What To Do When a Death Occurs
Funeral Planning Tips
Francisco Rivero
Licensed Funeral Director #FDR76
At a Hospital:
Inform the hospital’s admitting department or nursing supervisor staff that you have chosen Pacific Interment Service. Call Pacific Interment Service at 1-800-442-1810 and inform us of the death. Our staff will guide you through the arrangement process and contact the hospital to make arrangements to bring your loved one into our care as soon as possible.
At Home With Hospice:
Notify the hospice of record that you suspect your loved one has passed away. Your hospice will dispatch a nurse to pronounce the death. Inform the nurse that you have chosen Pacific Interment Service. The nurse will call us on your behalf. We are available 24 hours per day 7 days a week to respond to death calls. We will take basic information from the nurse in order to dispatch attendants to the resident. Our target is to be at the residence within 1 to 2 hours from the time we receive the call from the nurse. Any deviation from this timeframe will be communicated to the family and we will keep the family apprised of our arrival time. Note: You have the option to delay our response in order to allow for friends and family to arrive and to conduct memorial and or spiritual services at home. Please advise the nurse of your plans so we can schedule our response.
At Home Without Hospice:
The local police or county sheriff (if the death has occurred in an unincorporated area) should be called and informed of the death of your loved one. They will dispatch law enforcement to take a report. They will also dispatch fire rescue to pronounce death. Law enforcement will contact the County Coroner. The County Coroner will decide whether to bring the deceased under their jurisdiction or whether to release the deceased to the mortuary. If they authorize a release they will issue a number and then the police or family can call Pacific Interment Service and we will dispatch attendants to the location. Our target is to be at the location within 1 to 2 hours from the time we receive the call from authorities or the family.
At a Hospice Facility:
Inform the hospice staff that you have chosen Pacific Interment Service. The hospice staff will notify us of the death. Facility deaths generally require our attendant’s response within a 4 hour window. Please call Pacific Interment Service at 1-800-442-1810 and inform us of the death. Our staff will guide you through the arrangement process and contact the hospice to make arrangements to bring your loved one into our care as soon as possible. Note: In most cases, the facility can allow more than 4 hours to allow family and friends to arrive and spend time with your loved one. Check with the facility for their rules.
At a Nursing Home or Long Term Care Facility:
Inform the facility staff that you have chosen Pacific Interment Service. The facility staff will notify us of the death. Facility deaths generally require our attendant’s response within a 4 hour window. Please call Pacific Interment Service at 1-800-442-1810 and inform us of the death. Our staff will guide you through the arrangement process and contact the hospice to make arrangements to bring your loved on into our care as soon as possible. Note: In most cases the facility can allow more then 4 hours to allow family and friends to arrive and spend time with your loved one. Check with the facility for their rules.
At a Coroner’s Office or Medical Examiner’s Office:
When your loved one have been taken into the custody of the Coroner or Medical Examiner’s Office it is because the death has fallen under their medical/legal jurisdiction. This is generally triggered in situations where the death was unexpected, the person was not under a doctor’s care, the death was unattended, or the result of an accident or suspicious/criminal event. There are frequent delays in the examination and release of the remains. We will be in communication with the Coroner or Medical Examiner’s Office and keep the family apprised of the timelines.
We are here to assist you
These first steps are intended to provide you with basic guidance. Should you need more information please call us and one of our professional staff will be there to guide you. Our staff is highly trained and experienced. We collectively have accumulated almost 100 years of professional experience. We are here to help!
