Large losses and catastrophes are a completely different animal from the residential job. For instance, you’re likely dealing with tens – perhaps even hundreds – of thousands of square feet, working to minimize any business interruption in commercial facilities and you need to ensure that you have the right – and right amount of – PPE, staffing and other miscellaneous equipment. What’s more is that in the case of a catastrophe – take Superstorm Sandy for example – crew members have to be prepared to be in areas for extended periods of time, so there’s certainly housing, meals and morale that you might have to deal with when it comes to your workers.
Yes, large losses and catastrophes aren’t for everyone – but such work can be a viable addition to any restoration business. They key, however, is preparation. To get an idea of how to prepare for such jobs, we reached out to two people that are familiar with them – Lisa Lavender, the COO of Berks Fire Water Restorations, and Art Dickerson, SVP Business Development for Paul Davis National. Being an independent restoration business and a franchise network, respectively, both handle large loss projects a bit differently. Here’s what they each had to say on everything from PPE to proper training: