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Original poster

Crematorium Technician here

686 replies

CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:11

I see lots of threads about cremations and Crematoria. I'm currently a crem tech so please ask me questions and I will endeavor to answer them.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 17:09

@FrogFairy absolutely. There is a company that you can do just this whereby you pay over the phone they sort everything out for you. They bring the deceased to us we cremate them then they take the ashes back to the family. You would need to sign the forms though although I think they're becoming electronic shortly

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FrogFairy · 31/05/2018 17:07

On the subject of direct cremation, is it really necessary to use a funeral director?

What if a family asked to deliver their deceased loved one to the crem themselves, no service, just to hand over to be cremated, and take care of all paperwork etc.

Would this be permitted or are there all sorts of health and safety reasons why it cannot happen?

AndIWouldWalk500Yards · 31/05/2018 17:05

DH is an engineer for a specialist company that manufactures and services dust/fume extraction equipment. He has visited a number of crematoria to service such equipment, which ensures that no cremation particles are released into the atmosphere. He has always said how very respectful the crematoria staff he has met are. Very much like Kermit.

Regarding hip relacements, metal joint pins etc. I think everywhere he has been the metal is collected and sold as scrap and the proceeds are donated to a nominated charity such as a local hospice. He was a bit taken aback to see them all piled up together in a box but impressed that even after death people and their loved ones are still helping others even though they probably don't realise it.

Great thread OP, very informative.

olderthanyouthink · 31/05/2018 17:05

@readyforapummelling sorry! Obesity:the post mortem

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 17:05

@HolyShmoly it tends to be the paperwork side of things that holds a funeral up. Doctors are sometimes slow to sign the forms, families can't decide what to do and sometimes the coroner is involved.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 17:03

You can book to have a look round your local council Crematorium if you have one. I recommend you do as it can be very reassuring especially for someone who is arranging their own funeral as I once did. She had a terminal illness and wanted to see what would happen to her. I showed her round then cremated her about 2 months later...I felt a special bond with her

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Gammeldragz · 31/05/2018 17:02

Fascinating thread that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading, thank you so much Ilovekermit for starting it and answering so many questions. You definitely deserve better pay (but then so do many of us!).

I talked to the deceased I have worked with (Nursing student), it feels normal to me and to say goodbye, use their name etc. Lovely to know the care and attention continues through the process.

We definitely need to be more open about discussing what happens after death as the mystery makes it more frightening for people. The last time I had a patient die the relatives were really anxious about what happens, how they leave the hospital and where they go etc. Answering as much as I could really seemed to help them, I would love to visit the mortuary and see the other side of that process... Morbid perhaps.

HolyShmoly · 31/05/2018 17:02

This is so interesting. Like Spaghetti, I'm Irish and burials are still very much the norm there, so I've only been to one cremation which was in England and I didn't know much about them.
I agree that you should be much better paid. It must be a tough job.
Is there as much of a wait for cremations as there seems to be for burials in England/GB? At home you are almost always buried on the third day, but I've noticed that over here there can be weeks, even months in between death and the funeral. Why is that?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 17:00

@KittenBeast that's an American and it's a lot different to the way we do things.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:59

@olderthanyouthink the bit of brain came in a white cardboard box with the persons name and hospital number on for ID purposes.

@MiggledyHiggins that's about it in a nutshell

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readyforapummelling · 31/05/2018 16:59

@olderthanyouthink what is the BBC Iplayer documentary called? I've been frantically looking for it for 10 minutes Grin

divafever99 · 31/05/2018 16:55

I once went on a tour round the local crematorium, it was fascinating! Like you Kermit all the staff were so respectful. I was surprised about all strict protocols, but found it reassuring. Would highly recommend if anyone gets the opportunity!

MiggledyHiggins · 31/05/2018 16:54

So everything except the bones (and some metals )is burned off to oblivion then?

And you take the bones and they are then ground down to to something like a coarse sand?

I've only attended one cremation (burial is the usual option in Ireland) and it was a lovely service, and I think it's the way I'd like to go.

olderthanyouthink · 31/05/2018 16:54

What do body parts get cremated in? A cardboard box? Surely there's not a special wooden box for arms/legs/brains etc

KittenBeast · 31/05/2018 16:53

Bit morbid, but this thread made me wonder what exactly is pulled out of the thingy, as several people have asked if it's like a proper skeleton, so I went on youtube, and my curiosity is now satisfied.

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:52

@CointreauVersial some bits are recognisable such as vertebrae and femurs. The cremulator is a machine I suppose like a coffee grinder but spins very quick.

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LemonadePockets · 31/05/2018 16:49

Hi!

Fascinating thread! I’m a celebrant (recently qualified) I was fortune enough to get a behind the scenes tour & found it all quite amazing.

I had a look in the spy hole, strange but so interesting to watch. Although I have been called strange for looking!

I watched a video on YouTube called Do I Get The Right Ashes? It was great to see what happens before I went for my tour.

Everyone in the funeral industry are so kind and respectful. I’m glad I know so much more about it all now, I know what to expect with my own family. X

AliasGrape · 31/05/2018 16:45

@ILoveKermit It should be more

CointreauVersial · 31/05/2018 16:44

Fascinating thread!

So, are the bones recognisable when they come out? Or is it just a jumble of fragments?

What's a cremulator? I imagine a huge coffee grinder.

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:40

@AliasGrape not as well paid as you would think about £18k a year

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:39

@olderthanyouthink yes we have a separate form for body parts and I've cremated part of a brain before now. Not much ash comes from them as you can imagine but whatever is left is dealt with exactly the same as a full cremation.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:37

@AliasGrape there are only bones left everything is burnt to nothing Microscopic Carbon particles into the atmosphere.

Your mums ashes will probably look a bit like very fine gravel certainly not cigarette ashes

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picklemepopcorn · 31/05/2018 16:36

With regard to the shape of the coffin and its resident, I believe people don't always straighten up in death. Someone with a pronounced stoop would need a deeper coffin than you might expect.

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 16:35

@TheDayDreamBeliever we have to check the nameplate but to be honest I don't really take any notice of the name as in whether they are famous or otherwise. I've not cremated anyone famous

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lololove · 31/05/2018 16:33

I'm trying not to laugh OyO, but it's impossible not to :p

Thank you, Kermit, for explaining a lot that I'd always wondered.

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