The best way to decide if cremation services are right for you and your family is to have information. Learn about the basics to be better prepared to decide.

• Body Preparation - There are a lot of steps before a body is cremated. First, a funeral director or crematory manager needs to obtain a cremation authorization document signed by closest surviving family members. The funeral director then goes through a series of checks to ensure proper body identification to make sure the remains are returned to the proper family. The body is then checked and processed to remove any items that cannot be cremated with the body. These items include jewelry and medical devices, especially pacemakers. Once prepared, the body is put inside a cremation casket and checked again for identification. A metal identification tag that won’t burn or melt is also placed inside the cremation casket as a final check for identification. 
  
• The Cremation - A cremation chamber, sometimes called a retort, is built from fire resistant bricks and special masonry compounds designed to stand up to extremely high temperatures. The body, inside its cremation casket, is placed inside the chamber. Cremation chambers generally get to at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit with burners fueled by propane or natural gas. It usually takes 2 hours for a body to be reduced to bone fragments and ash, but the time can vary depending on factors such as the size of the body, type of cremation casket, or even the percentage of body fat to lean muscle. 
  
• Ash Processing - The remains are left to cool for about 30 minutes after the incineration. They are then processed and checked again for any remaining medical debris and for proper identification. Then, the remaining bone fragments go through a processor that grinds the fragments down into fine ash. This ash is what is returned to the family for funeral services or interment. 

• Casting, or tossing the cremated remains into the wind. 
  
• Raking, a process in which the ashes are poured over loose earth and raked into the soil. 
  
• Trenching, or burying the ashes in a shallow grave. Sometimes performed on a beach so the ashes are eventually carried out to sea by the tide. 
  
• Water scattering, or simply scattering the ashes into a body of water. 

If you want to learn more about Winter Haven, FL cremation services or other post-death options, you can reach out to us. We are happy to help you in any way we can as you move through your time of loss. Please pay us a visit or give us a call to learn more about cremation.