Did you know that as well as having Kenyon Human Remains (HR) Recovery Booklets and Tags, Kenyon also holds hundreds of pre-printed INTERPOL Disaster Recovery Books and Tags, each with the special Kenyon (KES - Kenyon Emergency Services) identification code?
This means we can seamlessly integrate with police at scenes around the world using the INTERPOL DVI numbering system. In turn, the INTERPOL numbering system can be used within Kenyon Response®, our integrated data management system. These are stored in our Australian, UK and US warehouses, with each bearing the KES indicator, instead of the standard dialling country code. They are ready to ship at a moment’s notice, alongside our search and recovery equipment.
What are they?
The INTERPOL Disaster Victim Recovery Booklet is a pre-printed book which is used by a Recovery Team for the recovery of deceased disaster victims using the standard INTERPOL DVI numbering system. Body Tags are a plastic ratchet seal with an engraved serial number. The Books have unique numbers, so that no two sets of Human Remains can be assigned the same number, and, with the Body Tags, are used to allocate a unique number at the scene. They include recording and sketch pages for the Recovery Team, as well as labels to be used to mark the recovery scene, attach to the body and to the “body bag” (Human Remains Pouch). The Books also include individual labels with bar codes to attach to any items removed from the body.
What is the INTERPOL Recovery Numbering System?
- The letters “PM” indicate that this is a Post Mortem Recovery.
- The DVI Team Country Code is the international dialling country code for the country. (e.g. 33 is for France). Slightly adapted numbering can occur where countries share dialling codes (e.g. 1U is for the United States). Kenyon uses the code “KES.”
- The Unique Reference Number for each body or body part is a four-figure number.
- In large DVI Operations, several countries may carry out recovery and their individual country code indicates the origin of the recovery team.
- An optional scene reference box may be used where there are multiple scenes.
Why does Kenyon need them?
Kenyon’s own HR forms are ideally used where the INTERPOL numbering system is not. That said, Kenyon may be working to recover the deceased alongside international DVI teams. The Booklets, therefore, allow interoperability, so on these occasions we would use our INTERPOL Booklets.
Although there are 194 INTERPOL countries, only some have ordered the Booklets and could, at point of incident, rely on the much less user-friendly emergency forms downloadable from the INTERPOL DVI website. Identification in some countries is carried out by medical authorities rather than the police. Kenyon’s experience is that some countries, albeit INTERPOL members, are unaware of the existence of the Booklets or the procedures. To that end, Kenyon’s supply may be used to support and boost the national authorities in any INTERPOL country where we are also working; this effectively enables a consistent recording of the recovery of the deceased.
Kenyon is committed to ensuring that the deceased are recovered swiftly, without any chance of mistaken identification, so that they can be returned to their loved ones. We will do whatever we can to carry out the recovery and identification tasks ourselves, working with the authorities, or in support of them carrying out those tasks. Using the Disaster Victim Recovery Booklets, or even handing over our supplies, is just one example of how we work together with authorities worldwide. Families will always come first.