Protocol will vary depending on agency, but that is the standard, yes. No need for lights and sirens if the patient is deceased. In my case, we actually didn't transport bodies, nor do I know any agencies that do. That's what the coroner or funeral home is for. The closest we came to transporting dead bodies would be people in cardiac arrest and we have CPR in progress, but we tried to avoid even doing that. We usually ran our codes at the scene and if they did not have Any return of spontaneous circulation, we would typically pronounce them dead on scene and leave them in the care of the police department. And that isn't for lack of wanting to help, but because the most effective CPR is at the scene where we have resources and control as opposed to the cramped rear of the ambulance with only limited help and being thrown around on a bumpy ride. What Hollywood doesn't tell you is that paramedics have all the same medications and therapies that any physician in any emergency department has and we follow the same protocol, so if anyone is going to "come back" their best chance is right there where they fall. Sorry for the tangent, just wanted to share.