The State of Florida in its disaster preparedness effort has joined forces with the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine to develop and implement protocols to respond to a mass fatalities incident within its borders using trained personnel from multiple state, and local agencies, as well as other specialized resources in the event of a human-made or natural catastrophic incident. The investigative and identification process in a mass fatality situation is a multidisciplinary endeavor requiring multiple forensic and medical specialists to come together rapidly often under adverse conditions.

The rapid and accurate identification of mass fatality victims is of critical importance to any disaster mitigation operation. Issues of probate cannot be resolved until a death certificate has been issued by the Medical Examiner. FEMORS was created to serve the needs of Medical Examiners in their mission to bring dignity and professionalism to caring for the deceased. The FEMORS task force duties may include: Initial Scene Response and Evaluation, Processing the Scene, Temporary Morgue Operations and Administration, and the roles of various forensic units within the morgue (e.g., pathologist, anthropologist, odontologist, radiologist, fingerprint specialist, DNA analyst, funeral director, and others), Victim Identification, Disposition of Human Remains (Embalming/casketing), Personal Effects, and Evidence Collection.

FEMORS members are classified, based upon the level of expertise they have achieved through experience and education, in one of the following categories:

CODE	FEMORS Title	Description (primary but not limited)	Minimum Requirement
FCMD	FEMORS Commander	Disaster Management of Human and Equipment Assets; ME Liaison; MSU Liaison; Scheduling	Mass Fatality Disaster Response Experience; Management and Administrative Experience;
RGTL	Regional Team Leader	Performs Go Team Duties as Back-up to FEMORS Commander	Mass Fatality Disaster Response Experience; Management and Administrative Experience;
VICL	Family Assistance Core Team Leader	Supervises Family Information Center	Mass Fatality Disaster Response Experience; Management and Administrative Experience;
PATF	Pathologist, Forensic	Examines recovered remains, details anatomic observations; May serve as section leader for Pathology	Forensic Pathology M.D. or D.O.
PATN	Pathologist, Non-Forensic, M.D., or D.O.	Examines recovered remains and details anatomic observations under the supervision of a forensic pathologist	M.D. or D.O. without forensic/ postmortem experience
ANTF	Anthropologist, Forensic	Search or examination of bone or fragments; May serve as section leader for scene or morgue Anthropology	Ph.D. with forensic/ postmortem experience
ANTN	Anthropologist, Non-Forensic	Search or examination of bone or fragments under the supervision of a forensic anthropologist	Ph.D. without forensic/ postmortem experience
ODNF	Odontologist, Forensic	Examines dental remains, processes antemortem dental records for ID; May serve as section leader for ante or post mortem Odontology	Licensed Dentist with forensic/ postmortem experience
ODNN	Odontologist, Non-Forensic	Examines dental remains, processes antemortem dental records for ID under the supervision of a forensic odontologist	Licensed Dentist without forensic/ postmortem experience
BHLO	Behavioral Health Officer	Monitors team member performance and well being	M.D., Ph.D., or Nurse
ADFI	Administrative Officer	Coordinates Administrative and Financial documentation duties with MSU	Administrative and Financial Experience,
CHAP	Chaplain	Pastoral Care of FEMORS staff	Pastoral Experience,
IRCS	IR Computer Specialist	Sets up and troubleshoots network operation and database modifications; assists command staff	Programming, IT or MIS Experience, MS Excel power user
MEDI	Medical Investigator	Identification coordinator; Post mortem data entry and VIP searching for possible ID linkages; May perform FAC interviews or contact families for information; May serve as section leader for Identification Center, Medical Investigations, Admitting, Photography, Personal Effects, Body X-Ray, Remains Holding or Storage, Records Management; May assist with pathology, anthropology, odontology, DNA, or scene search sections	Medical Examiner Forensic Investigator or Law Enforcement Death Investigation Detective
MRTO	Mortuary Officer	May serve as section leader for Morgue Operations, Admitting, Personal Effects, Body X-Ray, Embalming, Casketing, Remains Holding or Storage, or Remains Release; May serve as FAC interviewer	Licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer
SAFO	Safety Officer	Monitors proper PPE usage and safety factors in the morgue environment	Chemistry/Bloodborne Background
DNAS	DNA Specialist	May serve as Section Leader for post mortem DNA collection and FAC DNA Section for specimen collection from families.	Laboratory level Forensic DNA Experience
FPTS	Fingerprint Specialist	Obtains print impressions from remains or antemortem specimens; Compares ante and postmortem prints for ID; May serve as section leader for ante or post mortem Fingerprint sections.	Postmortem Fingerprint Experience or Latent Print Analyst
FORS	Forensic Specialist	Assists DNA, pathology, anthropology, odontology, photography, or personal effects sections; May serve as section leader for Photography or Personal Effects	Laboratory level Forensic Experience: Toxicology, Chemistry, Firearms, etc.
DPMU	DPMU Team	Equipment managers and logistics coordinators	Administrative and Mechanical Aptitude Experience,
EVSP	Evidence Specialist	Scene search and recovery; Assists photography, personal effects, pathology (as scribe), anthropology (as scribe), odontology (as scribe), or DNA sections; May serve as section leader for Disaster Site Center or Transport, Remains Holding, Photography, Personal Effects, or Remains Storage.	Crime Scene Technician Experience
AUTT	Autopsy Technician	Assists pathology, anthropology, odontology, or DNA sections; May serve as section leader for Body X-Ray	Medical Examiner Morgue Autopsy or X-Ray Experience
IRDE	IR Data Entry	Performs data entry; Helps in any other clerical capacity	Data Entry, Windows, and MS Office Proficiency
VICS	VIC Specialist	Interviews families in Victim Information Center for gathering FRED information on missing persons; Performs data entry of ante mortem information	Training in VIC (non-Funeral Director Level)
PHOT	Photographer	Takes photographs at any of the several morgue stations or at disaster site	Forensic Photography Experience
ADSP	Administrative Specialist	Helps in any clerical capacity including data entry, records clerk, or morgue scribe	Clerical skills with basic computer skills
DENA	Dental Assistant	Assist odontologists at table or in clerical capacity, or serve as body escort or scribe	Dental Hygienist or Assistant
MRTA	Mortuary Assistant	Body escort, scribe, body storage handling	Volunteers not otherwise defined

Visitors interested in joining the FEMORS team may
click here to visit the Membership page.

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