Mississippi Mortuary Response Team Medical Reserve Corps Unit #2625 ` Mississippi Mortuary Response Team Medical Reserve Corps Unit #2625

Planning for the creation of the Mississippi Mortuary Response Team (MMRT) began after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

In 2009, the first Mississippi Mass Fatality conference was held and in 2010 the MMRT was formally established.

In December 2015, the MMRT became the nation’s first and only Medical Reserve Corps Unit that is strictly a Mortuary Response Unit.

The team was established because local mortuary resources may be overwhelmed, damaged or unavailable after a natural disaster, a catastrophic event or a public health crisis strikes.

Hurricanes Tornadoes Plane Crashes

We provide technical support to local coroners and medical examiners by assisting in the recovery, identification and disposition of remains following a mass fatality event.

The team can also provide specialists trained to collect information used to aid in the identification of the victims. The MMRT works under the direction of local medical examiner/coroner.

Team members are all volunteers Team members are all volunteers. In the real world, many work as coroners, funeral directors and embalmers – all professions that regularly work with the dead.

Coroners Embalmers

However, members also include registered nurses, paramedics and EMTs, firefighters, and many others who come from non-mortuary backgrounds.