1st Edition

Mass Fatalities Managing the Community Response

By Peter R. Teahen Copyright 2012
    421 Pages 65 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    A mass fatalities response goes far beyond returning the remains of a loved one to surviving family members. Those charged with this grim but critical responsibility will find themselves immersed in multiple tasks involving diverse individuals, organizations, and priorities. Mass Fatalities: Managing the Community Response examines multiple complex issues while providing practical guidance to communities and responders as they plan for, respond to, and recover from a mass fatalities incident. This book explores the immense array of tasks such as:

    • Managing resources and personnel
    • Protecting a potential crime scene
    • Conducting a comprehensive search and recovery of the remains
    • Identifying and returning the remains and personal effects
    • Ensuring family members of the deceased are treated with compassion, dignity, and respect
    • Making sure responders have the proper tools to complete their responsibilities
    • Providing family members, responders, and the impacted community the necessary support to cope with the physical, spiritual, and emotional stressors of a mass fatalities incident

    The book explains in detail the functions performed at the mass fatalities operational sites, including the Disaster Site, Victim Identification Center, Family Assistance Center, and Staff Processing Center. It provides organizational charts with job descriptions detailing the roles and responsibilities for an effective leadership team and describes the management of the disaster site, presenting step-by-step procedures for search and recovery. The book also discusses the registration, initial interview, and Notification of Death for family members at the Family Assistance Center and covers best practices for the Victim Identification Center operations. Throughout, chapters emphasize the need for mental health services—exploring the essential elements of providing effective and compassionate support to surviving family members (including children), to responders and their families, and to the community.

    An increase in catastrophic disasters in recent years has highlighted the need for sound guidance outlining the protocol for handling these events. Mass Fatalities: Managing the Community Response is an indispensable resource for this formidable task.

    Peter Teahen discusses the book in a video on the CRC Press YouTube channel.

    Chapter 1: Introduction to Mass Fatalities

    What Is a Mass Fatalities Incident?

    What Is the "Threshold Number" for Activating a Mass

    Fatalities Response Plan?

    Four Categories of Disasters

    Tenets of a Mass Fatalities Response

    Additional Tenets of a Mass Fatalities Response

    Core Planning Issues

    Psychological and Social Impact of a Mass Fatalities

    Incident

    Public Information during a Mass Fatalities Response, Robert Howard

    Incident Command (ICS)

    Chapter Reflections

    Chapter 2: Disaster Site

    Introduction

    Key Definitions

    Disaster Site Chain of Command

    Support Functions at the Disaster Site

    Disaster Site Staff

    Initial Assessment

    General Guidelines for Disaster Site Operations

    Search and Recovery Team General Guidelines

    Disaster Site Search Operations

    Search Operations at the Disaster Site

    Monitoring the Disaster Site

    Closure of Disaster Site

    Disaster Site Closure Checklist

    Disaster Site Supply List

    Chapter Reflections

    Chapter 3: Family Assistance Center

    Introduction

    Site Selection Considerations

    Defining the Term Family Member

    Family Assistance Center Leadership Team

    Family Assistance Center Support Services

    Family Assistance Center Staffing

    Family Assistance Center Operational Guidelines

    Crisis Hotline Services

    FAC Service Areas

    FAC Registration Common Family Reactions

    Family Assistance Center Family Intake Process

    FAC Family Orientation

    Health Services

    Security

    Lodging

    Family Assistance Center Child Care Center, Judy Bezon

    Notification of Death

    NTSB Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance Division

    Joint Family Support Operations Center (JFSOC)

    Victim Support Tasks (VST)

