TMC PULSE

T M C N E W S . O R G T M C N E W S . O R G 6 "Mass fatality 10 or 15 years ago was very different than it is now," Wiersema said. "It used to be that what we were planning for was, really, catastrophes—large-scale natural disasters, like floods or earthquakes or hurricanes, where you're generally dealing with intact remains and you're also not compli- cating the thing by the fact that it's a homicide or a crime scene. These incidents that we're having now— you just add a whole additional dimension to the process." Ultimately, the TMORT plan landed under the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (TX EMTF), a response system already in place and led by the Texas Department of State Health Services, regional advisory councils, local EMS organi- zations and hospital systems. The TX EMTF, developed in 2009, fulfills the need for emergency health care on short notice during man-made or natural disasters by coordinating local and regional emergency services. While many EMTF teams use individuals from local EMS chap- ters, fire stations, and hospitals, TMORT draws assistance from med- ical examiners' offices, academic institutions and private entities to help with scene investigations, morgue operations, victim identifi- cation and other death investigation and medicolegal operations. The mass shooting in El Paso was the first time TMORT was officially deployed, although Wiersema trav- eled to San Marcos in the summer of 2018 to test TMORT as part of a multi-agency response to an apart- ment fire that killed five people. TMORT works through the arrangement of pre-rostered, vetted and trained professionals who have signed an agreement with the state. When a mass casualty event occurs, TMORT will reach out to the lead- ership of an unaffected jurisdiction (with pre-approved professionals) to request assistance, Wiersema said. Often, smaller jurisdictions who may need assistance don't know exactly what to ask for, so Wiersema's team created a rapid assessment guide, which includes a series of questions to help TMORT identify the type of pro- fessionals needed. TMORT will pull together a team based on the severity of the event and the rapid assessment results. In El Paso, TMORT supported the local medical examiner's office with autopsy exams and evidence management. Phillips, the HCIFS assistant medical examiner, and Wiersema estimate that TMORT helped reduce the time of work completion by at least one day. That's significant—especially when families and law enforcement offi- cials are awaiting information about the deceased. "It went remarkably smoothly," Phillips said. "Honestly, it's my per- sonal opinion that you can't plan for these sorts of things. You can only prepare. And this was really a testa- ment to the amount of preparation that had gone into TMORT and the Emergency Task Force that resulted in such a smooth deployment for the first time." Wiersema hopes that more teams from jurisdictions throughout the state will join the program. "There's this misconception that we're just picking up bodies and transporting them, but it's so much more than that, and I think that's part of what is so valuable about TMORT," he said. "It's going and doing real forensic science." Not only does the work bring some sense of closure to loved ones, but it also helps in the legal realm. "Particularly with these mass shootings, a lot of cases are going to go to court," Wiersema said. "Some of these incidents are pretty complex. Cause and manner [of death] isn't necessarily evident on the body only, so a lot of times the scene and all the background information that a death investigator would get informs the cause and manner. There are a lot of questions that need answers and doing it right is imperative." Looking for a change? Let experience guide you with your next move. Cheryl Cooper, selling real estate for over 20 years in Houston's close in neighborhoods. 5208 BRAEBURN (NON MLS) BELLAIRE | LP: $4,395,000 6511 VANDERBILT WEST UNIVERSITY | LP: $4,695,000 CHERYL COOPER 713.254.4984 ccooper@greenwoodking.com GREENWOOD KING PROPERTIES 4510 BIRCH BELLAIRE | LP: $1,125,000 267 PINE HOLLOW PINE HOLLOW | LP: $1,450,000 For Sale For Sale For Sale For Sale

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