Bio-Recovery: The R&R Interview

by Jeffrey Stouffer editor
July 19, 2010

A continually evolving and expanding segment of the remediation industry, bio-recovery – better known as “crime scene cleanup” or “trauma cleaning” – has made great strides since it first came into being as an organized segment of the business almost two decades ago. Recently, R&R spoke with Kent Berg, director of the National Institute of Decontamination Specialists and founder of the American Bio-Recovery Association, to get his take on where the industry stands today and where it’s headed in the future.

Restoration & Remediation: Briefly, what falls under the scope of work when people talk about “bio-recovery”?

Kent Berg: Bio-recovery is actually a term that was derived from the words BioHazard Cleanup and Scene Recovery. We chose that term because our industry’s scope of work is actually much broader than cleaning crime scenes. We are often thought of as the guys that will clean up anything that is nasty, repulsive, or gross, so people naturally call us to clean up human feces, animal feces, dead animals – usually rotten ones – and gross filth, as in rotting food, poor hygiene, and piles and piles of garbage. Then there’s the decomposed human body scenes, meth labs, the occasional disease outbreak, and anything else that would cause a normal person to stay a hundred feet away to keep from puking.

R&R: You’ve been part of the bio-recovery profession pretty much since before it became a profession. Since that time, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen, both positive and negative?

KB: When I first started, very few people in this business knew anything about cleaning and disinfecting. They just wanted to make the visible contamination go away. No one in the insurance industry had ever heard of a crime scene cleanup company, and many adjusters argued that our services were not covered. Today, the biggest changes have been in our profile. What I mean by that is the public, who had never heard of our services, now see us in TV shows, documentaries, movies, magazines, and newspaper articles. We have recognition now, and families are more aware that these services exist.

Another change has been in the performance of the cleanup itself. We as an industry are much more aware of the antimicrobials we are using, the techniques and knowledge related to home construction, vehicle dismantling, and being able to actually render a property safe on a microscopic level.

R&R: From a purely objective point of view, bio-recovery would seem to be about as “recession-proof” as any remediation specialty out there. There will always be accidents, suicides and other traumas that require a professional remediator. What are some of the pros and cons that come along with that?

KB: We know that our services will always be needed, but with a higher profile, we are seeing more and more companies starting up, and more and more fire/water restoration companies adding this service to their menus. Although the demand for our services is increasing, the individual companies’ call volumes aren’t growing as fast because there is more competition for that finite number of incidents.

The pros are that the public will have resources to respond if they need them, and that companies will have to step up their game in service quality and marketing. The cons are that the majority of these new companies are not attending training, not getting any type of certification beyond a half-day OSHA bloodborne pathogen course. It’s these companies that are dragging the good companies down when the public hears about a company throwing a bloody mattress in a dumpster, etc.


R&R: Since hindsight is 20/20, if there was one thing you would go back and change, as far as how you operated your business, what is it, and what would you do differently?

KB: I would have marketed harder. I assumed that people would need my service and seek me out. That was true for a while, but when competitors popped up with their marketing programs, the public chose who was freshest in their minds. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one I will never forget.

R&R: Technologically speaking, what areas have seen the greatest advances? Chemicals? PPE? Containment?

KB: One of the advancements has been our recognition as a legitimate industry. Today, vendors of specialty restoration products are targeting our industry. Kimberly-Clark markets their suits with the “Recommended by the American Bio-Recovery Association” seal on them. Other products used in our industry have similar tie-ins with our trade association or at the very least mention in their advertising that their product is great for cleaning crime and trauma scenes. Even the insurance industry no longer recognizes us under their “janitorial service” heading, opting now for a “crime scene cleanup” designation for insurance coverage.

We are also seeing new technology in the form of new disinfectants, odor-remediation technology, and devices to actually measure how clean a surface really is. The National Organization for Victim Assistance is putting on a training program this fall for teaching all interested bio-recovery technicians how to better interact with victims and their families. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has sought out input so they may better understand our industry.

However, I believe the most important advancement for the industry has been the formation of training centers. Legitimate training programs help make sure that any technician who wants to be the best at their profession can attend a school that specializes in that field. By establishing a standard training and certification program, students graduate far ahead of their competitors and benefit from years of experience from seasoned industry professionals, scientists, chemists, and pathologists that helped to design the curriculum.


