Among Friends

[Boomernichols]

Our local, one and only, funeral home has announced their closure due to extreme heat.  This is a first in our area that I can recall.

They state they plan to reopen the business office next week.   Have you ever heard of such?

[catmama]

I'm not surprised at this.

I worked in the office at a funeral home years ago and the viewing area and offices did not have AC.  The prep rooms were climate controlled.  

Most funeral homes in my area, of which there are now very few, are in much older buildings.

You wouldn't want to be at a viewing or in close proximity to anyone if it's hot.

[We rescue cats]

I wonder if the A/C is not able to accommodate for the heat, either for the visitors or for the cadavers?

[Kachina624]

Maybe it's costing too much to run the cooler.  How hot is it?  What happens if somebody dies?

[AuntG]

The only local business I recall closing was a mom & pop restaurant. She'd put out a sign "Closed, too darn hot".

[Boomernichols]

Our current funeral home is about 20 years old and in tip top shape.  The original one burnt to the ground as it was located next to a restaurant that burned.   I guess they will store the bodies in the morgues area.  It will be 102 here tomorrow before the humidity factor is added in...it feels like hell's porch.

[Carmie]

I have never heard of such a thing.  Funeral Homes should all have heat and AC to stay in business.  Both are a necessity.

What happens if someone dies?  You just can't hold up some things.

A family member of mine is a funeral director.  He doesn't sit at work all day and wait for calls, but he is reachable by phone 24/7/365.   If he is not available, there is another funeral director who will cover for him.

Is just the business office closed for " walk ins" ( pre-planning, picking up death certificates, etc. ) or are they not open for business at all, even a death call?

[bikerbabe]

Funeral homes have been known to close when they cannot accommodate more services. In the meantime, they stay at the hospital/county morgue, or in temporary refrigerated containers. We had one in the hospital parking lot a few years ago.

In this case, they probably have inadequate cooling in the public spaces where people work or the viewing area.

[simplyfriends]

The funeral home is where the service might be and pre planning etc. The mortuary is where the bodies are kept. Maybe they closed the funeral home but not the mortuary. Too many unanswered questions on this one to appropriately respond. 

[RedTop]

Perhaps the air conditioning unit is broken, and normal daily business cannot resume until repairs are made.  This would not affect any bodies on site in the cooler.