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Concerns Over Water Damage Standards

6/6/2022

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IAQ Radio, episode 426 from August 12, 2016 featured John Downey, Ken Larsen, and Cliff Zlotnik. The group discussed, "Two articles which appeared in the August issue of the IICRC Journal along with details from the story behind them." While this description may not grab your attention, if you are involved in water damage or the property restoration industry, the content of the articles and the discussion on this podcast are important. Cliff and Ken expressed their concerns over the state of the water damage restoration industry with pointed critiques of the foundation behind the IICRC Applied Structural Drying certification and its subsequent incorporation into the IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration.

This episode discusses:
  • The formation of the IICRC S500 aka the water damage standards (WRT) 
  • The history of water damage approaches as well as the influence the S500 has had on the drying industry
  • Observations regarding the science behind in-place or top-down drying methodologies 
  • How insurance carriers have reduced their claims staff and now rely on TPAs (Third Party Administrators)
  • How TPAs have mandated practices that they claim come from IICRC standards but aren't ​ ​

Is Applied Structural Drying (ASD) Scientific?

According to Cliff Zlotnik, no one knows "chapters and verse of the S500 better than Ken Larsen. Ken noted that in May 2012, the Journal of Environmental Health demonstrated that a water loss responded to within four hours showed an exponential increase (orders of magnitude) of microbial growth in floor materials. He was disappointed that so few IICRC insiders and leadership acknowledged the results of the research's feedback. Cliff Zlotnik writes in the IAQ Radio blog and show recap expanding on Ken's comments from the show,
Problems on water claims is a dominant theme. Contractors find their lack of control on their projects discouraging. Many declare water restoration work is no longer fun or rewarding. The bureaucracy and loss of control is a challenge to contractor’s patience and tolerance. Contractor’s are exhausted by the demand to provide non-compensated services and mandatory investment and utilization of drying documentation software. All these demands stem from the IICRC. The IICRC is the source of these ideas. Readership has been supportive of our method to inspire the IICRC to make the needed corrections.

Is Top-Down Drying Realistic?

Cliff Zlotnik was motivated to write his article after attending both of the early in-place drying courses. He said that he felt uneasy and uncomfortable about the methodologies for “top-down drying” being taught to restorers. After testing the theories in his original Restoration Science Academy training center he came to different conclusions. Cliff thinks the training courses were unrealistic and summarized part of the fix in tese words,
Simplify curriculum, remove complication. To paraphrase the late Jim Darling’s recommendation that the IICRC mold remediation course for workers’ whose first language was other than English could be done in 4 words: “mold bad-clean good!” Drying is pretty simple “wet bad-dry good”; we need to show workers how to get there. Lloyd’s [Weaver] method was simple and it worked. When the IICRC changed the WRT curriculum and exam and added committee “Made Up Stuff”: the IICRC drying formulas, equipment placements formulas, categories of wetness; I could no longer teach it. The photos in the article show air passing through materials and into interstitial spaces. Adjusting curriculum away from the dominance of in-place drying would be a good start.

The Role of Water Damage Drying Standards

Pete Consigli mentioned that good intentions, such as quicker drying times, can sometimes lead to unintended negative outcomes. He recommended the following, 
Get away from prescriptive standards. Move to performance based standards. The separation of standards from the reference guide will reduce the confusion. Reference guide is being used and referred to as authoritative when it isn’t.
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The Evolution of Ed Cross and the AGA

6/3/2022

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The DYOJO Podcast conducted an interview with Ed Cross which also uncovered aspects of the development of IICRC Standards as well as the evolution of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA).

This interview goes into the last 25 years of Ed's involvement with advocating for property restoration contractors and his pivotal role in the formation and momentum of the RIA's AGA Committee. The episode is titled, "A History of Collaboration, a Future of Advocacy" and is accompanied by an article in Restoration and Remediation Magazine (R&R) by the same name. 

Highlights include:
  • How the restoration industry owes a debt of gratitude to Alice Cooper
  • The four names of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), including one rather unfortunate acronym
  • Legal issues for restoration contractors in the era of "Mold is Gold"
  • Early standardization efforts of the IICRC and the ASCR
  • Some of the key personalities in the evolution of restoration and remediation
  • Mark Springer's manifesto, "Our Greatest Need"
  • RIA's pivot to focusing on advocacy ​
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    We are tracking down and sharing the people, innovations, movements, and other fun facts from the evolution of the property restoration industry. Please reach out if you have stories and relics to share. 

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