Cleaning network on call 24 hours a day
for consumers, agents, companies
By Phil Zinkewicz
Jeff C. Coulter is vice president of disaster restoration for ServiceMaster Clean.
On September 11, within hours of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., John Nienaber, operations manager for ServiceMaster Clean Network of Springfield, Virginia, received a telephone call from the Pentagon. Rescue efforts on that tragic day were, obviously, of paramount importance. But, an immediate effort to clean up the huge Pentagon building, which houses the Department of Defense and Armed Forces, came in a close second. The destruction of the Pentagon left Americans with a feeling of uncertainty as to their further vulnerability, and the quicker the Pentagon was put back into action, the less uncertain Americans would be.
Not all of the jobs ServiceMaster takes on are as dramatic as the one for the Pentagon. Usually, most of the 5,500 company-owned franchises and business units in the cleaning network face more mundane tasks, such as janitorial services, landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, plumbing and heating/air-conditioning service, furniture repair, and home warranty.
But the ServiceMaster restoration division, located in Memphis, Tennessee, often deals with the more spectacular damage situations, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. So the Pentagon cleanup project, while a grim challenge of recovery, was not beyond ServiceMaster's ken. And the firm went to work immediately.
"Within hours, fully staffed and supplied ServiceMaster Clean teams were on the site," says Jeff C. Coulter, vice president for disaster restoration at ServiceMaster. "Because ServiceMaster Clean is a network of highly trained and screened restoration experts, no temporary labor was required. Our team understood the sensitive security issues involved in the restoration of such a vital government facility. More than 300 ServiceMaster Clean professionals worked around the clock for 65 days to provide pre-emergency cleaning of halls and lobby areas spanning over 17 miles of corridors."
Coulter says that one of the vital players in the Pentagon cleanup process was Brad Key, director of ServiceMaster's recovery management division. "Brad was instrumental in organizing and leading the cleanup efforts at the first terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and also performed work at a Patriot Missile Guidance System Research and Development plant in 1991, during Desert Storm," explains Coulter. "Brad and his management team coordinate multi-franchise, large-loss projects for ServiceMaster Clean."
The 65-day restoration apparently brought incredible results and a testimonial from Darryl Diggs, assistant services program manager for the Pentagon. "With your motivated attitudes, professionalism, cleaning ability and sincerity, you made the Pentagon glow," he said. "Cleaning the Pentagon is an understatement; what you did was put life back into the building," said Diggs.
Coulter says that ServiceMaster Clean is a service company for the consumer. "If your home has water damage from a hurricane or even from a lesser event, such as a burst pipe, we have franchises all over the country that can respond. We have long-standing relationships with independent insurance agents and insurance companies who call us when a problem arises," he explains. "We have an "800" number (1-800-RESPOND) and we are available 24 hours, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. In the restoration division, we have 1,400 franchises, 600 of which are designated Quality Restoration Vendors (QRVs).
"The QRVs are trained restoration professionals who can be on the spot within two to four hours, and they have committed themselves to being on call 24 hours a day. Time is essential in the restoration of damaged articles, rugs, furniture, etc.," Coulter continues. "As far as the insurance company is concerned, speed is of the essence. If an agent calls us about a claim, often we are on the premises even before the insurance company has been notified. If it's a small job, we go right ahead with the cleanup process. Insurance companies know us, and they appreciate our efforts to mitigate the loss. If it looks like it's going to be a big job, we get the emergency work done and then provide an estimate for the insurer on the rest."
"We have had a relationship with ServiceMaster since the late 1960s," says agent Brian Dooney, president of the Portland, Oregon-based Leonard Adams Co. "This is a remediation company that is well-recognized in the insurance industry ... We can call ServiceMaster in for initial cleanup without first having to notify the insurance company immediately after we have been informed a loss has occurred," he explains. "And, as ServiceMaster will tell you, time is of the essence in these cases. If a rug has water damage, for example, and it sits around too long, all sorts of things can happen, such as the buildup of mildew. If you get that rug up and dried as quickly as possible, then it can be saved. That's just one example of how ServiceMaster remediates damaged property after an event. Once ServiceMaster has done the initial cleanup, then they assess the other damages and report to the insurance company adjuster when he or she arrives."
"As far as the insurance company is concerned, speed is of the essence. If an agent calls us about a claim, often we are on the premises even before the insurance company has been notified."
-- Jeff Coulter
But, Dooney says, ServiceMaster takes further steps when working with insurance agents. "They conduct continuing education courses for agents, for which agents receive credit, on subjects such as mold remediation, water damage, fire and smoke and other types of damages that can occur in any given event. These courses have been very helpful to us."
One of the areas in which ServiceMaster Clean is proficient is media and electronic recovery. Coulter says that with some type of media found in over 90% of households and businesses today, claims for both residential and commercial losses are likely to include media and electronic restoration or replacement. "Media can be music, video, and computer equipment," says Coulter. "VHS and Beta tapes, film, audio tapes, CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, computer disks and tapes, CD-ROMs, video games, microfiche, x-rays, even paper can fall under the area of media and electronic exposures. People don't understand that even the programs that run on a computer, including the hard drive, are classified as a media exposure."
Another wrong assumption that people have, according to Coulter, is that once damaged, media cannot be restored. "Media are usually quite durable and restorable at a reasonable cost," he says. "In fact, experts say that the comparative cost of restoration vs. replacement is very favorable, and that savings can be as high as 60% to 70%. And the good news for the insurance industry is that people often respond positively to replacement since savings can generally be applied to coverage needed for other services in the wake of a loss."
Coulter says also that, although technical experts such as ServiceMaster can provide media restoration services, insurance agents and adjusters should be aware of some key issues so that they can manage such losses effectively and knowledgeably.
"As with most loss situations, time plays a critical role in whether media equipment and auxiliary items can be restored or must be replaced," he says. "The cost of time is the most important thing to consider in media restoration. If you wait too long, you can lose the option of restoring the items. In some cases, the window of opportunity for restoration is a few weeks and in some cases it is only a few hours. You can't be sure exactly how long you have, which is why it is important to have the experts there. When in doubt, get the restoration process started as soon as possible."
Key says that the most critical time is the first 24 to 48 hours following the event that caused the loss. "At the first opportunity, it is important to place the equipment in a cool environment as soon as possible to prevent further deterioration and damage."
Coulter also points out that there are other good reasons for agents and adjusters to be aware of the time factor in media restoration. "Being aware of the critical time factor reduces the chance that you will be taken advantage of by a less than honest supplier who says they can fix a piece of equipment when it's really not possible because too much time has elapsed," he says.
Key adds that unless computers are energized and in contact with water or have received heat damage, they are usually salvageable. "Even if they have been in contact with water and heat, much of the data in the hard drive may still be salvageable. If there is evidence of charring, the computer hardware is probably not cleanable, but the information may still be retrievable."
Coulter maintains that good restoration companies should exhibit a firm understanding of the type of damage that has occurred to the specific type of media. "They must be able to do more than simply wipe down the outside of components and perform cosmetic work, which does not solve the problem," he says.
Again, Coulter points out that, with any type of damage, the time element is important. Agents and adjusters should remember that the faster a restoration company such as ServiceMaster is contacted after an event, the more chance of salvaging property. "That's what our '800' number is all about," he says. *
For more information
ServiceMaster Clean Network
Web site: www.servicemasterclean.com