Lloyd Smith presented on cremation procedures. He discussed the steps involved from receiving the body through cremation and processing of remains. Key points included properly identifying the body, filling out required paperwork, loading the body into the cremator feet first, starting the cremation process which takes 2-3 hours, and then processing and packaging the cremated remains. He also covered maintenance and repairs of the crematorium, including periodic rebuilds of the floor, walls, and roof that are needed every 1,200-2,300 cases due to wear from intense heat.

1. Get out your smart phones
Type in the link on the handout

2. Cremation Procedures 2019

3. Cremation
Procedures
2019
By Lloyd Smith
All Around Good Guy

4. “Why hide Reason’s, or
Affection’s eyes?
The grave pollutes, the
furnace purifies”
The Urn (1895)

5. Presented by
Lloyd Smith

6. I am a twin – Lloyd & Larry Smith

7. We are the only twins with TWIN
license plates for WA & OR

8. I was a teacher for 25 years

9. Grade school & middle school

10. I owned my own travel business

11. I was a National Park Ranger

12. Park Ranger at Crater Lake

13. I taught at Rogue Community
College for 15 years

14. Now a funeral director/crematory
manager – the quiet profession

17. I work for the Dahl McVicker Group
Steele Chapel at Longview Memorial Park
Hubbard Funeral Home – Castle Rock
Dowling Funeral Home – Cathlamet
Dahl McVicker Funeral Home – Kelso
Fir Lawn Funeral Chapel – Toledo
Woodland Funeral Home – Woodland
Northwood Park – Ridgefield
Groulx Family Mortuary – Rainier/Clatskanie
Ball Chapel at Lower Valley Mem Gardens

18. Our group makes about 750 calls/year

19. When we started in 2002 we had a
cremation rate of 33% - now 78%

20. How many have never seen a cremation?
How many have seen a cremation?
How many have run a crematory?

21. I used to have lots of handouts and “show
and tell” objects but in January ‘17 lost it all…

22. Definition
• Cremation: The act of
reducing human remains
to ash by intense heat.

23. One of my favorite
crematory cartoons

24. Cremation Costs on a $1400 case

25. Running the crematory inspired my photography

26. Night drop for a funeral home

27. The best cremation poem ever
The Cremation of Sam McGee
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

28. Doug Ferrin asked me to cover:
• Cremation steps from start to finish
• Tags, different states, operations
• How to avoid cremating the wrong body
• When to start the cremator and begin cremation
• Costs to run the crematory
• Cremator repairs & costs
• How much of the process is automated
• Type of gas used in the cremator
• Names of cremator components
• How different machines vary
• Problems and how to avoid them
• Anything else I want to cover

29. When a person dies in the USA:
* Burial, embalmed, or direct
* Cremation, flame, or hydrolysis
* Body donation
* Composting okay in Washington

30. A bit on the history
of cremation
1-Early world history
2-USA history

31. • Scholars today quite
generally agree that
cremation probably began
in any real sense during the
early Stone Age – around
3000 B.C. – and most likely
in Europe and the near
east.

32. • During the late Stone Age cremation
began to spread across northern Europe,
as evidenced by particularly informative
finds of decorative pottery urns in west
Russia among the Slavic peoples.
• Bronze age – 2500 to 1000 B.C –
cremation moved into the British Isles and
Spain & Portugal.

33. • By 27 B.C. to 395 A.D. – cremation was
widely practiced in the Roman Empire.
• Romans practiced cremation but it was
rare with the early Christians. Under
Constantine’s Christianization earth burial
had completely replaced cremation except
for war or plague…for 1,500 years.
• Modern cremation began about 130 years
ago on both sides of the Atlantic with the
invention of the modern cremator.

38. • President George Washington asked his
aides to wait two days before burying him
to make sure he was really dead.
• One of the earliest Americans cremated
pushed for his cremation because he had
a fear of waking up underground in a
casket so he wanted to make sure he was
dead in the fire. Taphophobia.There are
rumors of finding scratch marks on the
inside of caskets once exhumed.

