When a loved one commits suicide it’s fair to assume that first responders will decontaminate the scene. But they don’t, creating yet another dilemma for families who are freshly traumatized by a sudden and devastating loss. Driven to remove the memory from your home as quickly as possible, your first impulse may be to clean the space yourself. But there are several reasons why you shouldn’t take on this burden.
For one, suicide cleanup is a traumatic and overwhelming experience of its own. Although you may think you can push through this task by suppressing your emotions, you’re at risk of developing PTSD and prolonging your grief. It's best to avoid the scene and leave this process to the professionals.
Additionally, you may be subject to harmful diseases if you don’t clean up the scene properly. Pathogens linger long after a surface has been scrubbed, leaving you and your family at risk of developing bloodborne infections like Hepatitis C and HIV if your cleaning process has not been thorough enough. Certified specialists in biohazard remediation are the only people qualified to perform this intensive work. Let them restore your home with the assurance that it will be sanitary.
Bio-One is here to help in this regard. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need assistance. We’re on standby 24/7, every day of the year, and are always available to answer any questions you might have.
We’re here to meet your needs, wherever you are. From the parched land of Southern Nevada to the aquamarine beaches of West Florida, Bio-One has over 80 offices located across the nation—and we continue to grow. You can find us in areas as metropolitan as Philadelphia and as pastoral as Colorado Springs. But even if you don’t live in one of these cities, our offices service multiple counties nearby. Please visit our “locations” tab on our website to find your neighborhood, and we’ll be available to assist you.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, compulsive hoarding disorder affects an estimated 2 to 6 percent of the population. That’s between 6.5 and 20 million people respectively—if you consider the latest figures from the United States Census Bureau. While inadvertently mythologized through reality television, hoarding is a serious problem that can diminish one’s quality of life and create significant safety hazards. As opposed to collectors, who invariably organize their material in a clean and organized manner, hoarders obsessively and haphazardly accumulate a myriad of items that often have no practical value. They face severe distress when confronted with the prospect of discarding these items, leading to a dangerous and unsanitary aggregation of clothes, trash, broken appliances and more.
In addition to generating mold, harboring disease and creating fire hazards, hoarding—according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America—often causes distress within the family and threatens the social development of children. While the nation’s leading psychiatrists didn’t classify hoarding as a distinct mental disorder until 2013, it’s a significant problem that many Americans face within our local communities. That’s why you shouldn’t feel ashamed if you’re thinking about contacting Bio-One to assist you or a loved one with hoarding cleanup. We will work with you to address your individual situation, especially if that includes removing extreme piles of clutter, searching for sentimental valuables, and restoring your home’s sense of safety and comfort. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns. It can be the first step towards recovery.
Sudden and inexplicable tragedies like suicide and homicide are emotionally devastating experiences that leave trauma, property damage and unanswered questions in their wake. Our certified technicians conduct their work in a manner that is sensitive to your needs, considerate of your privacy and empathetic towards your grief. That’s why we strive to be on-site, at your side, an hour after you give us a call. We don't require payment or insurance authorization before a service because our primary concern is restoring your home quickly and courteously. Staying true to this prerogative is what makes us the most compassionate organization in the industry. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. We’re happy to help—day and night.
Needles and sharps can be dangerous and carry infectous fluids. If you want to know how to properly dispose of your sharps, please visit https://safeneedledisposal.org.
You SHOULD NOT be throwing needles and sharps directly into the trash. They need to be handled carefully and by a trained professional. Did you know Bio-One will pick up these items for you?
If you are a part of the medical field, dental industry, or a tattoo shop, these are all places we can pick up from! If you think you might need this, take a look at our locations page to find a Bio-One franchise close to you.
Author: Gary Kolek
At Bio-One KC, we are always trying to be as active in the community as possible by continuously supporting and sponsoring positive events and organizations.We have an especially soft spot in our hearts for events that support first responders.Most recently we have sponsored the Annual James Lockard Memorial Golf Tournament, as well as the Dana and Parks Bowling Bash and Guns N' Hoses, all of which support injured and fallen first responders, as well as their families.We already have several more events on the horizon in 2018.
We are also proud supporters and of Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) which is dedicated to putting an end to drunk driving, and the International Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) which promotes educating first responders who respond to those experiencing a mental health crisis.We also support the Suicide Prevention Lifeline as well as the Surviving Spouse And Family Endowment Fund (SAFE), another organization dedicated to the families of injured and fallen first responders.
We are always looking for more events to sponsor and positive organizations to join.If you know of any events in the greater Kansas City area (golf or bowling tournaments, trivia nights, etc.) that could use another sponsor, let us know.Or do you know of any sports teams in the area that could use a sponsor?We want to hear from you!Contact Gary Kolek at 816-492-4210 or bioonekc@gmail.com with your ideas or suggestions.And be sure to follow us on Facebook for more event information and photos:https://www.facebook.com/bioonekc/
Author: Gary Kolek Date: 6/12/18
Following the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade this week, we have all been bombarded with suicide warning sign and prevention messages on television, radio, and especially social media. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media outlet, lately we can't seem to scroll for more than a few seconds without seeing someone posting or sharing a message about suicide.
