Ch 14: Shipping Human Remains

Question 1

What time period was this:

Soldiers killed in battle were buried in the closest local cemetery near the battlefield

Answer 1

Revolutionary War and War of 1812

Question 2

What time period is this:

• People ventured outside their local community
  -People died away from home:
  buried away from home
  no means of retarding decomposition
  relatives notified by telegram

Answer 2

Railroad 1800s

Question 3

What began during the civil war 1861

Answer 3

Embalming

Question 4

Who was responsible for preparing fallen soldiers for shipping home

Answer 4

Dr. Thomas Holmes

Question 5

Who is the father of embalming?

Answer 5

Dr. Thomas Holmes

Question 6

Why is president Lincoln important?

Answer 6

He was fascinated by the idea of preserving the dead
Declared that all fallen union officers were to be able prepared and returned to their homes
Son, Willie, was embalmed
At the time of his assassination, the general public became aware of the possibilities of embalming

Question 7

What was created during World War 1?

Answer 7

Graves Registration service

Question 8

What was the Graves Registration Service?

Answer 8

• Morgue facilities used for preparation of fallen soldiers
• Development of the dog tag
• 42% couldn’t be returned home because they couldn’t be identified
• Military began viewing the return of remains as a sacred obligation

Question 9

What happened during World War 2?

Answer 9

Aviation advances made shipment of remains more feasible
First time rail, sea, and air shipment were used

Question 10

Pre 9/11 domestic shipping

Answer 10

Any funeral associate could transport to airport

Question 11

Post 9/11 domestic shipping

Answer 11

Gov’t agencies and airlines have restricted who is authorized to bring human remains to airport
Show ID and wallet license when receiving or dropping off

Question 12

What are the domestic requirements when shipping today?

Answer 12

• All airlines require embalming
• Standard practice would require the use of a Ziegler case to contain any odors from embalmed bodies

Question 13

What’s the caveat to airplanes requiring embalming?

Answer 13

If embalming is prohibited due to religious convictions, most carriers will permit an un-embalmed body packed in dry ice or ice packs
ONLY if there’s no sign of putrefaction and no leaking fluids

Question 14

What are the general shipping requirements for casketed remains?

Answer 14

• Lower the bed (body) to its lowest position within the casket
• Cover the face and hands with a sheet of plastic
• Casket may be locked, don’t replace the key cap (place it in an envelope with documentation)
• Use of an air tray is required by airlines
• Attach shipping envelope to head end of air tray (name, flight info, shipping funeral home, receiving FH, and info on exterior) (required permits, documentation, key cap, special instructions inside)

Question 15

What’s important information to know when shipping non-casketed remains?

Answer 15

• Use of combo unit required (at minimum hospital gown required)
• Plastic undergarments necessary
• Body wrapped in a sheet to aid in removal from container
• Body anchored to base of the unit

Question 16

What do you need to ship to foreign countries?

Answer 16

• Contact foreign embassy for rules
• Legalization / authorization documents
• Burial transit permit
• Non contagious disease letter
• Official seal (from Texas)
• Inspection or sealing of casket
• Apostille

Question 17

What is an apostille?

Answer 17

A government authentication of seals and signatures on public documents

Question 18

Where can we obtain an apostille?

Answer 18

From the secretary of states office in Austin

Question 19

What’s important to remember when receiving remains?

Answer 19

• Government doesn’t provide funds to ship bodies back to the US
• If body was buried, could take from 2-15 years to be returned
• Embalming not always available in foreign countries
• Consular Report of Death overseas

Question 20

What’s important to know about becoming a Certified Shipper (aka Known Shipper)?

Answer 20

• Developed in 2004 by TSA
• Must register with each airline
• Documentation

Question 21

What documentation to do you need to ship a body?

Answer 21

• Government issued photo ID
• Death certificate
• Burial Transit Permit
• Letter of non contagious disease
• Embalmer’s affidavit
• Passport (if available)
• FH letterhead attesting to: contents of the casket, flight itinerary, receiving FH’s name, address, and phone number

Question 22

What are things to consider when dealing with funeral shipping?

Answer 22

1. Set service times AFTER you know arrival times for the remains
2. Vital statistics must be obtained immediately
3. Make sure the shipper is familiar with the shipping regulations at the place of death
4. Talk to the family about the size of the casket
5. Take into consideration the location of deceased
6. Weekends can affect shipment
7. The circumstances of the death may play a role in shipment
8. Make sure the family knows different locales have different requirements
9. The shipping FH must know the final disposition for DC and their records