dental identification in multiple Fatality incidents 261
in every deployment. Training is the most valuable step in this process.^3
Individuals in a well-trained organization tend to experience fewer glitches
in the operational phase of the identification process and also have better
morale due to the fact that all go into these situations with a general idea of
what to expect. The identification process is a huge team effort. No section
stands alone.
One thing that is really important for the identification team to remem-
ber is that we are working for the families to return their loved ones to them.
Team members should not do this work for personal recognition and gain.
Once the egos are tamed, the operations run more smoothly and groups of
individuals become teams.
Control information release by designating only one individual to rep-
resent the MFI operational staff. No worker should ever talk to the media
for any reason unless asked by the person in charge of public information
or the incident commander. This tight control of information will protect
the workers from the stress of media pressure and improve the quality of the
information reported to the public.
The last word in any identification operation is accuracy.^12 Use the utmost
care in creating antemortem and postmortem records. Use multiple indi-
viduals to review and approve comparisons. Treat every case you work in
an MFI as if it was your first. Speed is never as important as accuracy. Never
bypass or shortcut protocols, as this will lead to failure. Take pride in your
work and remember that the goal and purpose of your work is to ease grief
and help families who have suffered tremendous losses.
References
- American Dental Association. 1996. Second National Symposium on Dentistry’s
Role and Responsibility in Mass Disaster Identification. Chicago: American
Dental Association.
- National Institute for Justice. 2005. Mass fatality incidents: A guide for human
identification. Washington, DC: USDOJ.
- Levinson, J., and H. Granot. 2002. Transportation disaster response handbook,
xiv. San Diego: Academic Press.
- Eckert, W.G. 1997. Introduction to forensic sciences, xi. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press.
- World Health Organization. 2004. Management of dead bodies in disaster situa-
tions. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization.
- Herschaft, E.E., et al., ed. 2006. Manual of forensic odontology. 4th ed. American
Society of Forensic Odontology.
- Stimson, P.G., and C.A. Mertz. 1997. Forensic dentistry. Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press.
- American Board of Forensic Odontology. 2008. Diplomates reference manual.
http://www.abfo.org.
