Response team trains for mass fatalities

Charlotte Mich. (WLNS)– A special training was held Wednesday at Eaton County, designed to help officials respond to a mass fatality disaster.

The team that responds to mass fatalities is called The Michigan Mortuary Response Team, or MI-Mort. They help recover the deceased and reunite them with loved ones.

It was all hands on deck Wednesday as members trained. A simulated plane crash with 160 fictional passengers on board was today’s example of a mass fatality.

Dart Field Operation Chief, Darin Page, was involved. This is just one of the many possibilities this team could face for real.

“Our customer is ultimately of course the families and the survivors who are waiting for these people to be reunited with them,” Page said.

Darin Page helped assist in today’s simulated plane crash with 160 fictional passengers on board. This is just one of the many possibilities this team could face in real life. After collecting the human remains, the next step was getting them to the morgue.

There, the remains were analyzed, and information that could help identify the person that was entered into the system. Then the final step is family member interviews.

“Potential positive identifications for Doctor Marke who is our medical examiner in charge today,” said Timothy Schramm, MI-Mort Team Commander Members told Rachel Ramsey, MI-Mort has been deployed once back in 2020 because of COVID-19.

“We recovered 165 unclaimed covid positive decedents. we ultimately had over 220 that came into our census and we were able to provide family reunification with all but 9,” said Schramm.

The MI-Mort team wants people to know they’re looking for more volunteers. So far, the team has over 100 members today.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.