Before proceeding with a cremation, the crematory operator must carry out several checks. First, they make sure they have the correct deceased person; an identification tag attached to the body allows for this verification. Next, they review the death certificate completed by the physician (commonly referred to in our field as the SP3), as well as the cremation authorization form signed by the responsible person. Pacemakers are removed from anyone who has not been embalmed in order to prevent them from exploding. Once these standard checks are completed, the operator may proceed with the cremation.
The deceased is first placed in either a rigid cardboard container or a wooden container with a thickness of 5/8 inch, depending on the person’s weight. When the deceased weighs more than 200 pounds, a wooden container is required. In some cases, families request that the deceased remain in their casket for the cremation. This is possible when the casket is made of wood. Any metal ornaments are then removed. It is important to understand that, in all cases, the ashes of the materials used will be mixed with the ashes of the deceased.
The container, placed on a hydraulic table, is slid onto a system of rollers that allows safe access to the cremation chamber. The temperature inside the chamber remains at approximately 1,904 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the cremation process. It takes about one hour and thirty minutes to cremate a 155 lbs body. Afterward, approximately two hours are required for the remains to cool. The bones are then transferred to a processing machine that reduces them to ashes. The ashes are placed in a plastic bag before being transferred into the selected urn. A numbered identification disc accompanies the deceased from the cremation process to the urn in order to ensure identification of the ashes at all times.
Not all funeral cooperatives have their own cremation chamber. The purchase cost of this type of equipment can exceed $100,000, not including the infrastructure and installation costs. However, partnerships between funeral cooperatives make it possible to offer cremation services to those that do not have this equipment. That is what we call the strength of a network!
Patrick Blais
General Manager
Coopérative funéraire de l'Abitibi
Spring 2014