Forensic Restoration is an Emerging Field

The Next Step Beyond Crime And Trauma Scene Cleaning

As a cleaning or restoration contractor your organization advertises assistance to people in dealing with crime and trauma scene situations. One day, a call comes in and as the facts of the situation unfold you start to wonder “are we really prepared to deal with this?” In a nutshell, the case involves:

Two brothers who, over the last decade, became more and more reclusive in their apartment. Rumors in the neighborhood suggested they had cash and valuables inside and several break-ins led to them blacking out and securing all entrances. Continued  break-in attempts led the brothers, who had become compulsive hoarders, to set up booby traps in order to prevent people from stealing their "valuables". One brother suffered a series of health problems and was no longer able to leave the apartment. Sadly, the one sibling who was able to go out and become the caretaker fell victim to one of their own booby traps and died in the apartment condemning his brother to a slow death through starvation. Now, the family and County health authorities are looking for a qualified organization to deal with the hoarding, decomposition odors, vermin infestation, mold, potential booby-traps, and whatever else is lurking in the apartment.

Individuals who complete the Forensic Restoration Operators course can professionally address the above scenario (which is based on a real case) because in the class they learn how to evaluate the various risks and leave with a template for addressing even the most difficult situations. Because forensic restoration is more than crime and trauma scene cleaning, and since this course is based on the first set of national forensic restoration guidelines, individuals who complete the three day class can feel confident in tackling the most complex cases.

Nor is the forensic restoration operator’s course offered in a vacuum. Individuals leave with real certifications related to compliance with OSHA's blood borne pathogen training and respirator fit testing. In addition, the course certificate is provided by BioPTO; an industry trade organization that is active in guiding the upcoming state regulations related to crime scene responders. Successful class participants will have a leg up on meeting the licensing requirements that are working their way through various state legislatures.

The true professionals who position themselves to serve specialty areas of the restoration industry such as crime and trauma projects, illicit drug labs, hoarding situations, animal infestations realize that no two such cases are the same. Having the know-how to be able to apply national guidelines to categorize specific jobs as complexity and size expand means that graduates of the forensic operator course are truly industry leaders.

Check out our training page for class schedules and more information.