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The ICCM Journal | Summer 2020 | V88 No. 2
editorial A big Thank You to you all - the Forgotten Emergency Service Welcome to the Summer edition of the Journal. It is quite unbelievable how life, and death, have changed in such a short space of time. The coronavirus struck silently and quickly. The ripple effects began immediately and morphed into the current tsunami that we are now trying to manage. Every day, we wake up to a different scenario. The speed of it all is overwhelming.
and respect. I personally have spoken to many members who are trying their best to manage their sites, look after their staff, implement new legislation, home working, new ways of working, whilst still desperately trying to look after the bereaved. It’s no mean feat when we are all scared, feel slightly exposed and, for some, have personal experience of people we know that are fighting the virus.
In amidst such troubling and surreal times a lot of attention has been placed on the brave NHS workers battling against this virus, risking their own lives to help others and rightly so. The priority must be to save lives. However, the sad reality is that not all lives can be saved and what we are witnessing is the death rate rising daily. This is being reported on every news channel, chat show and radio station- the awareness of our own mortality and those around us, has never been so heightened.
We have witnessed the construction of temporary mortuary facilities and seen the introduction of local pandemic plans being enacted. Even as I sit here writing this, I can’t help feeling like we are in some strange movie with a fantastical storyline that you would never quite believe could happen if you were watching it.
So why is it then that there is one vital group that is not being mentioned in discussion and is noticeable in its absence – the funeral sector. These are the people on the opposite end of scale, that are left to deal with the loss and raw grief of those families affected by this. Maybe it’s because, by nature, death is something people don’t talk about and there is something in the saying “ignorance is bliss”! But by acknowledging it and saying it out loud, it somehow makes it real. Whilst our sector is used to dealing with difficult emotions, supporting families during difficult and stressful times, our role normally involves making a terrible situation bearable in whatever ways we can. We are not used to saying “no” or denying the bereaved a simple request. It goes against everything we signed up for. Unfortunately, due to the reality of the circumstances we find ourselves in, we are forced to instead restrict funeral service rituals and attendance, unable to offer comfort, stand apart and witness the devastating loss felt by those who are able to say goodbye. In truth, the reality of the coronavirus pandemic means the funeral sector is going to get even busier with staff facing increased workloads and stress levels. Despite this, as key workers, we carry on and do the best we can to make sure that we deal with the increased numbers of cremations and burials coming through our gates and treating those that have died with dignity
So, with that being said, I, personally, and, on behalf of the ICCM Officers and board of directors, who themselves are managing sites, want to say thank you for your hard work, dedication and commitment. I applaud you all, together with the kindred organisations who we work so closely with – the funeral directors, mortuary staff, ministers and celebrants as well as those other services that keep us going – the music and webcast providers and the engineers who come out and fix the equipment so we can carry on. Thank you for coming together at such a difficult and challenging time. You truly are the 4th emergency service. Please remember we at the ICCM are here to support you in whatever way you need. Please use us, together we can get through this. Please note some of our emails are being directed to junk or spam folders, or are being intercepted by IT systems and are not reaching the intended recipient. Please check your junk or spam folders to make sure you are receiving enews, or if you have emailed one of the officers and haven’t received a reply. Officers normally reply to email enquiries within 24 hours so if you haven’t received an expected response, please contact the officer using the details on the contacts page. To make sure you are able to receive emails, add or ask your IT department to add the email addresses to the safe sender list.
Sofia Allana Editor
