4 min read
Buildings that suffer intense fire damage inevitably sustain cosmetic and structural issues that must be addressed quickly. Fire leaves behind many problems like charring, warping, and corrosion. Walls, floors, and ceilings that get soaked become a high-risk breeding ground for mold. Soot and corrosive by-products spread through smoke also reach areas untouched by the fire.
These issues can cause more extensive and permanent structural damage, so it’s vital to have restoration professionals work on them as quickly as possible.
However, not all fire damage restoration companies are built the same. Some are more capable and better equipped than others – and you will no doubt want to hire a firm with better expertise and track record. One way to distinguish those companies is to check for an IICRC certification.
This blog will explain the importance of hiring an IICRC-certified company if you need fire damage restoration in Springfield, MA.
What Is IICRC?
The IICRC, or the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, is a global non-profit organization that sets ethical and quality standards for the cleaning, inspection, and restoration industries. It was founded in 1972, and in the same year, it grew into a global organization with a membership of over 6,500 certified firms and over 49,000 technicians.
As the biggest and most recognized regulating body for these industries, the IICRC earned a Standards Developing Organization (SDO) accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The main functions of the IICRC include:
- Providing members with certification and training programs
- Setting international standards for disaster restoration, textile floor cleaning and inspection, hard surface floor covering inspection, upholstery cleaning, water damage restoration, crime scene cleanup, and mold remediation (more standards are currently in development).
- Developing universal industry-accepted terminology and language within the cleaning, inspection, and restoration industries.
The IICRC standards are reviewed and renewed every five years to keep up with the changes in technology, science, and other relevant factors. This makes IICRC certifications a reliable gauge for quality services and lasting repairs.
What Does IICRC Certification Mean?
An IICRC-certified company follows high ethical and quality standards recognized by professionals and firms from other countries. It implies that a company has extensive knowledge about the latest professional cleaning, inspection, and restoration trends. Moreover, since one of the requirements for becoming certified is for employees to receive relevant training, IICRC-certified companies can be expected to uphold a high level of excellence.
Therefore, a company with IICRC certification is the best choice if you need professional fire damage restoration in Springfield, MA.
Reasons To Hire an IICRC-Certified Company to Address Fire Damage
If you need more incentives to hire, here are a few:
- Annual Certification: What makes an IICRC certification special is it’s not a one-and-done thing. Companies must renew it annually. They must prove they can meet the organization’s constantly updated standards every year. Hence, a company that can maintain its IICRC certification status will have exceptional expertise and top-level skills in fire damage restoration.
- High Technical Expertise: Certified professionals undergo extensive study and training to learn the science behind the standards set by the IICRC. They learn the best practices in performing their services and why they must do them – primarily for their workers’ and clients’ health and safety.
- Qualified to Restore Commercial Property: You can expect the highest level of professionalism and competencies from certified companies licensed to do fire damage restoration work on commercial buildings.
- Well-equipped and Capable: Part of the certification process is meeting the IICRC’s standards for tools and equipment. Therefore, a company with an IICRC certification for fire damage restoration in Springfield, MA, will have appropriate and advanced equipment, and its workers will have been trained to use them safely and efficiently.
- Observes Safety Standards: The IICRC has strict guidelines on workplace safety. The organization sets the bar high for safety to elevate the industry and earn customers’ confidence. Observance of these standards is crucial, especially for projects with high-risk factors and jobs that require powerful machinery, specialized equipment, or meticulous procedures.
- Verifiable Credentials: IICRC gives clients of cleaning, inspection, and restoration companies the ability to verify their certification. The public is welcome to use the IICRC Global Locator or contact the organization and provide the company’s name to check if they are indeed IICRC certified.
All these contribute to the most important benefit: peace of mind. Recovering from the losses of a structural fire is challenging on its own. You also have to figure out how to resume business when your base of operations is unusable and pending repairs and reconstruction. Entrusting the restoration of your business premises to an IICRC-certified company will take a massive load off your shoulders.
Let us restore your property so you can utilize it again for business or investment purposes. Contact Restoration 1 of Springfield, MA., today.