39. You could signal to the world that
you are still alive. Hence the term:
Dead Ringer

41. If you want to learn
more on the history
of cremation
Purified by Fire is a
very thorough read

42. • Here are two more good reads

43. An infamous use of the crematorium

44. When I was in Poland - Auschwitz

45. “Work sets you free”

46. Hitler’s crematorium - Auschwitz

47. Hitler’s ovens - Auschwitz

48. The body transports - Auschwitz

49. I want to encourage you to stay
healthy. So many old funeral
directors have bad backs. My gym

50. You will find your procedures will vary due to:
• State law
•Policies of the firm you work for
•The cremator make & model
• Personal preference to some
procedures

51. 1965 3.9% rate - 2025 59% rate

53. • In 2009 there were over 2,100
crematories and over 900,000
cremations…and 37% of
deaths in the USA were
handled through cremations.
The national cremation rate is
now 51%, 2019.
• Close to 21,080 funeral homes
• Employing 105,668 people

54. Cremations:
No Room for
Mistakes!!

55. • The crematory operator is the last line of
protection for keeping the company out of
court. I cannot stress enough how careful
you need to be…check, double check.
• The ME’s office missed it
• The pathologist missed it
• The first call person missed it
• The directors missed it
• The crematory operator missed it
• The family called and we found the jewelry
just before cremation…next slide…

56. 21 year old with jewelry in
her dreadlocks

57. Before the cremation – First Calls

58. When you take custody of the body

59. WA state law requires you to tag the
body on-site

60. We have family or attendant sign I.D. form

61. Not all places are neat and tidy

62. We thought we had the
case…but…a blowup doll

63. First-call…plow through the junk

65. The $199 manual

66. Complete the paperwork/computer

67. 1-At our firms - get your assignment
& paperwork from the staff

68. 2-Update the office master board

69. 3-Fill in the master cremation log &
assign cremation number

70. Master Funeral Home Log-still keep

71. We have computerized - Excel

72. We have three logs on computer

73. 4-Load out - Since our crematory is
located 7 miles from funeral home
– final check before leaving

74. 5 – Load the van at Dahls

75. 6 - Headed to crematorium

76. Longview Memorial Park Crematorium

77. After 15 years of operation and 6,900 cases

78. You can always tell where the
crematory is by the telltale stack.

79. What you do not want to see from
your stack – neighbors frown

80. This was our stack, even had flames

81. Another problem – smoke/flame
from the door.
It is a brand new machine
•

82. More smoke and flame.
• Mathews flew out a tech to correct.

83. You just do not want to
see…smoke

84. Oops…wrong building

85. Lindsay DeWeese Letteer did her
senior project at our crematorium

86. Lindsay DeWeest Letteer – Was a student
at MHCC - now a funeral director.

87. A few facts - comments
• We cremate 10-15 cases a week
• We have one person in charge of the
crematorium
• The cases do not twist and turn or sit up
• We started Oct 22, 2002 – now tag #7800
• We cremate 48 tons of humans each year
• We have moved from a 33% rate to 78%
• Always watching for errors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• We cremate over 550 cases a year
• Two WA State inspectors told me: “One of
the best run in Washington state”

88. At the crematorium: Fill out the
master crematory board

89. We keep a lot of info on the
crematory board even w/computer

90. Fill out SWCAA log on computer

91. Fill out master crematory log -
on computer

92. 1-Transit Permit
Part of death certificate
2-In-house receipt that
is placed in client’s file

93. 3-Family permission form

94. 4-Photo ID of client 5-Property & I.D form

95. 6,7 & 8-Card, label and envelope

96. New label machine…nice

97. A consecutive company number tag is assigned to each
case, placed in cremator. We have now reached #7800

98. I put each new
stack of metal
I.D. tags on a
note spindle –
adds another
level of
organization –
no mistakes
allowed!

99. Oregon metal tags – dropped “H” tag,
tag now on paperwork, no difference

100. We used to place tag on front of cremator but busted by
state inspector – has to look ‘burned” – now placed inside
“Has to look burned or been in fire”.

