Crematorium Technician here

[CodLiverOil556]

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.

Hi Kermit thank you for a wonderful thread helping lots of people. I just have one question as I know you wish your charges well when they go on their way but do you 'feel' any of them there as if they've come to witness their own cremation and does this pass after the process as if they've passed over? Just before my father passed he asked for the window to be opened, then he died so we feel the transition happened then.

Hi Kermit, another person who lost a parent recently and is finding this and the FD thread very informative and comforting.
What are your working hours then if you sometimes have cremations into the early hours of the morning? Do you work shifts?

you say that my titanium bar in my leg may be recycled after I die, does that mean the one I have was probably in somebody else before?

Jen, I'd imagine that the metal is melted down and recycled for all sorts of purposes. Rather than going from one body to another in the same shape. I could be wrong though!

Yes @ILoveKermit . Not viable. No bones

jenasaurus do you really think they recycle medical devices .

Several people have posted links to a news article about recycling metal. RTFT and you'll see what happens to them.

@BloominMarvelous I've never felt anyone but have felt like I wasn't alone. It was very peaceful and I said hi to whoever it was.

@FuelledByButter my working hours are 9-5 but if we've had a late service or a lot then we don't finish til we've finished and that can sometimes be early hours but we're back at 9 the next day regardless.

Here is a link to the Funeral Director thread just in case no-one else has linked to it!

What time of day do you start cremating? Straight after the first service of the day or a bit later on?

I had a termination several years ago, I'd assumed the baby would just be incinerated as medical waste but it comforts me to know that it probably ended up being cremated. I'd kind of like to ring the hospital and find out but I'm not sure what ward I was on, nor what date it was.

I would also like to thank you for doing this. xxxx

Thankyou so much Kermit for answering a question I gather had already been asked, it’s much appreciated your time and patience has been valuable to a lot of us, you sound perfect to do the job you do. X

@AintNobodyHereButUsChickens it is all timed so we can literally put one in after another to save gas and standing time on the cremator.

kermit your thread is such an interesting read. I have a couple of questions myself if I may.

My baby boy was born at 26 weeks. How long would he had been in the cremator for? I presume not the same length of time as an adult. Also, someone told me at the time that the flames would be turned off early to ensure I got some ashes and that they would probably just be coffin and not my actual baby. I have quite a lot more ashes than I thought I would so have been wondering if they were correct.

And final one, the funeral was 2 weeks before the call from the hospital telling me the ashes were ready for collection. Why would this be so long if they are cremated on the same day.

Thank you so much. You do a brilliant job.

@BeyondHope very sorry for the loss of your little one. Your boy was probably in for around 20 minutes...both air and burner would have been turned off to ensure maximum ashes.

@BeyondHope I'm sorry I can't answer your last question as I can only say about what we do. He was probably cremated the same day but for some reason the hospital didn't call for that length of time.

Thank you Kermit.

As a greenfield burial owner I wish people knew that they have much more control in their beloveds last wishes . Many people don't realise that you can do the full service burial cremation themselves . Big companies definitely take advantage of people at this vulnerable time

Aint am in exactly the same position as you x 💐

I have left instructions with loved ones that I want a woodland burial, a cardboard coffin, no service and if people want to they can raise a glass to me at any time. I think that at a time of grief people just don't think clearly and often go along with what is suggested by others, if I leave specific instructions then they can just be spared all that. And I like the idea of me growing a native tree after death.

Thanks Kermit for the information. My DB was cremated a few years ago after he took his own life. A couple of things resonated while reading the thread: thanks for saying Cheerio to your people - I like to think that someone sent him on his way too, particularly as he was alone when he passed (which I hate). I do wish I’d known that you can see your loved one go in.....for a final goodbye but thanks to you and colleagues for doing this on behalf of friends and family. Also good to know what the ashes do actually consist of as this is something that I’ve wondered over the last few years. Thanks again

In our burial ground we plant a tree instead of a headstone (you can have a plaque also) so eventually the field will become a beautiful woodland meadow .

I have a bit of a concern about all those on here who have left funeral instructions in their will. The will is often kept with a solicitor and may only be looked at after the funeral, so you might want to ensure that you have the conversation with someone or leave written instructions somewhere very obvious and easy to find instead or as well as in the will. Just saying, after DMum, DAunt and PILS wills were not looked at prior to making arrangements, as far as I recall, and it would have been too late.

Blue Good point. We've all had the discussion. Living wills and wants are all documented and kept at home, as well as in our wills.