Changing technology and new industry standards promise to streamline restoration and remediation efforts after fires.

The stark reality is that indoor air quality and fire-restoration experts such as Dr Claire Bird are going to be in high demand in an era of climate change.

Bird is managing director at LITMAS, a laboratory analysis and technical support group that helps finalise remediation works following flood, fire or other devastating events. While there are three main sources of fire – structure fires, protein fires and bushfires – she says the impact of climate change means that the latter, in particular, will increasingly be a threat to businesses and communities.

“We are facing longer bushfire seasons and more intense fires,” she says.

“Because bushfire smoke plumes are so large and travel so far – and even between states, territories and countries – the scale of damage means that restorers need to be able to deal with catastrophic events over large areas, and with backlogged insurance claims.”

Garry Carroll, managing director of Restore Solutions and the Australian Cleaning and Restoration Academy in Queensland, agrees that the demands on restorers are rising. Fires and floods are the chief culprits.

“With the restoration industry, through COVID-19 there was no downtime and it really hasn’t slowed down for us,” he says.

Despite catastrophic bushfires dominating the headlines, Carroll says smaller fires also lead to significant work for restorers.

“With a large fire, the roof might go and it really becomes a demolition job. But if it’s a small fire and it’s put out, it’s mostly about smoke indentation throughout the property and that’s when the restorer comes into play.”

SETTING NEW STANDARDS
Restoring a building after a fire is challenging, with two of the biggest tasks being cleaning and odour removal. Fires often scar buildings with smoke and soot stains, while leaving behind overpowering smells.

A large fire might be a demolition job, but small fires are really about smoke indentation throughout the property and that’s when the restorer comes into play.

The good news is that smart fire-restoration innovations such as laser technology, ultrasonics and hydroxyl generators can make a difference (see boxout), while the pending introduction of two new industry standards by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) represents a significant step forward.

The official titles will be:

IICRC S700 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration
IICRC S760 Standard for Professional Wildfire* Investigations and Restoration of Impacts to Structures, Systems and Contents.

Ivi Sims, the co-founder of BULCS Holdings, a distributor of indoor air quality, ventilation and building restoration solutions, sits on the IICRC S760 committee and believes the two new standards represent a significant leap forward for restoration efforts after fires. Fire and smoke technicians will be able to use the standards to identify fire types and then apply the correct cleaning and restoration practices.

“The S700, especially, identifies different cleaning methods for different fires,” says Sims, who is also co-founder of the Building Restoration Inspection Institute.

“So, if you have a protein fire, for example, it’s really important to understand that there is a different way to clean up after those fires, otherwise the protein smell can stay around for a long, long time.”

Likewise, Sims says the S760 standard will bring clarity to identification of fire types and associated bushfire insurance claims. Bird believes the standards are crucial for restorers and other industry experts, and will bring greater awareness of fire remediation and the various methodologies that are recommended, specifically around wildfires. She notes that the IICRC has partnered with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) to jointly develop the standardised criteria.

“Both the reporter performing a restoration and the competent professionals performing the inspections, sampling and interpretation can rely upon these criteria for systematic inspections of wildfire impacts,” Bird says.

The S700 standard aims to describe the practice principles, methods and processes to investigate, evaluate and restore the interior and exterior of structures and contents that are affected by wildfire smoke emissions.

“Restorers will need to have greater knowledge of the nuances of remediation for wildfires, particularly residue infiltration, distribution, settlement on surfaces, and potential fire particle resuspension, and of off-gassing from surfaces.”

The problem is that many undertrained companies are attempting to remediate fires and are unaware of the character or extent of contaminants present or where odours can be hidden.

Bird says Standards Australia is adopting IICRC standards in Australia for mould and water damage restoration, so it may well adopt standards for fire restoration in Australia.

“If this happens there is potential for pressure on cleaning contractors wanting to work with fire residues to undertake certification under the scheme,” she says.

RIGHT EQUIPMENT, RIGHT PROCESSES
As a passionate veteran of the restoration industry, Carroll is adamant that attention to processes and having the right equipment are the keys to success with fire and smoke remediation.

For the best outcomes, he advises restorers to:

Read equipment directions and safety sheets – for example, with oil-based fires that require the use of chemicals to break down residue, Carroll says too often the practitioners don’t read the directions. “They just go straight in and they may not have the right PPE gear on.” The rule of thumb, according to Carroll, should be to use quality chemicals and equipment to do the job properly. “Quality products and processes result in less time and less labour for a job.”
Choose your machinery and equipment carefully – to improve air quality as part of a fire-remediation project, Carroll says users should distinguish between cheap air scrubbers and high-performance air cleaners. “People may say they’re the same machine, but an air scrubber is usually a machine that’s of cheaper quality, and an air cleaner actually cleans the air,” he says. An advanced air cleaner with H13 or H14 HEPA filters and a carbon filter is a good starting point.
Opt for powered air-purifying respirators – Carroll recommends a ‘tool box’ that includes air particle counters, hydroxyl generators, quality PPE gear and premium powered respirators.
Sims adds that technology options such as thermal foggers – which use heat to vaporise a fogging solution and can neutralise smoke odours after a fire – are also becoming popular. Dry chemical sponges can eliminate the need for water or cleaning agents, saving valuable time and labour.

“There are a lot of new technologies and it’s always changing,” Sims says.

TRAINING THE KEY
To ensure a safe and productive future for fire and smoke remediators, Bird says appropriate training will be essential.

“The problem we currently face is that many undertrained companies are attempting to remediate fires and are unaware of the character or extent of contaminants present or where odours can be hidden,” she says. “In addition, insurance companies still have a builder-led model, and often builders will strip out materials that can be remediated. Hopefully, through appropriate IICRC training, we can increase knowledge and awareness.”

With the industry facing rapid change, Sims calls on all participants in the fire-remediation sector – from cleaners and restorers to firefighters and other experts – to join forces for the good of all.

“I think it would be really good to have conversations among all the people who work in fire and smoke remediation because ultimately we all need to understand and follow the same processes.”

The IICRC S760 Standard refers to ‘wildfire’ and ‘wildfires’, while the commonly used terminology in Australia is ‘bushfires’. In this story, the two terms are used interchangeably.

Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash