First Week At The New Location
I just completed my first week at the new location. So far it hasn't been so bad. I've typed up a few at-need files, arranged for services at the National Cemetery, and spent most of the week going through old files and purging them of excess paperwork, as well as making sure they are entered into the at-need database.
Purging files may sound like busy-work, but it really isn't. Say that you have a filing cabinet full of files. For arguments sake let's say 250 files per drawer, and they are packed in tightly. If you remove 2 pieces of paper from each file, that adds up to 500 pieces, which is the size of a ream, about 2 inches thick. Multiply that by 25 years worth of files, that's a lot of paper and a lot of extra room you just freed up. And I'm not just removing one or two pieces of paper per file; I'm averaging between 5 and 10 sheets of paper per file.
I also got to work the crematory a little bit today. On the last cremation of the day, about an hour into the process, we opened up the door to the retort and I stirred the bones around. About 30 minutes after that, we opened the door again and I pushed the cremated remains to the back of the retort, then went to the access hatch and pulled them out. I also processed and packaged the previous set of cremated remains. It's hot, messy work and I'm glad I don't have to do it every day.
Purging files may sound like busy-work, but it really isn't. Say that you have a filing cabinet full of files. For arguments sake let's say 250 files per drawer, and they are packed in tightly. If you remove 2 pieces of paper from each file, that adds up to 500 pieces, which is the size of a ream, about 2 inches thick. Multiply that by 25 years worth of files, that's a lot of paper and a lot of extra room you just freed up. And I'm not just removing one or two pieces of paper per file; I'm averaging between 5 and 10 sheets of paper per file.
I also got to work the crematory a little bit today. On the last cremation of the day, about an hour into the process, we opened up the door to the retort and I stirred the bones around. About 30 minutes after that, we opened the door again and I pushed the cremated remains to the back of the retort, then went to the access hatch and pulled them out. I also processed and packaged the previous set of cremated remains. It's hot, messy work and I'm glad I don't have to do it every day.
posted by Granimore | 7:41 PM
2 Comments:
Wooow! you make it sound so simple and like everyday stuff lol ;-)
Does cremating have a smell? or is it like smelling a bbq pit (no disrespect intended)...
No, there is no smell. Cremations are performed at temperatures ranging from 1600-1800 degrees. The air is so hot that even the finest particles of matter are burned away. The "chimney" is also filtered and monitored so that no excess smoke or residue escapes. What we refer to as ashes are really the leftover bone fragments that have been processed into a powdery consistency.
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