dental identification in multiple Fatality incidents 247identification, and release of bodies to families or to their country of origin.
Embalming may be a consideration, but in respect to religious concerns,
should be done only after identification and legal release. In some situations
the overwhelming numbers of fatalities or other extenuating circumstances
may require mass management and no individual processing. This type of
body disposition must be defined in planning and training sessions and
implemented when the situation warrants.
The MFI affects many levels of society. The direct family members have
suffered a tremendous loss with the death in their family, but also could have
suffered injuries or sustained significant personal property losses. Dealing
with the family member is the primary concern of the Family Assistance
Center, an important part of the MFI response structure. In cases like the
9/11 World Trade Center attacks, we found that the responders who were in
the line of fire and the same people depended upon to supply fire and police
protection and assistance became part of the missing persons list. Local,
state, and national resources are tapped, and the effects of an MFI are felt
across an entire nation.
An MFI requires the work of many forensic experts.^2 Who are they and
from where do they come? Normally local agencies have some emergency
management resources in place to begin the initial operation. A large major-
ity of responders may be volunteers who feel the need to give aid to families
and victims in a time of need. Organizing and choosing these volunteers
is a complicated job. Often there are imposters who try to cross the secu-
rity lines just to look at the scene. This type of security problem must be
prevented, and a good protocol for accepting volunteers must be in place.
Many governments supply either salaried employees or activated employees
to work at a disaster site. These are trained individuals who tend to be able
to stay at a scene longer than volunteers due to the fact they are not losing
income while working at an MFI. There are also independent contractors
who provide services for an MFI. These contractors work for an entity such
as an air carrier or government and provide the requested services. The
final decision on who works an MFI rests with the person who has juris-
dictional authority. This individual is usually a medical examiner, coroner,
or assigned emergency management director. It is recommended that all
agencies involved have daily meetings to assess the progress of the operation
and to determine how each agency is functioning. This also helps solidify
this conglomerate of groups into a single team.
Many people pose the question, “Why do you do this type of work?”
Normally the volunteer has a feeling of responsibility to provide his or
her services to those in need. The employee working an incident of course
sees it as a job, but still will have that deep conviction to serve. Perhaps
the simplest way to explain the worker’s need to serve is as a basic human