Profile - Restoration 1 Toronto

Restoration 1 Toronto believes that thorough training, in-depth certification, and a clean-for-health philosophy all work together to help customers succeed. Following is an interview with principal Eric Simtob.

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1. How important is it to "clean for health"?

A home that is unsanitary due to unaddressed water damage will grow mould that may cause serious health issues. If water damage is from a sewer drain back-up, these problems can be even worse due to the bacteria and pathogens introduced.

At Restoration 1, we specialize in water damage remediation and restoration services, as well as mould removal, sewage cleanup, storm response, and fire damage restoration.

This discussion will focus on water damage remediation.

We remove water thoroughly with our state-of-the-art extraction and drying systems.

Our goal is to remove all the water, and dry carpets, floors, walls and furniture, restoring the home or office to its original or better condition, but most importantly, our mission is to protect the health of our customers and workers. 

2. What type of education or training do your technicians receive to help ensure their effectiveness in this regard?

All of our technicians go through in-house training and the IICRC Water Damage Restoration Technician (WRT) and Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (AMRT) training classes. They are also certified through the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA).

The Water Damage Restoration Technician (WRT) course strives to detail all aspects and effects of water damage, and techniques for drying of structures, enabling certified technicians to properly deal with water losses, sewer backflows, and contamination such as mould, to ultimately protect the health of occupants and structures.

The Applied Microbial Remediation Technician course covers mold and sewage remediation techniques, while placing strong emphasis on protecting the health and safety of workers and occupants.

This education and certification process takes several months. Our technicians cannot manage remediation jobs unsupervised until they have completed all of the necessary training.

3. Which tasks or activities do you perform that are most important to your customers in protecting health?

Before we begin any remediation job we set up a “containment” - often something as simple as a plastic barrier or sheet between the affected areas and unaffected areas to help ensure that no physical contaminates are spilled into the homeowners’ living space. On jobs where there is mould (current or pre-existing) or sewage, we likewise set up a containment barrier between the affected area and the rest of the home while creating negative air pressure using well-placed fans or air movers, so contaminants are drawn outside the living space.  We want to ensure that no airborne containments such as mould migrate to other parts of the house causing issues for the homeowners.

4. How is IICRC Certification important in ensuring and validating technical proficiency in these matters?

IICRC Certification helps ensure our technicians understand how to properly and safely execute a remediation project. They need to know what must be removed and what can be saved, along with what and how much equipment is needed to properly execute a job. This training, along with the hands-on internal training they get from us, helps to make our technicians a “cut above” uncertified, less highly-trained, personnel.

5. What is the biggest challenge you face, how are you meeting it, and what prescription would you offer others dealing with similar obstacles?             

Our biggest challenge is educating customers that they have a choice in the restoration company they use, and don’t have to use the first one the insurance company may send.  

We strive to educate the homeowner on what needs to be done to help ensure their home is dry and sanitary.

We work with the insurance company, but not for the insurance company, our commitment is to the property owner and their needs – and especially, protecting their health. 

Contact

Eric Simtob
Restoration 1 Toronto
Emergency Hotline 647-717-0817
Cell (647) 770-7688
Fax (888) 418-2586  
www.toronto.restoration1.ca

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