Mr Cleveland said if they were called out to a fatal accident, they were the ones who had to tidy the dead up to a state where they could be identified by a family member.
If the person was severely damaged, they had to be identified by dental records.
This is only the start of compounding distress, Mr Cleveland said. If the dead person was a passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver, the funeral home had to front up to the family.
Emotions ran high, he said.
There are a lot of questions: who did it and why did it happen?
A lot of people in the community are impacted by these accidents. It is heart-wrenching. And sometimes we know these people.
Corrections Whanganui service manager David Francis said the department was committed to reducing reoffending by 25 per cent by 2017. By getting offenders to participate in programmes such as this, its encouraging them to weigh up risks and make sensible decisions that will help them to lead a crime-free life.
Mr Francis continued that this was the first time Corrections Working and Living Skills programme had been put into action in the community, and would likely be rolled out to other areas.
The programme had been around a long time, but since January probation officers could authorise offenders to take part, Mr Francis said.
What the offenders did on Saturday:
Climbed an eight-metre-high rock wall using skills that related to safe driving, including thinking ahead, concentrating, working with others and use of restraints.
Attempted an obstacle course, put a key into a lock while wearing goggles that gave the impression of being impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.
Heard about a multiple fatality in Hawke's Bay and watched the related DVD (Just another Saturday Night) about the time a driver got behind the wheel, and the aftermath.
Learned how to put out a kitchen fire.
Learned basic first aid.
Saw volunteers cut from a mock car crash.
Heard from a funeral director about the process followed after a fatal crash.