Specifications include, but are not limited to: A. The Contractor shall ensure that all human remains are recovered and placed in the cadaver bag provided by the county. B. The Contractor shall have toe tags and bag seals shall be affixed to the body bag. A body receipt form shall be completed by the contractor for each transport. C. The Contractor shall have no item other than the body shall be placed into the cadaver bag by award recipient’s staff or any other person at the scene (i.e., police, crime scene investigators, fire and rescue, etc.) without authorization by the JCCMEO deputy coroner responsible for the case. D. The Contractor response time (arrival at death scene following notification) shall be within 30 minutes of receipt of being called. The only exception shall be for a documented scene distance of more than 25 miles from the morgue. E. The Contractor time of response and quality of performance are imperative. Failure to perform within the guidelines of this contract, specifically regarding response time, will constitute sufficient grounds for cancellation at the option of the Jefferson County Commission and cause for the County Commission to seek reimbursement of cost incurred due to performance failure. F. The Contractor company shall have a dispatch service for receiving death calls from the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office. Within a short period of time there may be a need for the transport of several bodies. A dispatcher is necessary to notify “on call” individuals in a timely and reliable manner by telephone or radio dispatch. There may also be a need to change the order of body pickups. The use of cellular telephones with forwarding is not sufficient to provide adequate coverage in lieu of a dispatch service. A dispatch service must be in place for back up telephone coverage at all times. Delays in transport because of contractor communication failure may constitute sufficient grounds for cancellation of this contract at the option of the County Commission. G. The Contractor shall only use vehicles that have been modified so that stretchers can be securely locked in place in the transport vehicle to prevent movement of the deceased body. Placing a decedent in a body bag which is then placed directly onto the floor of a transport vehicle or on top of another body is not acceptable. All vehicles used for transport shall be capable of transporting two deceased individuals on one run. The vehicles used cannot be a traditional hearse. No identifiable funeral home, business logo, or symbol shall be present on the vehicles to be used for transporting of bodies under this contract. Utilization of vehicles with identifiable funeral home logos or symbols shall constitute sufficient grounds for cancellation at the option of the county commission. H. The Contractor stretchers used during body transport shall be of a high quality. Some examinations are on deceased persons weighing more than 300 or 400 pounds. The stretchers shall be constructed so that one side could be tilted downward to get in an elevator or go down a stairway. I. The Contractor vehicles and equipment of an apparent low bidder will be inspected for compliance with this bid prior to an award being made. J. The Contractor drivers shall have a valid Alabama Driver’s License. The contractor shall provide the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office with the name, DOB, and driver’s license number of any new hires prior to the driver operating a transport vehicle under this contract. Without this information, the driver will not have access to the morgue. If an employee who drives under this contract is terminated or resigns, the contractor will immediately notify the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office. K. The Contractor shall not use JCCMEO facility access to make removal of a body from the JCCMEO morgue. L. The Contractor will at times be require to pick up dead body removal from areas of rough terrain such as wooded or remote areas and/or uneven terrain, and/or wet or muddy areas, including during inclement weather conditions in Jefferson County. M. The Contractor shall be able to perform complete body removal from a scene, with the exception for when the removal involves a technical extrication (examples: confined space, high angle, swift water, and diminished structural integrity); which will be performed by emergency first responders and under the direction and authorization of the coroner’s office. N. The Contractor shall consistently perform adequate body removals without assistance with the understanding that decedents often weigh in excess of 300 lbs. as stated above. Bodies must be lifted from the ground and carried or placed on a stretcher and rolled to transport vehicle. Dragging of bodies is unacceptable and is not permitted. The contractor shall provide equipment and enough representatives to ensure this. O. The Contractor shall immediately notify the on-call deputy if any suspected change/trauma has occurred to the body during transport (i.e., dropping of body during loading/unloading, wreck of transport vehicle, spilling of liquids or vomit onto the body, etc.). P. The Contractor shall provide body transport services in a professional manner and representatives must wear professional service or business casual attire (e.g., black slacks, white shirt, black shoes, black socks, black jacket.) at all times.