101. Place brick on top so will not be so burned
Top tag is original – bottom been in fire

102. The envelope is placed on cremator

103. Nobody has a prettier 15 yr old machine
than I had – I waxed it regularly w/Mothers

104. Compare “Mothers” to: “others” 

105. Mothers your best friend for “pretty”
A Mathew’s tech looked at my machine, “You must use Mothers”

106. I just discovered IBIZ –
“Everything Wax”

107. A very pretty…machine - 2006

108. Lindsay - 2014

109. 1-Cremation burner
Low fire/high fire
2-After burner
3-Hearth/air
4-Throat/air
5-Pollution control
Set timer 180 min
Load feet first
1st case fire 30 min
Cool 20-30 min
2nd case fire 20 min
Etc…

110. Safety First
1. Wear ear protection for noise
2. Wear eye protectors for flying ash
3. Wear heavy gloves to protect from burns
4. Wear face mask for dust & pathogens
5. Wear lab coat to protect clothes and arms
6. Wear rubber gloves to inspect bodies
7. Wear rubber gloves to process cremains
8. Universal precautions

111. Casket comes out onto transport
(Lindsay 2006)

112. Lindsay 2014 – 8 years later

113. What about pacemakers?

114. The left one turns into the one on the right –
BOOOOOM!

115. A blown pacemaker

116. I often have to remove pacemakers at the
crematorium – need to be licensed in WA

117. Pacemakers is a lump - on their left

118. Pacemaker removed

119. What about the gold in the teeth?

120. Wanted gold coin cremated. But
gold melts at 1800, could not find

121. Family very upset, should have used tile on top

122. Fingerprints for jewelry??

123. Legacy Touch - problems

124. How to remove a ring

125. Success!

126. Check, double check, triple check

127. Check ID, paperwork and board

128. Recheck for any valuables! Oops...

129. Two burners – after burner & main burner

130. Roller and number goes into cremator

131. It is nice to have a lift with a scale

132. Feet first – unless very heavy

133. Load - Before flame, Power Pak II
After flame for Power Pak I computerized
Obese…set and push button (550#)

134. A very nice cremation casket

135. How about a $3500 casket?

136. We cremate some nice caskets

137. A beautiful home-made casket

138. Move it up a notch – a $7,000 casket

139. Ready to light the fire

140. I have been asked to cremate some
odd things with the body…how about a
$1,000 Yamaha guitar.

141. What does a $1,000 guitar look like
after it comes out of the cremator?

142. Many people request objects
placed in the cremation casket

143. Asked to add more odd stuff

144. Two bracelets – fire wrapped

145. Why we check pockets,
yes, shotgun shells

146. We get odd placement requests

147. Cartoon sent to me dozens of times

148. Get to cremate famous
people…Rosie the Riveter

149. Deon/First Call honored her

150. Set the control buttons

151. Controls – Power-Pak II

152. Controls Power Pak I w/support

153. When you start the fire…equal to:

154. Not much you can do about it

155. We have a few people that observe

156. We have to accommodate religious
preferences – mother/son

157. A mother asked to watch her
teenage son being cremated

158. The mother swept her son out
of the cremator

159. Mom sorted & processed son

160. 70 yrs old…35 years of marriage

161. Some ceremony at times

162. I was asked to burn incense

163. We accommodate wishes

164. We do reposition the case

165. Inside the cremator

166. That is grease burning in the cracks

167. Sometimes we cremate them alive

168. But they do put up a fight

169. Use long brush to sweep out cremains

170. Sweep out cremains into container

171. A many $$$ heart pump-burned up

172. Knees – Hips – Back
We recycle

173. Flame cremation vs
Alkaline Hydrolysis

174. Recyle with Implant Recycle

175. Baby pan

176. To process babies

177. The processor - American

178. Mathews’ – Did not like

179. Mathews Bench - Unsafe

180. Implant Recyle – Free $10,000

181. Cremains in processor’s cooling tray

182. Cremains poured into temp urn

183. Package the cremains – most do
not purchase an expensive urn

184. I keep a supply of many sizes of bags

185. Every once in a while we
sell an expensive urn. I
use a large automotive
funnel to pour the
cremains into the urn. I
pour in front of the
processor fan to catch the
dust. Always try to place a
bag in the urn but once in
a while we cannot get one
into a small urn.