Jeffrey Stouffer editor
stoufferj@bnpmedia.com

Jeffrey Stouffer is editor of Restoration & Remediation magazine

Crime scene cleanup crew scours site of murder-suicideCorey Friedman

Three crosses stand in the front yard where Tracy Hedgepath once played with her three young children. The tire swing sways gently in the breeze, and bicycles lay abandoned in the scorched grass outback.

Men in blue jumpsuits walk up the front porch and inside the house. A warning sticker affixed to the front door will be removed when the crime scene cleanup crew leaves.

Five days after police say 25-year-old Austen Blake Minter shot his girlfriend and their three children before turning the gun on himself, a three-man crew from Fagala Biohazard Specialists was called to the home at 1303 Dean Drive outside Dallas. Their job is to clean up the mess Minter left behind.

“It’s a tragedy — even more so with children involved,” said Mark Fagala, founder and owner of the Gastonia-based biohazard business. “Our hearts go out to the family. This is an everyday thing for me, but when it involves children, it tugs at my heartstrings.”

Tracy Lee Hedgepath, 24, Austen Blake Minter II, 6, and Serenity Tyvon Minter, 3, died in the tidy ranch home with Minter. The oldest child, 7-year-old Destiny Miller, was shot in the face and is still recovering in a Charlotte hospital.

Hedgepath had rented the Dean Drive home in the College Park subdivision north of Dallas. The homeowners hired Fagala to remove the stains of violence and render the house habitable once again.

“We’re going to get it back to normal and just make their house safe again,” Fagala said. “This was a terrible tragedy, but these people have put their trust in me, and I’m here to do a job.”

Fagala Biohazard Specialists is certified in hazardous materials handling and cleanup and is licensed by the N.C. Board of Funeral Service. The business also cleans meth labs, sewage backups, flooded buildings and bioterrorism sites.

Mark Fagala said the Dean Drive home would take about four hours to clean.

You can reach Corey Friedman at 704-869-1828

PRESS RELEASE


Mark Fagala, owner and director of operations for Fagala Biohazard Specialists, LLC is proud to announce the addition of his brother in law John Buchanan to the family firm. "This is a great thing for our family's business" says Fagala. "John is a natural fit to our biorecovery firm." " HMC(FMF)(Ret) John Buchanan served his 20 year career as a Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman, he has seen 3 different wars and has all the training needed to just step right in and go to work" Fagala said.

Buchanan's credential and accomplishments are:
* NATO trained LRRP (long range reconnaissance patrol) Medic
* Enlisted Fleet Marine Forces Warfare Specialist
* Navy Master Training Specialist
* EMT-P
* Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Instructor
* Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Instructor
* Field Medical Service Instructor

Certified in:
* Preventive Medicine and Disease Prevention
* Hazardous Waste Disposal and Management
* Infection Control
* Vector Control

Buchanan was the youngest member of the U.S. ground forces during Operation Desert Shield.

"I was hesitant about retiring because I loved what I did and always felt the need to provide my expertise and serve my fellow man." Buchanan said. "The transition was much easier since I knew I would still be in the business of helping people and using my 2 decades of training to assist families through there difficult time."

"After returning from my second tour in Iraq, a lot of the Marines in my battalion were having troubles dealing with what they had seen. A friend of mine, Chris, was dealing with his war experience while also experiencing domestic relationship issues. I got the word early one morning that he had taken his own life that night.

It was devastating to everyone that knew him. His supervisor came to me that evening and asked for some medical gloves and cleaning solution. When I inquired as to there uses he explained that he was going to Chris' house to clean-up. I couldn't believe it. I explained that he wasn't certified to clean up biohazard or medical waste and that it wasn't a good idea for him to have to see the scene. He explained that the family wanted to get into the house for some important papers and that the military wouldn't consider calling someone to clean the scene properly. So, I decided to do the clean up in order to make sure it was done right and to keep his supervisor from seeing what I knew was a bad scene.

I found that I got a great sense of pride and satisfaction in helping the family out and ensuring that the people that entered the dwelling after that were safe" Buchanan said. "I have worked with Mark since my retirement and I always get that same feeling. I genuinely like helping people and working with Mark allows me to do that. I am very happy to be here."

"John's presence by joining the Fagala Biohazard Specialist Team brings the company to another level." "I am very proud and excited to have him on my team and his training just reinforces the training that my crew already has" Fagala said. Mark and his company has been serving the Carolina's since 1988 providing post forensic and death scene cleaning. They can be reached at 877-BIO-KLEAN.