Michael Alarcon
Fairhaven Memorial Services
Mission Viejo, CA

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As a good instrument is to an aspiring musician, a proper preparation room is essential to the hands-on training of an aspiring funeral director and embalmer.

A place to learn the required skills and arts of embalming and an environment in which to learn, practice, and yes, perform – these are the ABCs that assure today’s students a successful educational experience and rewarding career.   Instrument, education, maestro, if you will.

Selecting the instrument

Without a well-tuned instrument, the concert will most likely be a flop.  And the audience, your families, will not receive all that they were promised.  So it is important that fledgling embalmers learn their art with a 21^st century instrument that mirrors the best of the real world.

What is a proper preparation room, this instrument that we have chosen to play?

• one that works
• one that is OSHA compliant
• one that has safe air quality
• one that is supplied with modern equipment
• one that has safeguards for the practitioner
• one with ventilation and plumbing safeguards that protect the facility’s occupants
• one that is ergonomic
• one that is a pleasant and comfortable place to work

Michael Ford (right rear), Piedmont graduate and adjunct lab instructor, leads a class. (All photographs courtesy of Piedmont Technical College)

Piedmont Technical College, (PTC) located in Greenwood, South Carolina, selected Duncan Stuart Todd, Ltd., the Preparation Room Specialists, to build their instrument when they embarked on a renovation program to offer students an advanced learning environment for preparation arts.  David Martin, funeral services director for PTC, says, “We were determined to have a first class, top-of-the-line set up.  With DST, we knew they would get us there.”

Dedrick Gantt, science curriculum instructor, played a major role in the development of the lab as a functional and OSHA compliant preparation room.  Pointing out the essential components of the lab that enhance the students’ education opportunities, Gantt notes, “The new lab is fully functional, OSHA compliant and has a complete HVAC system. In addition to the requisite table and embalming machine, our lab is outfitted with custom cabinetry and a full complement of preparation room equipment including a specialized morgue table receptor, water control unit plus safety equipment such as an eye wash and drench shower.  Plumbing safeguards were installed to prevent contaminated water from entering the main facility.  We also have a dressing room, storage area and body cooler.”

An extra asset to the lab as an instrument is a high tech broadcasting system. PTC has a system in place that enables them to broadcast out to the main classroom.  The lab is equipped with two cameras – one over the embalming table and another from the side.  There is also a camera in the main classroom. This system allows the instructor and the students to have two-way audio visual communication between the rooms. If they have an interesting or unusual case, they can conduct a lab that allows interaction from the whole class. This arrangement has also been a great advantage when having guest embalmers that work from the lab. The embalmer can conduct the entire seminar from the lab while the class is comfortable in the classroom. This new equipment not only provides educational instruction for the students but continuing and advanced training opportunities for funeral directors and embalmers. PTC is now in the process of setting up embalming continuing education opportunities using the same broadcast system. This system can even broadcast from this lab to any other technical colleges in South Carolina, thus easing the travel requirements for embalmers taking part in this training.

On with the Music

Dedrick Gantt (left), Piedmont science curriculum instructor, and David Martin, PTC funeral services director, in the school’s embalming lab.

It is universally agreed that the education of future professionals in funeral service is a top concern for the industry in general.  Mortuary schools throughout the country are dedicated to offering their students a comprehensive education in all phases of embalming. The American Board of Funeral Service Education is the accrediting agency for mortuary schools. They mandate, at a minimum, that a school has to provide embalming training to the student on at least 10 cases in the funeral home setting or school lab. “In the past, PTC funeral students did all of their cases off campus during one of their last three semesters. But now that we have a functioning lab on campus, students are active in the lab the entire year,” Martin is pleased to say.

PTC also offers students in-depth restorative arts. In addition to working with plastic skulls and modeling wax, students can apply the same techniques to the bodies from the lab, making it a much improved learning experience.

The funeral industry is going through major changes, the likes of which have never been seen before. But even with these changes, the core element of embalming is still a major force of the profession. That’s why learning the fundamentals of embalming arts is and will continue to be, an important and necessary component to funeral service education. Without the music of education, the lab as instrument would be silent. “At Piedmont, our goal is to be the premier provider of professional education for the next generation of funeral directors,” Martin affirms.

In September 2010, Piedmont Technical College became a qualified donee organization for the receipt of human remains for the advancement of educational and research purposes.  This Anatomical Gift program works on the same principle as donations to medical colleges and universities. Students are placed in a rotation and actively work in the lab several times each semester. “What is unique with the anatomical gifts program is that we are not restricted by time. We have the opportunity to work with a body for days rather than hours. We are able to try new or difficult techniques that would be impossible to do on funeral home cases. Students in our lab are more hands-on with no consequences if things don’t go as planned,” Martin said.

The Student, now the Maestro

PTC is fortunate to have graduates return to work as adjunct lab instructors.  For instance, a graduate of several years ago, Taylor Searles now handles all arrangements with funeral homes, coroners and families. From the same graduating class, Crystal Galloway has become a great asset.

Another recent graduate and independent trade embalmer is Michael Ford who excelled in the lab setting while in school and who has seamlessly made the transition to instructor.

Recalling his experience as a student, Ford says, “The availability of a first class embalming lab like the one at PTC is invaluable to a student.  The ability to participate in hands-on exercises far exceeds anything that can be taught in the classroom.  Even though I had plenty of prep room experience, the lab allowed me to use equipment I had never used before and to hone the skills that are so vital to our craft. I love being back at PTC as an adjunct lab instructor; it gives me a chance to pass on to others the knowledge that I was given, not only from my apprenticeship but from the times I spent at PTC as well.  I now own and operate Ford Professional Services, a trade embalming and preparation service serving primarily Aiken and Edgefield,  South Carolina counties, but I will go anywhere in the state that  I am needed.”

Performance –   and the Music Flows

The OSHA-compliant embalming lab features a complete HVAC system, the requisite table and embalming machine, custom cabinetry and a full complement of preparation room equipment.

With the lab as instrument and education the music, the student as maestro steps into the profession, ready for the performance. It’s music to our ears.

Duncan Todd, A.I.A., is president of Duncan Stuart Todd, Ltd., the Preparation Room Specialists.  For information, call 877 832 6898, email info@duncanstuarttodd.com or visit the web, www.duncanstuarttodd.com.

David Martin is the coordinator of funeral service department at Piedmont Technical College.  For information, call 864 941 8774, email martin.d@ptc.edu or visit the school website, www.ptc.edu.

Photographs:

All photography courtesy of Piedmont Technical College.

Director, April 2012 Issue

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Reminds us of the poem, I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth.
I wander’d lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils, Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

The poem goes on, and closes with
“And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.”

It is our wish that wherever you wander, you come upon a sight that fills your heart with pleasure.

Save 20%  “Filters for Life”

Filters for Life is a DST program that supplies you with replacement internal air filters every six months. The shipments are automatic – no need for you to remember when to order.

Filters for Life covers washable foam and MEF pleated disposal filters.

For full details, call toll free at 877 832 6898 or email info@duncanstuarttodd.com.

SPRING CLEANING SPECIAL SAVE ON
PREPAIR HVAC REPLACEMENT AIR FILTERS

Now’s the time to schedule your spring cleaning. Routine replacement of internal air filters will save money and improve the performance of your PrepAir HVAC system.

Save 20% “Filters for Life”

Filters for Life is a DST program that supplies youwith replacement internal air filters every six months. The shipments are automatic – no need for you to remember when to order.

Filters for Life covers washable foam and MEF pleated disposal filters.

For full details, call toll free at 877 832 6898 or email info@duncanstuarttodd.com.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Visit the new DST website designed with a new format and features to make it easier to find “what you are looking for”.

DST EXTRA HAS A NEW LOOK

In keeping with the design of the new DST website, DST EXTRA appears in a new format with this issue. We hope you like it. Forward this issue to your friends and colleagues. They can subscribe, free, on any page, www.duncanstuarttodd.com.

FACEBOOK DRAWING

Like us on Facebook between March 13 and May 1 and you will be entered into a drawing for a Todd Trocar Well, an exclusive product from DST.

INSTRUMENT, MUSIC, MAESTRO

Duncan Todd and David Martin collaborate on an article for the upcoming April issue of The Director explaining how the prep room, the education and the student prepare for performance in the profession.

