What Does Being A “Certified Provider” Mean In The Restoration Industry?

When you’ve experienced a huge loss to your home – the stove caught fire, sink accidentally overflowed, you’ve discovered mold while remodeling – you look for someone to help. But, is it wise to just hire the first company you can find? How do you know a particular company has all the qualifications necessary to work on your home? Do they have a California business license? Are they bonded and insured? Are they certified through IICRC?

The last question may have thrown you for a loop. What is IICRC?

IICRC is an acronym for Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification. The IICRC is an institution that has Certified Technicians and Certified Firms all over the world. The mission of the IICRC is “to establish and advance globally recognized standards, credentials, and certifications for the inspection, cleaning, and restoration industries.” The institution provides certification in very specific areas, such as building moisture inspection, leather cleaning, tile cleaning and trauma scene cleaning, and broader areas such as fire restoration and water damage restoration.

What does being a “certified” provider mean?

Being certified means you have been officially recognized as an authority in a particular field. In this case of IICRC, you have been tested on a particular area pertinent to your work, so you may perform adequately and completely. In our industry, being certified means you have proof that you’ve studied and taken time to learn about water and fire damage, how to treat it, the proper ways of drying, most effective tools to use, etc. Instead of simply saying “I have so many years experience” we have more concrete evidence. This is not to say that without certification that you can’t perform your work correctly, but there’s an added benefit of an individual being up to speed with the current knowledge that can be found in other firms of the industry – ours being focused in restoration.

Why is continued education so important?

West Coast Fire & Water technicians are not only trained upon hire, but we also regularly attend and provide training via IICRC so we can keep up to speed and refresh our memories regularly on everything restoration. We want to make sure everyone that comes into your home has all the knowledge they can possibly need to get your home back to a livable condition.

We also have to consider new standards in safety, laws related to building structures and codes, and any updated insurance standards. There’s a lot of upkeep to being a technician, and we are glad our teams take their roles seriously. Nothing is worse than hiring a company with confidence, to find they have used or are currently using techniques on your home that cause more damage than repair. To take the time and find another company, as well as fix whatever was damaged, means more time is spent away from fixing up your home and belongings.

When you call West Coast Fire & Water, you are calling a company that certifies its technicians through the IICRC and believes in the importance of continued education. We’re always learning and growing to better serve you!