Making the case for an essential service
Staff at Caul’s Funeral Home say blizzard experience highlights need for change
Staff at a St. John’s funeral home believe there’s a need for change when it comes to how businesses like theirs are treated during a state of emergency.
As of Monday, Caul’s had been contacted about nine deaths since the state of emergency was declared last Friday. In most cases, the deceased were at Eastern Health facilities, with the remainder in private homes. In all of the latter cases, Caul’s staff were unable to get to those homes.
Staff from the funeral home who spoke to The Telegram said they would appreciate clarity on the role of funeral homes during a state of emergency. They believe staff should have been permitted to be on the road Sunday.
“How are we supposed to know what we’re allowed to do if they’re not forthcoming with that information and we’re told you’re not an essential service?” one staff member who requested anonymity told The Telegram, later acknowledging they felt the city in general did a good job handling this unprecedented weather event.
“It’s just a huge miscommunication and a lack of information and a lack of consideration on the part of government. It’s like they pretend that funeral homes don’t exist — nobody is going to die, we’ll deal with all this after. But that’s not how it works.”
The funeral home would leave a body in a house for no more than eight hours and would typically respond long before then. According to staff, people waited upward of 36 hours to have a body removed from their home as a result of the blizzard and state of emergency.
“That’s definitely hard on them, there’s no doubt about that,” John Anderson Jr., a manager at the funeral home, told
The Telegram. “We don’t want to see them have to do that. We’d love to be there to take care of it for them . ... But what do you do when your hands are tied?”
Staff at St. Clare’s Hospital told personnel from Caul’s that funeral directors were permitted to work during the state of emergency, but Caul’s did not receive any official communication from another source backing this up.
According to Caul’s staff, some deaths they were initially contacted about were later dealt with by another funeral home that received assistance from the
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. When Caul’s contacted the RNC about the possibility of receiving assistance, they said police declined and ended the call.
“I’m sure it’s not the RNC’S fault as a whole, but probably just miscommunication,” a staff member said.
The phones have been busy, with Caul’s answering service taking dozens of calls from different families looking for updates. There were half a dozen funerals scheduled for last weekend that were postponed. They’ve rescheduled them multiple times since.
While Caul’s staff fully understands there’s no need to hold visitations and funerals when a state of emergency is in effect, they do believe there’s a role for funeral homes to play when it comes to dealing with the dead.
Anderson says the city and the Embalmers and Funeral Directors Board of Newfoundland and Labrador need to look at this issue.
“The city should have been involved to some degree,” he said. “The board should have made a statement just like pharmacies or anything like that. This is what you’re allowed to do, this is what you’re not allowed to do. This comes from the board. And the city should help you to go get a body, get it back and go home and that’s it. Get it out of someone’s house.”
On Tuesday, Mayor Danny Breen told The Telegram there will be lessons to learn from the city’s handling of the state of emergency.
“We need to review this whole state of emergency procedure and process. It’s one that hasn’t been used in the city in about 35 years. The city has changed a lot in 35 years,” he said Tuesday.