History of the ICFHA
The Association, one of the oldest volunteer, member-based cemetery associations with members of all types and sizes throughout Illinois, was established in 1928 as the Illinois Association of Cemetery Officials (ICA) - the first meetings being held in Chicago, IL.
Illinois Cemetery and Funeral Home Association (ICFHA) is the successor, by name, to the Illinois Cemetery Association ("ICA"). The Association is a non-profit corporation for the purpose of promoting fellowship among its members; to create and maintain high ethical standards in the conduct of cemetery administration; to meet and discuss mutual problems and exchange ideas on subjects pertaining to cemetery development, operations, and management for the mutual benefit and protection and to provide a code of ethics to which all members subscribe.
About 1985, ICA worked with the Illinois Legislature to remove restrictions in the Funeral Directors and Embalmers licensing law that prevented a cemetery or funeral home from establishing a combination cemetery funeral home operation ("Combinations"). Since that time, a number of Combinations have been established in Illinois and many Combinations and independent funeral homes have joined ICFHA. ICA elected in 1996 to operate under the name Illinois Cemetery and Funeral Home Association (ICFHA) in order to better represent its diverse membership.
In 2002, the Georgia Crematory scandal broke. Illinois had laws governing crematory operations but added the requirement that all crematory operators in addition to machine operations, needed certification on other aspects of cremation including law, history, ethics, and basic machine knowledge. ICFHA had the first Crematory Operator's Certification Program approved in the state and set the bar for all other programs submitted for approval. We continue to offer certification to crematory operators on a monthly basis.
In 2004, the first comprehensive Illinois Cemetery Operations Manual was developed. The manual contains a comprehensive listing of Illinois Laws, Operations, Sales, and Forms for the benefit of cemetery operators in Illinois. The manual is available separately or in conjunction with our Illinois Cemetery Professional (ICP) and Master Illinois Cemetery Professional (MICP) designation programs.
In 2009, Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL, made national news and a cry came for tougher laws in Illinois. To prevent an event like Burr Oak from happening again, the Cemetery Oversight Act was passed January 2010 and is in its early stages of implementation. ICFHA, already having an education program available for cemeterians since 2004, is once again at the forefront of being able to provide the required elements of the new act.
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ICFHA 14608 John Humphrey Dr., Orland Park, IL 60462 Inside the US - Ph: 866-758-7731 Outside of the U.S. - Ph: 708-966-0564 e-mail: icfha@hotmail.com Often Imitated...Never Duplicated |