Special Scene Considerations

Question 1

Mass Fatality Scenes

Answer 1

• Incident command with ME to establish control and communication
• divide scene into manageable sections
• proper documentation and collection
• secure triage and transport to morgue with personal items

Question 2

Underwater scenes

Answer 2

• collect controls from water and ground
• black water diving: reduced visibility
• sonar can be used to locate evidence
• evidence marked by floating buoy or gps
• lift bags to retrieve evidence

Question 3

Dive Team

Answer 3

• command: not in water, supervises
• line tenders: eyes and ears of divers connected to a tether
• divers: primary - in water, secondary - can go in water

Question 4

underwater photography

Answer 4

• special cameras, check for waterproofing
• shallow: submerged only above item
• submerged: diver fully submerged
• environmental challenges: refraction, light penetration, sediment pollution
• use artificial lighting

Question 5

Buried Remains

Answer 5

• Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team
• locate via probing, trenching, photography, dogs, sensors
• screen sifting for evidence
• collect insects
• excavate with small tools
• skin or tissue bagged

Question 6

Disaster Classification

Answer 6

• human or natural cause
• scale, scope and duration
• localized or dispersed
• acute or diachronic time frame
• open loss of life or closed loss of life
  
  • open (unknown who), closed (know who ie plane manifest)

Question 7

Initial Disaster scene response

Answer 7

• help survivors, confirm incident, evaluate scope, est. zones, leave remains, ID hazards, est. scene security
• document victims and their conditions and causes

Question 8

Disaster ID team

Answer 8

• ME, anthro, DNA, Odon, radiology
• recovery and collection team
• antemortem team: data collection
• postmortem team: medical and forensic
• reconciliation team: compare ante and post mortem