When a mass fatalilty incident occurs within the province of BC, the Coroners Service is responsible for leading the mass fatality management response with respect to determining identity of the deceased and how, where, when and by what means the deaths occur. The Coroners Mass Fatality Response Plan is the culmination of three years of research and consultation.
April-May UPDATE Newsletter
April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Inside This Issue ....
FSABC 2011-2012 Board of Directors
BC Bereavement Day is May 15
Call For Volunteer Committee Members
Membership News
New Today's Funeral Ad Campaign
Plea To Increase Rates For Veteran Funerals
History of Flowers at the Funeral Service
Calendar of Events
February 2011 UPDATE Newsletter
February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
February 2011 Update Newsletter
What's Inside? March 1 Deadline is fast approaching for Conference Registration, Exhibitor's Registration and Sponsorship Opportunites. FSABC Constitution and Bylaws - It's Time For A Tune Up! Leading The Way ... 2011-2012 Board Of Directors call for nominations. Membership News ... and much more!
January 17, 18, 19, 2011 Seminars
December 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The winter seminar for the British Columbia Funeral Services Apprenticeship Programs will be held on January 17-19 at Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre, Vancouver. Seminar Schedule
Approved CEUs: Telephone Etiquette by Todd Van Beck
December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Todd Van Beck
On Wednesday, December 8 - 3 hour CEU program presented by Todd Van Beck via live webinar
Telephone Etiquette & Best Practices For the Funeral Home & Cemetery
The Telephone is the lifeline of the funeral home and cemetery. Most all first calls, price shopper inquiries and general business is conducted over the phone.
The goal of this seminar is to heighten the sensitivities and improve the abilities of individuals in our profession concerning basic telephone skills and etiquette. More business opportunities are lost due to poor phone service and poor telephone treatment than poor products. Meeting our clientele by phone can be very successful or just the opposite.
After attending this seminar, attendees will be better equipped to professionally interact with the public, create additional credibility for the firm and smooth crisis call situations.
This program is presented on Wednesday, December, 8 at 10 am Pacific so if you are interested, register here:
The program is Approved by Consumer Protection British Columbia and the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice for 3 CEUs.
Vancouver 2012 Conference
October 12, 2010 By 1 Comment
A Historical Event Worthy of Celebration!
Funeral Service Association of British Columbia & the Cemetery & Crematorium Association of BC
Annual General Meeting, Conference and FSABC 100th Anniversary Celebration!
April 19 - 21, 2012 | Sheraton Wall Centre, Vancouver, BC
In April 2012, a very historical event will take place - an event that will transport you back to an era characterized by prosperity and optimism, bath tub gin, the model T, $5 work day, the first transatlantic flight, prohibition and the Charleston! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the FSABC.
To celebrate 100 years of funeral service in British Columbia, the FSABC is planning a special event to be held in conjunction with the Cemetery and Crematorium Association of BC annual general meeting, conference and Exhibitor`s Showcase!
Our 100th anniversary conference will bring together funeral service professionals from throughout British Columbia and Canada—funeral directors, cemeterians and cremationists will gather in Vancouver to commemorate the past, review what we have learned and what we can do further to ensure sustainability and relevance into the future.
Saturday, April 21, 2012 marks the culmination of our 100th Anniversary Celebration with a Gala Event! Join us as we come together to celebrate ! A very special evening is planned!
We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity where you will hear from top educators, explore an expanded exhibit hall which will include historical artifacts, and engage with your colleagues during the many networking and social events.
Please join us at the Sheraton Wall Centre, Vancouver, BC April 19 to 21, 2012
THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM - The 2012 conference program commemorates the past and what we can do further to ensure sustainability and relevance into the future! Join us as we come together to celebrate! Conference highlights include: 2012 Exhibitor's Showcase - New Products and Old Treasures; over 7 hours of Accredited Professional Development Programs; Historical Themed Luncheon and Fashion Show, President's banquet, 100th Anniversary Roaring 20's Speakeasy Gala and much more! This conference will be full of surprises and you won't want to miss it!
2012 Advance Conference Program
2012 Conference Registration Form
INFORMATION FOR OUR EXHIBITORS - Deadline is March 1st
2012 Exhibitor Application Form
CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP AND 100TH ANNIVERSARY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
2012 Conference Sponsorship Opportunities or learn more about how you can be a Sponsor of the 100th Anniversary Events and get a full year of value FSABC 100th anniversary sponsorship opportunities
ARTIFACTS WANTED ... Do you want to loan an item to the FSABC Museum Exhibit? As part of the Conference and annual Exhibitor's Showcase, we would like to display your old treasures and funeral artifacts of historical signficance. Read more here ...
We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity where you will hear from top educators, explore an expanded exhibit hall which will include historical artifacts; and engage with your colleagues during the many networking and social events.
Please join us at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver on April 19, 20, and 21, 2012.
CFTA Hosting Toronto-2010 National Trade Show
September 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Over the years, the CANADIAN FUNERAL TRADE ASSOCIATION (CFTA) and its supplier members have always supported the Funeral Service Association of BC (FSABC), financially and by attending our various events.
This year the CFTA is hosting a National Trade Show on September 28th and 29th, 2010. This large format trade show has been re-invented to meet the ever changing needs of the funeral professional.
We would like to encourage you to participate and support CFTA's Toronto-2010 National Trade Show on September 28th and 29th, 2010.
A convenient Quick Link page has been created for event information and ease of registration. Let's show our appreciation and Western support from British Columbia by registering for this event!!
Five tough jobs: Labours of love: Vancouver Sun
September 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
FSABC President, Justin Schultz
Preparing a body for the grave would be enough to send shivers down most people’s spines.
Not so for funeral director and embalmer Justin Schultz.
