DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION

• Jurisdiction: Australia

DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION

The five phases of disaster victim identification ........................................... [33F.200]

Phase 1 ......................................................................................................... [33F.210]

Phase 2 ......................................................................................................... [33F.220]

Phase 3 ......................................................................................................... [33F.230]

Phase 4 ......................................................................................................... [33F.240]

Phase 5 ......................................................................................................... [33F.250]

[33F.200] The five phases of disaster victim identification

According to current Interpol protocols, the process of disaster victim identification can be divided into five phases:

The five phases of disaster victim identification

Phase 1 involves the investigation of the scene of the disaster, including all of the locations where bodies or body parts lie.
Phase 2 involves the examination of the bodies at the mortuary.
Phase 3 involves the collection of ante-mortem information from the community in relation to potential victims of the disaster.
Phase 4 involves a process of reconciliation where the ante-mortem and post-mortem information is matched to identify each victim.
Phase 5 involves the process of debriefing all personnel involved in the disaster victim identification procedures, including critical incident stress debriefing and operational effectiveness debriefing.

Each of the phases has its own coordinator who reports directly to the DVI commander. Documentation of victim identification information in all phases utilises the international standard Interpol DVI forms. This permits the exchange of standardised information between investigators from different countries and representatives of victims.

[33F.210] Phase 1

The scene

A senior officer from one of the emergency services will usually be in charge of the scene for the purpose of coordinating the response to the disaster. Although this person will not have direct responsibility for victim identification, the DVI scene coordinator will work with this person to ensure that the DVI scene teams have appropriate and safe access to the disaster site. This may require direct liaison with mechanical or building engineers, fire brigade staff, hazardous materials advisers, public health specialists and police detectives. An important role of the scene coordinator is the establishment of a secure body holding area and ensuring that there is control and documentation of the movement of all human remains.

The examination of victims at the scene is performed by DVI teams, which comprise a photographer, a scene examiner and a recorder. In addition, depending on the nature of the disaster and the condition of the victims, a forensic pathologist, forensic odontologist or forensic anatomist may be required by the team to assist in the identification, documentation and transportation of the remains. A forensic pathologist or anthropologist may be required to identify fragmented portions of human material and a forensic odontologist may be needed to ensure that friable, charred dental remnants in incinerated bodies are stabilised prior to transportation so as to preserve the dental material for subsequent examination.

Numbering systems

Several teams may be required at an incident site, with each team taking a discrete area or location. The full extent of the scene needs to be ascertained at an early stage so that estimates can be made of the number of staff required and the time that will be needed to complete the scene investigation and body recovery. Prior to the movement or disturbance of any body, there should be visual recording of the scene, with the location of each body, body part or associated material identified by a number location marker. All human remains must be individually tagged and labelled with a unique reference number.

Numbering systems in disaster investigation need to be carefully considered. A unique system needs to be put into place to ensure that there can be no duplication. Ideally only one numbering system should be in place for the whole of the victim identification process. However, this is not always possible. Even if additional number systems are employed at different stages in an investigation, the original number should be attached to each body or specimen, and accompany the paperwork for it at all times.

Geographical grids

An Interpol DVI pink "Form B"...