearly realized.
From page 144...
... defines fatalities management as "…the capacity to effectively perform scene documentation, the complete collection and recovery of the dead, victim's personal effects and items of evidence; decontamination of remains and personal effects (if required) ; transportation, storage, documentation, and recovery of forensic and physical evidence; determination of the nature and extent of injury; identification of the fatalities using scientific means; certification of the cause and manner of death; processing and returning of human remains and personal effects of the victims to the legally authorized person(s)
From page 145...
... KCC's Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute also developed an online library, which lists a variety of documents and other resources pertaining to the field of mass fatalities management.2 Since the ending of its federal funding period in 2007, the Institute has struggled to maintain its mission and ensure that all communities across the country have mass fatalities plans and a robust and highly trained workforce to respond to mass fatality events. Even so, the Institute continues to identify alternate mechanisms of funding so that it may continue its contribution to the field of mass fatalities planning and response.
From page 146...
... In June 2005, the National Institute of Justice convened a technical working group to develop Mass Fatality Incidents: A Guide for Human Forensic Identification.4 This guide was one of the first documents to address issues facing medical examiners, coroners, and other forensic professionals involved in the identification of human remains resulting from a mass fatality incident. It notes some of the critical differences between "normal fatality management" operations (i.e., responding to a motor vehicle accident with five fatalities)
From page 147...
... Toolkit materials were developed based on lessons learned from actual events, including the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina, and provide scalable, operational guidance and resources to assist local public health jurisdictions in creating a local mass fatalities plan. The CDC has also produced numerous public health bulletins available on the Emergency Preparedness and Response section of its website (www.cdc.gov)
From page 148...
... Elected officials, emergency planners, public health professionals, and a variety of other disciplines needed to carry out the multitude of tasks and activities following such an event must give priority to developing both short- and long-term approaches to creating a mass fatalities management strategy that can be adopted and implemented at all jurisdictional levels. SHORT-TERM OPPORTUNITIES Creating a National Mass Fatalities Strategy The first short-term goal would be to call for the creation of a National Mass Fatalities Strategy.
From page 149...
... Enhancing Workforce Development One of the glaring gaps identified by many subject matter experts is the lack of a fully functional workforce that is able to respond to a range of mass fatality incidents, especially in rural areas of the country. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act and the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21, which addresses public health and medical preparedness, calls for the creation of the Federal Education and Training Interagency Group (FETIG)
From page 150...
... Enhancing Family Assistance Services The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 was a key piece of legislation to address the needs of families in the aftermath of a mass fatalities incident. The Act required the provision of a range of supportive services, including psychological and spiritual, much of which are provided in Family Assistance Centers in the localities where these transportation incidents occur.
From page 151...
... Family Reception Centers are typically located in close proximity to a mass fatality scene or in a location, such as a hospital, where the families of victims are likely to congregate. Chaplains, social workers, and other hospital support staff provide the interim information and support until a more comprehensive Family Assistance Center can be opened.
From page 152...
... This is why it is even more imperative that a group of key stakeholders, to include public health economists, be convened to explore the cost of building a sustainable national mass fatalities strategy that will have quantifiable and efficacious outcomes at the local and state levels. In the interim, current funding opportunities such as those through the HHS Hospital Preparedness Program, the CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant program and Cities Readiness Initiative program, and the Department of Homeland Security Grant Program should be reviewed to identify ways to include mass fatality planning and exercise initiatives and requirements.
From page 153...
... NEXT STEPS Prioritizing the creation of a national mass fatality management strategy is critical in preparing the country to respond to large-scale natural and human-caused disasters involving multiple, simultaneous deaths. This strategy must include and focus on addressing the complex infrastructure needed to respond to the challenges posed by human remains recovery, the morgue and forensic operations in place to support these recovery efforts, the systems to properly track missing person information and obtain ante-mortem data for decedent identification and release, and the mental health and spiritual assistance services necessary to sup
From page 154...
... 2005. Mass Fatality Incidents: A Guide for Human Forensic Identi fication.
From page 155...
... 2008. Managing Mass Fatalities: A Toolkit for Planning.


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