| Crime-Scene-Clean -Up |
|
Crime Scenes are different from other Bio-recovery Clean-up in that law enforcement is involved in investigations; evidence must be protected so that cross-contamination does not jeopardize the scene. There is potential for hazards, such as, broken glass, shell casings, that could cause a slip and fall hazard and many unseen contamination because of the scattered debris, just to name a few. The Bio-recovery technicians must use more than the usual cleaning procedures because there may be evidence that was not discovered during the police investigation. If new evidence is discovered all work must stop and law enforcement must be notified as how to proceed. A bio-recovery technician must work in a manner that would preserve any and all evidence as if they were the crime scene investigation team and could find themselves as a witness or defendant in a court case. Much of the time there is more emotion involved depending on the nature of the scene. The more gruesome the more the emotions, especially if children are involved. We are not taking anything away from the law enforcement, EMS, firemen, or coroners that respond to the scene; what they see and do is totally different than what the bio-recovery professional goes through. What I mean is that those professionals are at the scene for a relativity short amount of time compared to the bio-recovery technicians, which could be at the scene for days. It is true that most of the time a bio-recovery technician(s) never see the body or bodies, unless they also provide body pickup and transport services. The responding professionals mentioned above usually have support groups provided and most of the time, enter the scene somewhat mentally prepared to expect the worst. Those that are not, will suffer most and in some cases, have not been able to cope with the mental visions and will leave that profession. The bio-recovery technicians, in many cases, do not have the support groups or do not talk about what ordeal they experience in dealing with the scene(s). As one of the American Bio-Recovery Association Instructors, I try to get students to understand the importance of getting a support group or professional to talk over any issue(s) because of the stress involved. Women usually do not have problems talking to someone; this is a means for venting. Men, on the other hand, do not talk as they hold back their feelings because they feel they can handle everything themselves; that is until it’s too late. We tell our clients that the faster one reaches out for help, the faster the recovery begins. Why then do men not follow that advice? Is it because they may feel weak, or that others will look down on them? Whatever the reason, talking about what one goes through is not a sign of weakness and we must understand it. The men and women returning from a combat scene are encouraged to get help. The U.S. Military is trying to get the message to the troops, what would make those seeing carnage and death any different? The stress and feelings are totally different when a crime is involved than when a natural death, accident, disaster, or suicide occurs; these are very hard to deal with in themselves but many look at it in a different frame of mind compared to a crime involving the death of a loved one. There is a lot more involved with crime scene clean-up and only a trained professional should provide the service. Today as never before, crime and killings seem to become more horrific in nature. In many crime cases, death is not involved. When a person is wounded they will try to get away from the scene, so there could be a larger area for the clean-up of blood. If this blood is not cleaned up properly it becomes a health hazard for anyone coming in contact with it. Some of the disease associated with blood has no cure, such as hepatitis C. There are many people looking into starting a professional Crime Scene or Bio-recovery service without proper training and there are a few of these that are promoting self training or instructing others. Caution should be used when hiring a company, as not all are equal or possess the understanding and training to keep the public safe. That is why national and international associations such as IICRC, RIA, ABRA and others strive to set standards and Best Industry Practices because many members of old school training did it the hard way, through mistakes, trial and error or they simply were lucky. Those days are gone and in the real world today those things can get you into lawsuits as people are becoming more and more self-educated through the news and the internet. Crime Scenes differ in many ways and should only be treated by people that understand what is at stake. By Rich Ross, ACBTI If you need immediate service now for |