Ch 14: Shipping Human Remains Flashcards
What time period was this:
Soldiers killed in battle were buried in the closest local cemetery near the battlefield
Revolutionary War and War of 1812
What time period is this:
- People ventured outside their local community
-People died away from home:
buried away from home
no means of retarding decomposition
relatives notified by telegram
Railroad 1800s
What began during the civil war 1861
Embalming
Who was responsible for preparing fallen soldiers for shipping home
Dr. Thomas Holmes
Who is the father of embalming?
Dr. Thomas Holmes
Why is president Lincoln important?
He was fascinated by the idea of preserving the dead
Declared that all fallen union officers were to be able prepared and returned to their homes
Son, Willie, was embalmed
At the time of his assassination, the general public became aware of the possibilities of embalming
What was created during World War 1?
Graves Registration service
What was the Graves Registration Service?
- Morgue facilities used for preparation of fallen soldiers
- Development of the dog tag
- 42% couldn’t be returned home because they couldn’t be identified
- Military began viewing the return of remains as a sacred obligation
What happened during World War 2?
Aviation advances made shipment of remains more feasible
First time rail, sea, and air shipment were used
Pre 9/11 domestic shipping
Any funeral associate could transport to airport
Post 9/11 domestic shipping
Gov’t agencies and airlines have restricted who is authorized to bring human remains to airport
Show ID and wallet license when receiving or dropping off
What are the domestic requirements when shipping today?
- All airlines require embalming
- Standard practice would require the use of a Ziegler case to contain any odors from embalmed bodies
What’s the caveat to airplanes requiring embalming?
If embalming is prohibited due to religious convictions, most carriers will permit an un-embalmed body packed in dry ice or ice packs
ONLY if there’s no sign of putrefaction and no leaking fluids
What are the general shipping requirements for casketed remains?
- Lower the bed (body) to its lowest position within the casket
- Cover the face and hands with a sheet of plastic
- Casket may be locked, don’t replace the key cap (place it in an envelope with documentation)
- Use of an air tray is required by airlines
- Attach shipping envelope to head end of air tray (name, flight info, shipping funeral home, receiving FH, and info on exterior) (required permits, documentation, key cap, special instructions inside)
What’s important information to know when shipping non-casketed remains?
- Use of combo unit required (at minimum hospital gown required)
- Plastic undergarments necessary
- Body wrapped in a sheet to aid in removal from container
- Body anchored to base of the unit
What do you need to ship to foreign countries?
- Contact foreign embassy for rules
- Legalization / authorization documents
- Burial transit permit
- Non contagious disease letter
- Official seal (from Texas)
- Inspection or sealing of casket
- Apostille
What is an apostille?
A government authentication of seals and signatures on public documents
Where can we obtain an apostille?
From the secretary of states office in Austin
What’s important to remember when receiving remains?
- Government doesn’t provide funds to ship bodies back to the US
- If body was buried, could take from 2-15 years to be returned
- Embalming not always available in foreign countries
- Consular Report of Death overseas
What’s important to know about becoming a Certified Shipper (aka Known Shipper)?
- Developed in 2004 by TSA
- Must register with each airline
- Documentation
What documentation to do you need to ship a body?
- Government issued photo ID
- Death certificate
- Burial Transit Permit
- Letter of non contagious disease
- Embalmer’s affidavit
- Passport (if available)
- FH letterhead attesting to: contents of the casket, flight itinerary, receiving FH’s name, address, and phone number
What are things to consider when dealing with funeral shipping?
- Set service times AFTER you know arrival times for the remains
- Vital statistics must be obtained immediately
- Make sure the shipper is familiar with the shipping regulations at the place of death
- Talk to the family about the size of the casket
- Take into consideration the location of deceased
- Weekends can affect shipment
- The circumstances of the death may play a role in shipment
- Make sure the family knows different locales have different requirements
- The shipping FH must know the final disposition for DC and their records