DST offers educational institutions a 10% discount off the design fee for Premier Source, a service for creating an OSHA compliant embalming lab.

RESERVE CURRENT PRICING

DST has held pricing since September 15, 2010. We now find that increased costs from our manufacturers make it necessary to revise pricing. If you are thinking of improving your prep room or building a new one, we invite you to contact DST by April 15 to reserve current pricing. Conditions Apply.

As a consideration to our clients, old and new, there will be no increase in the design fee for Premier Source, our flagship offering.

40% OFF PLUMBING PRODUCTS

Hot water control valve now $45
Swing away eye wash now $220
Wall mount drench hose now $297

For product information, visit the website and click on Product section, product specials.

OUR LILY

Our Lily sighs as she echoes Ben Franklin who said,
“We grow too soon old and too late smart.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

ICCFA National Convention
March 19-22
Las Vegas

NFDMA 75th Convention & Expo
Aug. 7-8
Las Vegas

HOT LINKS

Click here for industry websites.

CONTACT US

For a free brochure, email info@duncanstuarttodd.com or call toll free 877 832 6898

Download the PDF Version of this DST Extra Here

March “In like a lion, out like a lamb.”
So they say.
Here in Boulder, the wind has been ferocious and we are ready for a gentler season.
Whatever the weather, we stand ready to help you with all of your preparation room needs, from design to ventilation and other exclusive products.
Scout out the website, take a look at DST prep rooms and give us a shout.
Thanks
Duncan Stuart Todd, A.I.A.

With thanks to The Richards Group, a respected advertising agency based in Dallas, Texas, we offer a Reason for Optimism.

“Despite everything, democracy is winning.”

TRG has a cool sense of humor about its optimistic outlook for 2012. Their New Year’s reasons for optimism run the gamut. For instance: “NASA’s Kepler mission is discovering potentially habitable planets every week. So if things get real bad over here, there’s always the Centauri system.”

Or even “The U.S. is poised to take the lead in global production of pork rinds. Take that, China.”

In your plans for 2012, remember that when you are thinking about a new or renovated preparation room, you can be optimistic that DST’s Premier Source design and equipment plan will produce a room that is efficient, cost effective and OSHA compliant. Not only that, but fabulous.

NEW DST WEBSITE, YOUR SOURCE FOR ALL THINGS PREP ROOM

DST has launched a “new and improved” version of its website. The site has an updated look and many new features to help the viewer find the latest product information. You can also click on to educational articles about issues that affect the preparation room in the funeral home.

Try it. It’s for you. We hope you like it!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

A set of custom acrylic accessories for the prep room is on its way to Carol Baugh, winner of the DST Facebook drawing. Ms. Baugh has been a licensed funeral director in New York and New Jersey for the past thirty years.

Many Thanks
…to the many folks who stopped by the DST booth at the Chicago NFDA convention. It was great to meet new friends and visit with valued old friends. If you received a certificate for a $1,000 discount off the Premier Design fee, remember that it will be honored through June 30, 2012. Premier Source provides design of the prep room coupled with a complete package of OSHA compliant equipment including PrepAir and PrepArm ventilating products.

PEACOCK FUNERAL HOME FEATURE

Funeral Home and Cemetery News featured Peacock Funeral Home in Whiteville, NC, in its November issue. Craig Peacock is shown in the preparation room. You can read the entire story on our website: www.duncanstuarttodd.com/new/client stories.

THE “ADDVANTAGES” OF YOUR PREP ROOM

Is your preparation room a plus or a minus in your total image? Duncan Todd explores that question in the November 2011 issue of The Director. This article is one of many from DST that has been published by the various trade magazines.

You can read more at www.duncanstuarttodd.com/news, industry publications.

FEATURE OF THE MONTH

There is still time to save on PrepArm
Post NFDA Convention Discount 10% Off

Save $295 to $487
Must mention this DST EXTRA offer.
Offer good through January 31, 2012.

PrepArm is a device for localized exhaust ventilation (LEV) in the prep room.
Full product benefits and features can be found on the website.

OUR LILY

Thinking about all these things “new”, Lily ponders whether there is anything new under the sun. That leads her to echo Ben Franklin who cautions:

“Don’t walk in the sun if your head is made of wax.”