186. • Scattering Cremains – Water Soluble
• Place bag in box and bury

187. At times we are handed odd urn requests

188. How about a 1960s valve cover for an urn

189. Try a birdhouse urn

190. More unusual urn requests

191. How about an ammo box urn

192. A barber pole and a gun-guy urn

193. What about pets? We comingle

194. At times I am asked to
photograph tattoos

195. How do you remove and
cremate a 700 lb person?

196. You call 10 fire fighters & an
ambulance with a lift - to First Call

197. You may be asked to cremate
caskets that have been buried

198. All cremains are stored in locked cabinets

199. One big problem – Thermocouple out

200. Thermocouples burn out
Keep a couple extras around

201. The thermocouple measures
temp & controls the machine

202. Never know what you are asked to do

203. The decedent

204. Problem Situation

205. When do you rebuild?
• Every 1200-1500-2300 cases we have to rebuild:
• Floor
• Roof
• Walls
• Throat
• Possibly all of them – Depends on machine
• Cost: $5,000-$15,000 for rebuilds
• We have to save $10 of every case for rebuild
• Company inspections cost $1200
• Implant Recycle will cut costs

206. Extending the life of floor with
Foundry Pack to 2280 cases

207. $50 for the box - extended life

208. When do you rebuild? When floor
falls into lower chamber (too late)

209. Replace roof

210. Material for rebuild

211. Tear off the roof skin – remove all

212. Jackhammer roof concrete

213. All removed

214. View from inside of the roof

215. Build roof form

216. In goes the roof form

217. Set roof supports

218. Pour roof one bucket at a time

219. Our Mathews crematory builder

220. Rebuilding walls – floor - throat

221. Roof looks good from last rebuild

222. Anybody want to apply to Matthews?

223. Through the floor

224. You can see lower baffle chamber

225. Taking off the walls

226. Laying the new walls

227. Going back to work

228. Taking out the 2nd wall

229. Laying the second wall

230. Building the floor forms

231. Pouring floor with new material

232. One bucket at a time

233. Hard work

234. Almost finished

235. A new bright and shiny cremator

236. Ready to accept new customers

237. What about liquid/water cremation?
Alkaline hydrolysis potassium hydroxide
(Aquamation)(Resomation)
(Bio-cremation)(Flameless cremation)
Present projections: flame cremation
gone by 2037. 14 states okayed it.
First Call MS is operating one now.

238. Why Due Diligence for third party?
You take in cases…send out cases
Since our fire we used First Call MS.

239. Class Actions Lawsuits
against funeral homes and
crematories because they did
not do due diligence or even
visit the crematory.
Tri-States + Funeral homes:
$116 million
Bayview + Funeral homes:
$300 million

240. Funeral homes are responsible for atrocities
What to look for when using third party crematory:
-Policy manuals and procedures
-Licenses and permits
-List of crematory operators and experience
-Copies of liability insurance
-Copies of all authorization/release forms
-Obtain a price list
-Copies of any state inspection reports
-Look at maintenance logs
-Do a general inspection/walk through
-Is it organized and clean?
-Are workers using universal precautions?
-Do they inspect the cases?
-Do they allow unannounced inspections?

241. Back to the fire….the cooler

242. More fire results…the cremator

243. Out with the old…in with the new

244. New Crematory – same building

245. 30 person cooler

247. How do you cremate Ebola?
• Full protective gear!
• Body wrapped in a plastic shroud
• Body placed in two sealed body bags
• Decontaminate outside of bag before move
• Cremation will kill any Ebola virus so the
cremains may be returned to family.
• 1,200 -1,800 degrees kills Ebola virus
• Call CANA 312-251-9929

248. One of the questions I am
continually asked:
• With all the stuff you see and experience,
do you have bad dreams? “I never thought
about it until you asked”.
• I have only had one dream…of a body
coming to life before cremation…on the
table. My only thought was to grab my
camera and get a photo of her. She would
not lie back down.

249. Two great books:
Fires of Change – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

250. Another great read for you guys in
the death and dying business.
Roach discusses decay,
burial and its alternatives,
giving one's body to science
for anatomical studies
(where one might serve as a
practice for face lifting),
organ donation and brain
death, plastination,
preservation, embalming or
becoming a post-mortem
crash-test dummy.

251. Another good read…
• From Here to
Eternity: Traveling
the World to Find
the Good Death

252. Are you ready to:
Cremate a baby?
Cremate a toddler?
Cremate a teenager?
Cremate a friend or relative?

253. A historical photography twist:
Post-mortem photos

254. More Post-mortem photos

255. Finish with some of my photos

263. Any
Questions???
?

264. Contact information:
Lloyd Smith
360-749-2037
Lsmithtwin@comcast.net
PowerPoint:
See handout…