Mass Fatality Incidents: A Guide for Forensic Identification

Appendix B. Disaster Mortuary OperationalResponse Team ActivationThe Disaster Mortuary Operational ResponseTeam (DMORT) is a federally fundedteam of forensic and mortuary personnelexperienced in disaster victim identification.DMORT provides a mobile morgue,victim identification and tracking software,and specific personnel to augment localresources. DMORT is part of the NationalDisaster Medical System, a section of theU.S. Department of Homeland Security,Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA).DMORT can be activated by one of fourmethods:Federal Disaster Declaration. The FederalResponse Plan dictates how Federal agenciesrespond following a disaster. A requestfor DMORT assistance must be made by alocal official through the State emergencymanagement agency, which will then contactthe regional office of FEMA. Based onthe severity of the disaster, FEMA can askfor a Presidential disaster declaration,allowing the DMORT team to be activated.This process can take from 24 to 48 hours.Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act.Under this Federal act, the NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB) canask for DMORT’s assistance. The act coversmost passenger aircraft accidents inthe United States and U.S. territories.NTSB coordinates with the local medicolegalauthority to assess local resourcesand capabilities and can activate DMORTon the request of the local authority.Public Health Act. Under this Act, theU.S. Public Health Service can providesupport to a State or locality that cannotprovide the necessary response. However,the State or locality must pay forDMORT’s services, including salary,expenses, and other costs.Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)with Federal Agency. A Federal agencymay request that DMORT provide disastervictim identification. Under this mechanism,the requesting agency must pay thecost of the DMORT deployment. As anexample, following the crash of UnitedAirlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania onSeptember 11, 2001, DMORT was activatedunder an MOU with the FBI.Other DMORT issues include thefollowing:■ DMORT normally requires 24 to 48hours to become fully operational.■ The DMORT portable morgue requiresa building for morgue operations. Thisguide lists potential disaster morguesites capable of housing the DMORTmorgue (see p. 6).■ The Federal Government pays travel,lodging, food, salary, and other expensesof DMORT personnel, except in thecase of an activation under the PublicHealth Act.■ The DMORT team supports the localmedicolegal authority by providing expertise,personnel, supplies, and equipment.The responsibility for assigningthe cause and manner of death, signingof death certificates, and death notificationremain with the local authority. Allrecords created by DMORT should beleft with the local authority. DMORTshould provide identification reports anda computer program documenting theinformation collected during theirresponse.57