08-09-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ramsey County │ Annex F: Fatality Management 11 •Municipal Police or RCSO •Other agencies in consultation with RCEMHS 3.5.2 ACTIVATION AND OPERATION The final determination to activate the Fatality Management Annex resides with the Chief Medical Examiner. The Annex may be activated for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: • . •An incident that will exceed the RCME’s Office routine resources for recovery and examination. •An incident that requires a multi-agency response to support mass fatality operations. During an incident requiring activation of the Fatality Management Annex, a team from the RCME’s Office will conduct an initial scene evaluation to evaluate tactical issues, such as an entry and exit path into the scene area, the number of fatalities, coordination with local and/or federal law enforcement for evidence and body collection, condition of bodies in relation to contamination, and preliminary planning for body recovery, documentation, and transportation from the scene. 3.5.3 RECOVERY OF HUMAN REMAINS, PROPERTY, AND EVIDENCE Human remains recovery may differ based on the scope and nature of the incident. A natural disaster may result in a broad area of fatalities, while remains may all be in a centralized location in a localized incident. In addition, an intentional act or act of terrorism may present factors that delay recovery efforts. Local, state, and/or federal law enforcement investigations will supersede human remains recovery. For aviation or railway disasters, the National Transportations Safety Board (NTSB) will be responsible for all aspects of the incident, including fatality management and family assistance. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will lead the response to an act of suspected terrorism. Mass fatality incidents will likely be treated as a crime scene until the investigation proves otherwise except in cases of natural disasters. Recovery should be conducted with care and respect for the deceased and their families in all instances. The incident site activities may include human remains and personal effects recovery, initial evidence recovery from the remains, and temporary morgue, as needed. Incident site operations will be performed according to professional protocols to ensure accurate identification of human remains and, under certain circumstances (e.g., commercial airline accident and criminal or terrorist act), to preserve the scene and collect evidence. In this context, the priority at any incident site will be to save and protect lives. The RCME’s roles and responsibilities at the scene of a mass fatality will include the same functions it fulfills on a daily basis under normal circumstances but will most likely require additional resources. The basic Medical Examiner team (to be augmented by law enforcement for evidence collection as necessary) will consist of an Assistant Medical Examiner, a Medical Examiner Investigator, and two litter bearers. RCME’s Office responsibilities at the scene will include: •Scene evaluation and investigation. •Collection and documentation of human remains, property, and evidence.