What to Do First After a Death or Biohazard Incident
If you are reading this right after finding someone, start at step one and ignore everything else on this page for now. The rest will still be here in an hour.
Step 1
Call 911 if the death has just been discovered
Police and paramedics confirm the death and secure the scene. Do not move anything and do not begin cleaning. In Florida, any death that is unattended, unexpected or unexplained is reported to the medical examiner.
Step 2
Wait for the medical examiner
Pinellas County is served by the District Six Medical Examiner, which also covers Pasco County. Their office determines cause and manner of death and arranges removal of the deceased. You cannot begin remediation until this is done.
Step 3
Wait for the scene to be released
If there is an investigation, law enforcement controls the property until they release it. On a natural death this can be the same day. On a crime scene it can take longer. Ask the responding officer who to contact for the release.
Step 4
Secure the property and keep it closed
Close off the affected room, leave air conditioning running if it is safe to do so, and keep people and pets out. Do not open windows wide in Florida humidity, and do not run fans through the area, which spreads contamination and odor further into the home.
Step 5
Call a certified remediation crew
One call connects you with a crew that covers your part of Pinellas County. They assess the property, document it for insurance, and give you a written scope before any work begins.
Step 6
Open the insurance claim
Notify your carrier as early as you can, ideally before remediation starts. Ask specifically about biological decontamination coverage, and ask whether the crew can bill the carrier directly.
The four things not to do
- Do not clean, scrub or move contaminated material yourself
- Do not run fans or open the whole house, which spreads odor into other rooms
- Do not throw contaminated items in household trash, which is illegal in Florida
- Do not wait several days hoping the smell settles, because it will not and the job grows
Why Waiting Costs More Here Than Elsewhere
In a St. Petersburg home in summer, a scene changes measurably day by day. Fluids continue to move downward into flooring, subfloor and wall cavities. Odor vapor moves into the air handler and then into every room the system serves. A job that could have been one room on day one becomes three rooms plus duct cleaning on day four.
Time elapsed is the one variable you may still have some control over. Everything else about the scene is already decided by the time you find it.
What Is Likely Affected Already
Two questions give you a realistic picture before anyone walks the property, so the assessment is not the first time you hear it. The reading beside this is live from the National Weather Service and is factored into the answer.
Time and Temperature Guide
Two questions. The result explains what is likely affected by now and why the scope grows. Where live conditions are available, today's reading is used.
Who Handles What
| Who | What they handle |
|---|---|
| Police and paramedics | Confirm the death, secure the scene, decide whether an investigation is needed |
| District Six Medical Examiner | Determine cause and manner of death, arrange removal of the deceased |
| Funeral home | Care of the deceased, cremation or burial arrangements |
| Remediation crew | Containment, removal of contaminated material, decontamination, odor elimination, regulated waste disposal |
| Insurance carrier | Coverage determination and payment where the policy applies |
| Property owner or executor | Authorizing remediation and signing the scope of work |
Common questions
Who do I call first if someone died at home?
Call 911. Even for an expected death at home, Florida requires that an unattended death be reported. The responding officers will involve the medical examiner where required and tell you when the property is released back to you.
How long does the medical examiner take?
It varies. Removal of the deceased usually happens the same day. The full determination of cause and manner of death can take considerably longer, but you do not need to wait for that to begin remediation. You need the scene released, which is a separate thing.
Can I start cleaning while I wait?
No, and not only for legal reasons. Cleaning an uncontained scene spreads contamination, pushes fluids further into porous material, and can destroy documentation the insurance carrier will want to see. Leave it closed.
What if I am the landlord and not the family?
You can call the same line. Property owners and managers deal with these situations regularly in Pinellas County. The crew will document the unit for your claim, and the dispatcher can explain how billing usually works when the tenant has died and there is no next of kin available.
Does the funeral home handle the cleanup?
No. Funeral homes handle the deceased. They do not remediate the property, and they are not licensed to transport biomedical waste. These are two different services and two different calls.
Read more about the District Six Medical Examiner process, which is the step most people have the hardest time getting clear information about.
When the scene is released, call
A dispatcher can also tell you what to expect before the release happens, so you are not starting from zero when it does.
Call (727) 591-9468