“I don’t have any level of discomfort with it,” says Schultz, 35. “It all relates back to providing service to a family that’s lost a loved one.”
Schultz, who works at Valley View Funeral Home in Surrey, dismisses the notion that embalmers are comfortable only around dead people. In fact, he spends the bulk of his time guiding families through the difficult period that follows a death.
“I think we get a unique insight into people’s lives,” he said. “We get to help them add a sense of peace to a pretty disorganized and otherwise stressful time.”
Read the complete story here: Five tough jobs: Labours of love.
Funeral Services Graduation Banquet & Awards Ceremony
September 2, 2010 By 1 Comment
- 2010 Funeral Services Apprenticeship Program Graduating Class
Congratulations To The Graduates!
On Saturday, Oct 2, 2010, 162 guests were in attendance at the 2010 BC Funeral Services Graduation Banquet and Recognition Ceremony.
Rear: Laurie Heath, James Leslie, Melissa Milburn, David Wilson, Laura Van Sprang, Kirsten Palmer, Tammy Miller Front: Mohammed Asin, Swetlana Boot, Capreece Bowers, Gwendolen Butts, Marci Chimich, Brett Hamilton, Kaylie Hamre, Janice Winfrey, (missing from photo is Lauralynne Hobbs)
FSABC President Justin Schultz & Instructor Roger Girouard present the Funeral Service Association of BC & Canadian College of Funeral Service Academic Excellence Award (highest overall academic performance in embalmer and funeral director studies) to
Kaylie Hamre of Hamre's Funeral Service in Fort St. John, BC
Kevin Armstrong presents the Dodge Company (Canada) Ltd., Embalmer Award of Excellence (highest academic performance in embalmer studies) to Kaylie Hamre of Hamre's Funeral Service in Fort St. John, BC
Jack Gordon presents the Service Corporation International (Canada) Ltd., Academic Achievement Award (highest academic performance in funeral director studies) to Capreece Bowers of Bowers Funeral Service, Salmon Arm, BC
Justin Schultz presents the Arbor Memorial Services Inc. Jurisprudence Award (highest academic performance in funeral law studiest) to Mohammed Asin of Richmond Funeral Home, Richmond, BC
Class Valedictorian Marci Chimich of Delta Funeral Home, Delta, BC
Laura Van Sprang and Laurie Heath share a laugh during the class presentation to instructor Roger Girouard.
Many thanks to our sponsors that contributed toward the graduation banquet including: Arbor Memorial Services Inc., Dodge Company of Canada Ltd., Funeral Service Association of BC, H.S. Eckels & Co. Canada Ltd., Service Corporation International Canada Ltd., Remco Memorials, Vancouver Casket Ltd.
Approved Funeral Director CEUs Available Online
July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
VICTORIA, BC, CANADA, July 17, 2010 Funeral Futurist, Robin Heppell has been granted approval by Consumer Protection British Columbia for two Internet-related, funeral home focused continuing education programs. Heppell will cut through all of the hype about Google and Social Media and instruct attendees how Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter can be used by funeral directors to promote their funeral homes at little or no cost. These programs will be delivered Live Online so that attendees will get the benefit of instructor interaction and also enjoy the convenience of participating in the sessions from the comfort of their office or home.
http://www.FuneralDirectorCEUs.com
Heppell has developed two 3 hour sessions that are based on research, training, testing, and actual case studies from funeral homes over the past four years.
"These programs are not going to be a bunch of theory - nor are they going to be taught by someone who has never sat across from bereaved family." Heppell stated. "I see more and more people in the industry talking about Social Media and hyping it up and not sharing just practical steps to use it as a tool to build relationships - relationships are what our profession has been built on, maybe the tools today are different but the principle of relationships has not changed in over 100 years."
These sessions will be delivered on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 via live online webinar. There are convenient times for both funeral professionals in the East as well as the West and all points in between.
Here are the details about each program:
Social Media & Funeral Service: Making Sense of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
With Rapid growth and popularity of online Social Media networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube , many Funeral Directors are unsure what is the best way to harness the power of Social Media for their funeral home. In this 3 hour program, Heppell will provide an overview of the most popular social networks and share his Best Practices on using them to building relationships without crossing the line of social activities and business. The objective of this training is to introduce the most popular social media networks to Funeral Directors and teach them to implement community outreach activities in the most effective yet efficient manner possible.
Understanding Google: The External & Internal Effects on Your Funeral Home
Since Google is the world's most popular website (and also most used search engine) and coupled with the fact that the majority of Internet users use the Internet to research local businesses first before making offline purchases, it is important for funeral homes to understand how Google sees their funeral home. Heppell has created this 2 part session that will first look at how Google sees your funeral home from a search engine perspective and will include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, creating and optimizing Google Maps Listings and give you an introductory look at Google AdWords (Pay Per Click) advertising. In the second part of the program Heppell will introduce you to Google' s suite of free, online tools.
Heppell remarked, "There are many misconceptions about how the search engines like Google work and how they rank Funeral Homes. In this session I will clear the air and provide simple tools and analysis that can preformed to see why one funeral home ranks higher than another in Google."
About Robin Heppell
Robin Heppell, CFSP, combines his expertise in technology and preneed, his formal business knowledge and his deep-rooted legacy in the funeral profession so that he can help funeral homes be more competitive, more profitable, and provide the best possible service for the families they serve. Through his consulting firm, FuneralFuturist.com in Victoria, British Columbia, he assists funeral directors throughout North America embrace and incorporate innovative strategies and technologies. His own websites include http://www.FuneralDirectorCEUs.com and http://www.FuneralFuturist.com.
Contact Information:
Robin Heppell, CFSP
tel: (250) 744-3595
email: robin@funeralfuturist.com
