A division of Worldwide Disaster Response Group, Mortuary Response Solutions, is the leading manufacturer of mass fatality response equiptment and disaster response equipment. Although there is no specific number of fatalities that define a MFI, the number of fatalities generally exceeds the local hospital, city or county’s resource capabilities.... This became more evident as MRS researched numerous significant mass fatality incidents, including man-made incidents such as terrorist attacks, mass transit accidents and hazmat releases, as well as natural disasters such as flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes and global disease outbreaks. In every case it was abundantly evident that response equipment must be reliable, rapidly deployable, scalable, low maintenance and cost effective. Currently, the vast majority of human remains from a MFI are refrigerated, utilizing either refrigerated container trucks or fixed site refrigerators, both of which are expensive and distinct in limitations. In order to incorporate these practical features it was necessary to develop and employ new techniques. In response to this need, MRS has designed, engineered and tested the MERC®System (Mortuary Enhanced Remains Cooling System). The MERC®System is the first direct contact cooling system utilizing liquid cooling technology in conjunction with an engineered cooling bag. The MERC®System requires no refrigerated or chilled air and is scalable to meet end user’s requirements. Over the last few years, MRS has experienced significant growth, which was necessary in order to accommodate the demands and diversity of clients. Additionally, MRS has also developed a suite of compatible products to further enhance the MERC®System. Accessories include cooling bags, disposable liners, disaster caskets, collapsible cadaver storage racks, portable identification and processing tables, Porta Walls™, contaminated remains pouches, mobile medical examiner and coroner facilities, evidence response and crime scene trailer units and mass fatality refrigeration trailers.