‘TIS THE SEASON

The DST Family wishes you and your family the best of the holiday season. May the New Year bring happiness, health and prosperity to all.
~ Duncan, Marjori, Erin, Doris & Patty

CONTACT US

Call for a Free Catalog and Premier Source Brochure
877 832 6898
info@duncanstuarttodd.com.

Download the PDF Version of this DST Extra Here

by Duncan Todd, A.I.A.
As published in The Director,November 2011

It can be said that when your preparation room is equal to the other rooms in your facility, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

You and your funeral home have an image in the community. Often a result of several generations of funeral service, that image has been created from personal involvement with the community, the care provided by the staff, the drive-by appeal of the facility and the building’s interior spaces and amenities.

Historically, however, it was not common practice for funeral home owners to include the preparation room in the equation. In fact, the room was often hidden away, seldom mentioned and deliberately omitted from discussions with families. As a consequence, embalming rooms had the potential to be neglected, under-funded and somehow lost in the big picture.

This situation was consistent with the prevailing attitudes of the day wherein the grieving family was largely distanced from the details of the embalming arts process. Families seldom asked or were offered the opportunity to view that area of the facility where their loved ones would receive final preparation before interment.

In some ways, these attitudes contributed to the tendency of owners to underestimate the value that a modern operating room can contribute to the business image and consequently the bottom line. One client commented to us that some funeral home owners kill the proverbial goose. “The preparation room,” he says, “is where the money is.”

Times, though, are changing. In the new norm, with more direct family involvement in the final arrangements, there is ample evidence that the image of the embalming room is coming into greater focus. Consider social media and the comments posted on the various sites. Not to be overlooked in the public perception are the images of mortuary environments that appear on television’s nightly crime shows.

We anticipate that the prep room’s new place in the public consciousness will continue to expand given the projected rise in death rates associated with the aging baby boomer generation. Adult children are asking questions from a new and more informed perspective. They are looking at more providers and more options. They are walking more facilities, both physically and virtually. When grief is overwhelming, families will often reach out to a third person for help with final decisions. I personally have played supporting roles on two occasions in 2011. For the family, a third party, asking the tough questions and getting complete answers can be helpful.

How does the preparation room in your funeral home measure up in the 21st century and how can it contribute to the overall reputation and success of your business?

The August 2011 issue of The Director featured articles dealing with the question of whether to build new or renovate. Whichever is your decision, you will be seeking ideas on how best to grow your business, how best to gain return on investment and how best to make the embalming room a key part of your total image.

First and foremost, you will be thinking of the health, well-being and safety of your staff. Pair that with a professionally designed workplace that meets OSHA standards and ergonomic considerations that put equipment, instruments and supplies at the ready. Tie it together with coordinated finishes for cabinets, countertops, walls, floors and lighting for a pleasing environment. A separate dressing room with soft lighting and comfortable furnishings in a non-sterile environment can create soothing surroundings.

To the question of whether your prep room is a plus or minus, we might further ask:

Does the prep room contribute to the overall image and success of your business? Where does your business stand relative to the prep room environment? Is showing your preparation and dressing rooms not only an option, but indeed an asset in securing a family’s trust?
The answer to this last question is becoming more of a determining factor in selection decisions today.

Many funeral directors nationwide are ahead of the curve, planning, completing, and occupying new prep rooms. For example, one client has told us that he always includes his preparation room in tours. He is confident that when families see the attention given to the welfare of his employees, they have confidence in entrusting their loved ones into his care.

An added benefit of modernizing your facility is the ability to attract new talent. Studies show that more and more graduates of funeral service colleges enter the profession from outside the family structure. Many new graduates make comments to us such as “The first thing I want is a state-of-the-art prep room. The rest will follow.” The next generation of embalmers will work in and present to their community a prep room image far removed from that of past generations.

When the time is right, it will pay to make your preparation room a plus. If it already is, we and the public applaud you.

Duncan Todd, A.I.A., is president of Duncan Stuart Todd, Ltd., the Preparation Room Specialists.
Visit the website, duncanstuarttodd.com,
email info@duncanstuartodd.com
or call toll free (877) 832 6898.

Published with permission from The Director.

 Click here to download PDF of this article.