Obtain your Crematory Operator Certification online with the ICCFA!

The ICCFA is proud to offer online Crematory Operator Certifications! Participate in an extensive training curriculum instructed by Poul Lemasters Esq. and Larry Stuart Jr. Our two incredible instructors will lead you through the necessary education before you can take your exam all online.

These programs are held several times throughout the year. Usually, one of the three programs is given every quarter. The only place to complete all three at once is in the College of Cremation Services at ICCFA University. If you earn all three, you will possess the knowledge to:

  • Operate a crematory retort properly and effectively
  • Limit the liability for you and your company
  • Better serve and satisfy families
  • Assure families that they are in the hands of a cremation specialist
  • Improve productivity and profitability

Upcoming Cremation Certification Program Trainings

April 22, 2024 – Cremation Operator In-Person Training (Columbus, OH)

Click here to learn more about the ICCFA’s on-demand Crematory Operator Certification training program.

Cremation Arranger Certification

The only training of its kind in the industry! It’s not about running the crematory machine—it’s about helping families make better choices and your company not “losing” revenue vs. traditional burial.

Receive a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation and script on cremation and the many options besides direct cremation that you may give in your community! Learn from the creators of the presentation (the Imperis) how to deliver this powerful information. You’ll have the ability to modify it and make it specific to your market!

The largest growth market in funeral service is cremation. The question is, will the families you serve choose “direct cremation” or will they opt to have a tribute service and memorialization? The ICCFA Cremation Arranger Certification offers six-hours of intensive training designed to give you new tools to create better cremation arrangements. You will learn the history of cremation, pertinent laws and regulations, how to identify your customer base, how demographics should impact your marketing and arrangement process, and how people’s perception of price affects their behavior. All of this information is presented with one singular focus—to help you create a better arrangement for each family you serve.

Crematory Operator Certification

The ICCFA Crematory Operator Certification program is presented by ICCFA cremation coaches Poul Lemasters, Esq., and Larry Stuart, Jr., Raven Plume Consulting.

The extensive training curriculum includes:

  • professional terminology
  • incinerator terminology
  • principles of combustion
  • cremation and the environment
  • incinerator criteria and design
  • basics of operating cremation equipment
  • general maintenance and troubleshooting
  • forms and record keeping
  • handling and exposure control

All attendees will receive a comprehensive Operations Manual covering all aspects of crematory operation and maintenance. The Operator course includes two hours of laws and rules relevant to Ohio and specific to crematory operation.

*You must pass an open-book, online test to receive your certification. You must answer at least 75% of the questions correctly. You will be allowed to take the test a second time to try to receive a passing score. If you fail the test a second time, you will need to take the training course again before trying to pass the test another time.

Meet the Instructors

Poul Lemasters, Esq.

Principal, Lemasters Consulting and ICCFA Cremation Counsel

Poul uses his unique background in both deathcare and law to provide resources and counsel to other deathcare professionals. He gets calls for assistance in risk management, daily operational conflicts, form and contract reviews, valuations, and regulatory matters. Basically, all the exciting issues our profession has to offer. Poul advises several funeral home, crematory, cemetery, and trade associations across the United States. He is also the publisher of Parliament magazine.

Glenda Stansbury

Vice President and Certified Celebrant Trainer, InSight Books & Institute

Glenda joined InSight in 1996 as Marketing & Development Director. She has worked as an educator, teacher trainer, and seminar developer. She is a practicing Celebrant, adjunct professor at the University of Central Oklahoma at the University of Central Oklahoma Funeral Department and is a licensed funeral director/embalmer and serves as Dean of ICCFA University’s College of 21st Century Service.

Larry Stuart, Jr.

Founder, Cremation Strategies & Consulting

Larry Stuart, Jr. is the Principal and Founder at Raven Plume Consulting, President and Founder at Cremation Strategies and Consulting, and the former President at Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Inc., a leading manufacturer of technologically advanced cremation equipment. Raven Plume and Cremation Strategies help funeral professionals serve more families, better by providing expert leadership, planning, organization, training, education, process improvement, and strategic planning for the funeral profession.

Larry is a graduate of Kent State University and is a former member on the Board of Directors of the Cremation Association of North America, and Editor in Chief of The Cremationist magazine, published by CANA. Larry is also a Cremation Coach for the International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association as (ICCFA). Larry is also a past member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Exhibitor Advisory Committee and is currently a Trustee and President of the NFDA Heritage Club. Larry is also a Certified Celebrant, certified by The Insight Institute.

Throughout his experience Larry has seen first hand the negative impact that poor crematory maintenance and improper operating procedures can bring about. Larry has written articles, developed cremation curriculum, spoken at numerous professional events, and trained and certified thousands of cremation professionals across North America with a mission to advance the safety and efficiency of cremation facilities, the safety of their employees and to foster a more positively impact our community and our environment.