    FAC Family Member Registration Form

    FAC Family Member Statement of Health

    FAC Family Member Authorization Form

    Funeral Information and Release Form

    Media Request Form

    Chapter Reflections

    Chapter 4: Staff Processing Center

    Introduction

    Planning for Staffing a Mass Fatalities Incident

    Staffing Resources

    Local Documentation of Disaster Responders

    The Staff Processing Center

    Staff Processing Center Leadership Staff

    Staff Processing Center Support Functions

    SPC Staff Qualifications

    SPC Staff Orientation

    SPC Daily Staff Registration

    Staff Policies

    Registration of Response Staff

    Reassignment of Staff

    Staff Orientations

    Security Badges

    Staff Lodging

    Out-Processing of Staff

    Staff Processing Center Facility Specifications

    Staff Processing Center Work Areas

    Forms and Supplies

    Staff Processing Center Supply List

    Staff Registration Form

    Staff Registration Form

    Statement of Health

    Staff Daily Registration

    Confidentiality Standards Agreement Form

    Description of Staff Responsibilities and Duties

    Chapter Reflections

    Chapter 5: Victim Identification Center

    Introduction

    Victim Identification Center Site Selection Considerations

    Victim Identification Center Site Selection

    Victim Identification Center Site Command Structure

    The Role of Medical Examiner

    Support Functions at the Victim Identification Center

    Mortuary Care at the Victim Identification Center

    Radiological Exam

    Victim Identification Center Office Workspace Area

    Victim Identification Center Mortuary Transportation Area

    Victim Identification Center Personal Effects Area

    Staff Respite Center Area

    Government Resources

    Health Hazards of a Mass Fatalities Incident

    Storage of Remains

    Long-Term Storage of Remains

    Cremation of Mass Fatalities Remains

    Establishment of Communal Burial Sites

    Special Considerations for Remains Processing

    Victim Identification Center Release Procedures

    Closure of the Victim Identification Center

    Victim Identification Center Documentation

    Victim Identification Center Supply List

    Chapter Reflections

    Chapter 6: Coping with Stress

    Introduction

    Stress and the Disaster Responder

    Disaster Worker Phases

    Stress Reactions of Workers during Disasters

    Crisis Intervention

    Confidentiality

    Key Concepts of Crisis Intervention

    Spectrum of Care

    Typical Reactions versus Need for Referral

    Disaster Losses

    Emotional Phases of a Disaster

    Trauma and the Handlers of Remains

    Emotional Responses to Terrorism

    Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    Children’s Reaction to Trauma

    Reactions of Children by Age

    Cultural Considerations

    Tools of Crisis Intervention

    SAFER Model

    Self-Care by Responder

    Role of Spiritual Care, Julie Taylor

    Community Partnerships

    Mental Health and Spiritual Care Leadership

    Chapter Reflections

    Epilogue

    Index

    Biography

    Peter R. Teahen is a Funeral Director and founder of the International Mass Fatalities Center and AmericaReady. He has responded to disasters since 1989 and has written and lectured extensively on managing mass fatalities incidents. He has served as a national media spokesperson and a Government Liaison Officer for the American Red Cross and has been interviewed on such programs as Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Oprah, Weather Channel, Fox News, the British Broadcasting Company and Aljazeera. Mr. Teahen has been involved in leadership roles in more than forty-five major disasters throughout the U.S. and globally including the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the Alaska Air Flt 261 and Egypt Air Flt 990 aviation disasters, Hurricane Katrina 2005, the Indonesian Tsunami 2004, and the Haiti earthquake of 2010.  He is recognized for his work on aviation disasters and is internationally known for his work and lectures in critical incident stress management and the psychological and social impact of disasters. He is the recipient of numerous national awards including the National Public Spirit Award. Previous recipients include Ronald Reagan, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ann Landers, and Dr. Robert Schuller.

     

    I really like the Reflection Questions at the end of each chapter - nice touch! I haven't seen this in other disaster books. ... Excellent job!
    —Diane Myers, RN,MSN

     ... has good applicability for people to use in community planning for mass fatalities incidents.
    —Karyn Yaussy, Catawba County Emergency Management

    The content flow is understandable, there is continuity of thought, and the presented information is factually correct.
    —Garold D. Huey, BS, FDIEMB