FSE 425 Mortuary Disaster Management

5 credits

This course orients the student to the role of the funeral service practitioner in the management of disasters that involve multiple fatalities. Topics include the history of multi-death disasters, radiation accidents, dealing with the mass media, setting up a temporary morgue, guidelines for preparation of the dead, identification of the remains, and critical incident stress debriefing.

Prerequisites: FSE 320

Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Discuss the mission and vision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Discuss the mission of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
Describe the basic framework of NDMS functions
Explain each of the major response team categories
Describe the established selection criteria for deploying response teams
Recognize the NDMS Disaster Team Code of Conduct and explain the importance
Identify and give examples of types of mass fatality incidents
Discuss the history of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT)
Explain the roles and responsibilities of a DMORT
Explain the Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU) and equipment
Discuss the management of dead bodies in a disaster situation
Research and analyze state disaster plans

Total Hours: 50 Theory (Lecture) Hours: 50