Page A42
SEPTEMBER 2015
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
The National Museum of Funeral History
Houston, Texas
Museum
Corner
Pay Tribute to 9/11 Heroes
and First Responders at the
National Museum of Funeral
History
• Participate in a day of service to others, as 9/11 had been
officially established as a National Day of Service and
Remembrance by bipartisan federal legislation and a
Presidential Proclamation.
• Donate blood, as the need for this life saving resource is
critical throughout the year for a variety of reasons. Did
you know approximately 36,000 units of blood were do-
nated to the New York Blood Center after the Septem-
ber 11 attacks?
alarms and daily announcements were dispatched to outlying
firehouses from a central location. Each event was communi-
cated using a specific number of bell strikes. When a firefight-
er or important official died, the bell was struck five times in
a row and the sequence was repeated four times with a pause
between each. The death of Abraham Lincoln was communi-
cated this way in 1865 to inform the New York firefighters of
his death. Museum visitors can also discover more about the
honors given to presidents after death in the Museum’s
Presi-
dential Funerals
exhibit.
Fallen police officers might expect to have a “Last Call” or
“End ofWatch” ceremony at their funeral. Why they can vary
in length, they are typically held at the end of a funeral or me-
morial service, but can be done whenever the family feels it
is appropriate. This special tribute could be conducted with a
radio call coming from a dispatcher to the fallen officer’s ra-
dio, stating something such as “Indiana 53…calling Indiana
53…this is the last radio call for Indiana 53….No response
from Sergeant Ames…Indiana 53 is out of service after 15
years and 2 months of service. Although gone, you will not
be forgotten.”
For those seeking ideas on how to remember and memorial-
ize those lost on 9/11 here are some simple ideas:
• Lower flags to half-staff. Flags may be lowered at 8:46 a.m.
to mark the moment when Flight 11 struck the North
Tower at the World Trade Center.
Immediately following the collapse of the World Trade
Center towers on September 11, 2001, people around the
nation and the world began the process of mourning the
loss of so much life. With this month commemorating
the 14
th
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, our thoughts are
with those who lost loved ones and with the first respond-
ers who bravely served while debris and fire rained from
the sky in lower Manhattan.
Many feel the need to commemorate or memorialize this
tragic event each year. Commemoration of tragic events is
an important component of the healing process for both
individuals and, at times such as this, for an entire na-
tion. The anniversary of 9/11 can also serve as a conversa-
tion starter to share the history of this event with those too
young to remember or those that were not yet born.
An integral part of the story to be shared is the bravery of
the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to
serve others on that fateful day. The first responders, par-
ticularly members of Fire Department New York and the
New York Police Department, did not turn away; instead
they rushed into the World Trade Center buildings while
the world around them crumbled. Many lost their lives,
while others who “survived” likely still suffer the physical
and emotional burdens that were given them that day.
The thought of teaching young people about the horror
and the honor shown that day can seem a daunting task.
The National Museum of Funeral History provides a safe
and neutral environment to comfortably explore the sen-
sitive topic of death and learn about various traditions
and rituals practiced when someone dies, such as how to
honor fallen heroes. The Museum’s exhibit on funerals of
fallen first responders such as police and firefighters often
serves as a meaningful place to start a conversation regard-
ing 9/11 or pay tribute to those who lost their lives on
that tragic day or in other situations and circumstances.
In the Fallen Heroes exhibit,
museum guests will see a cus-
tom-designed police officer cas-
ket, showcasing how a funeral
for a police officer, or even fire
fighter, who perish in the line of
duty can be customized to pay
tribute to their life and legacy.
Also on display are two urns do-
nated by the City of New York
containing the ashes and debris
remnants from Ground Zero in
Manhattan.
Exploring the traditions in-
volved in the funerals for fall-
en first responders is interest-
ing. For example, rendering final
honors to a departed firefighter
is known as striking-the-four-
fives. The origin of this 200-year
old tradition lies in the way fire
Police, Fire and Military Funerals at NMFH. Photo by Monica Rhodes.
FrontRunner and AAMI Announce Speakers and
Course Topics for the 2016 Funeral Business &
Technology Workshop Cruise
NEWS
Educational
CONTINUED
KINGSTON,ONT—
FrontRunner
Professional
and the
American
Academy McAllister Institute of
Funeral Service
(AAMI) have an-
nounced the speakers and course
topics for the 7th Annual Funeral
Business & Technology Workshop
Cruise.
The 8-day Southern Caribbean
workshop cruise will set sail from
Miami, FL on February 13, 2016
on Carnival’s largest ship, Carni-
val Breeze, and visit the islands of
Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, and
Dominican Republic.
With the recent addition of
2 Continuing Education Units
(CEU’s), funeral professionals can
now earn up to 7 CEU’s, while tak-
ing some time to relax, have fun,
and, of course, network with oth-
er funeral professionals from across
the United States and Canada. At-
tendees will walk away with a de-
tailed online marketing strategy, a
plan to dominate in the cremation
market, and know what to steer
clear of when it comes to tech-
nology and their firm. The cours-
es will be taught by FrontRun-
ner’s Marketing Director,
Ashley
Montroy
; Technology Specialist,
Jules Green
; CEO/Founder,
Kev-
in Montroy
and Division Chair of
AAMI,
Brian Kasler
. Specific ac-
credited courses will include:
• Reading the Compass of Today’s
Consumers and the Changing
Funeral Service Market (1 CEU)
• Mapping Out Your Cremation
Strategy: Tips, Tricks & Solu-
tions for Ultimate Success(1
CEU)
• Charting the Course to Your On-
line Success: The Complete Fu-
neral Home Guide to Search En-
gine Optimization (1.5 CEU’s)
• Sailing the Seas of The Social
Media World: The Complete
Funeral Home Guide to Face-
book, Pinterest and Other Pop-
ular Networks (1.5 CEU’s)
• Steering Through the Bad to Get
to the Good: Protecting Your
Firm From Today’s Pitfalls &
Changes [PANEL] (2 CEU’s)
“The annual workshop cruise has
always been a huge success, with
funeral professionals coming from
all over North America. The net-
working and idea-sharing that hap-
pens on the boat is unlike anything
else,” says Ashley Montroy. “The
courses are designed to teach fu-
neral professionals what they need
help with the most in their business
– using technology and marketing
to grow their firm, which they can’t
get anywhere else. With the incred-
ible ports-of-call and the cruise
happening over Valentine’s Day, I
know it will be a workshop cruise
like never before and we are real-
ly looking forward to another great
learning event at sea.”
ext. 504 or email amontroy@front-
runner360.com. To book a spot on
the 2016 Technology & Marketing
workshop cruise, contact dedicat-
ed travel agent
Cathy Spanton
at
1-866-843-2480 ext. 105 or email
.