That's wonderful. It truly is. Suicide is a tragic event that shatters countless lives and it needs our attention. At Bio-One KC we see it first hand on a much too regular basis. But why must it take the suicide of a celebrity to raise these levels of awareness? The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) lists the following statistics on their website (https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/):
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States
Each year 44,965 Americans die by suicide
If you're counting, that's 123 per day
For every suicide, 25 others attempt suicide
These are shocking numbers and they should not be forgotten about until the next celebrity commits suicide, or the suicide of a loved one affects your family. For a list of ways you can help raise awareness, visit the the AFSP website at www.afsp.org. Or if you or a loved one may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Last week we had a very busy week, but a bit of an usual one because it did not involve any “crime scenes,” or any situations involving death or traumatic events. It began with a call from a woman who need her father's apartment cleaned. He was an elderly gentleman who was beginning to have trouble taking care of himself, including, but not limited to, having trouble using the restroom and throwing away spoiled foods. Because he had recently been admitted into the hospital, his daughter requested that we completely clean and disinfect the entire apartment while he was away. As you can see by the before and after photo of just the refrigerator it was no easy task, and it took two of us about a day and a half to complete.
The following day we completed a job for the owner of a rental home. The tenants had moved out, but left an unfinished basement full of dingy old furniture and other miscellaneous items. The tenants also apparently had a dog that went to the bathroom on the concrete floor in the basement that needed to be cleaned up. On top of that, the home had been previously infested with rats, so the kitchen and basement needed all of the rat waste removed and the affected surfaces needed to be cleaned and disinfectd. To make this job a little trickier, there were no utilities on in the home, so we needed to utilize our generator to run our vacuums and lights. No problem though, we finished this job in one day, even with a 1.5 hour delay due to a strong storm that passed through in the afternoon. There were several indicators that we were dealing with rats and not mice. In this photo you'll notice an actual rats nest on the shelf. Luckily there were no rats to be found as we removed it!
The next day we cleaned and disinfectd a 35 foot motor home that had been infested with mice (the normal, not so terrifying kind this time). We removed all of the mouse droppings, then used our chemical fogger to disinfect all of the hard to reach areas, then followed it up with a liquid chemical treatment of all the hard surfaces. That job took us about 3 hours.
While we were on that job I received a call from a family who was desperate because they just found out that their deep freezer, which was filled with meat, had failed and they had not noticed for approximately 2 months. As soon as we finished the motor home we headed over to her home. I have smelled a lot of foul odors in my career, but this freezer was RIPE!!! Thank goodness for respirators. We had it out of the basement and onto the truck within a matter of minutes. Once the freezer was out we noticed that because the drain plug at the bottom of the freezer was either partially open or failed, lots of yummy juices had oozed out onto the concrete basement floor. We gladly removed the mess and cleaned and disinfectd the floor, and also gave the homeowner several tips on how to remediate the lingering odor.
At Bio-One KC, we do everything from suicide, homicide, and undiscovered death clean-ups, to hoarding remediation, animal waste and odor removal, to medical waste pick-ups and much more. If you find yourself in a situation that you aren't sure how to handle it, give us a call and we'll be happy to help with a free quote or even just some free advice.
By now, everyone who is familiar with Bio-One KC knows that we specialize in crime scene cleaning, hoarding remediation, and general bio-hazard removal. And yes, many times when we do clean up blood, vomit, feces, urine, and other body fluids, it is because of a traumatic event or severe hoarding remediation, but there are also many times when we are contacted clean up messes due to medical issues.
Recently, we remediated three homes within two weeks that were contaminated with clostridium difficile, commonly known as C. diff. C. diff is a bacterium that typically causes diarrhea, but in severe cases in can cause life-threatening inflammation of the colon. It most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long-term care facilities and typically occurs after the use of antibiotic medications.
Spores from C. diff bacteria are passed in feces and spread by touch to food, surfaces, and objects when people who are infected don't wash their hands thoroughly. These spores can persist in a room for weeks or months, and if you touch a surface contaminated with C. diff spores, you may then unknowingly swallow the bacteria.
When a client calls Bio-One KC about a C. diff contamination, it is usually because the diarrhea had become uncontrollable and they weren't able to make it to the bathroom, causing a mess on the mattress, carpet, bathroom, and in many cases, all of them and more. Knowing the risks of C. diff, that is obviously not a safe environment for an untrained, and unprotected, individual to attempt to clean up themselves.
At Bio-One KC, we have the top of the line chemicals, tools, and personal protective equipment capable of disinfecting the entire home quickly and effectively. Because C. diff is a bacteria transmitted by touch, many people are under the false impression that a home can be disinfectd simply by wiping hard surfaces with a bleach mixture. That may work for some surfaces, but we use high quality chemicals specifically designed to kill these bacteria, as well a chemical fogging machine that creates a dense smoke of potent chemicals to kill all of the hard to reach bio-hazards inside your home. This method is incredibly effective and usually allows our clients to return to their home that very same day.
If you have a question about C. diff or any other bio-hazards, please do not hesitate to contact us.
When people find out I own Bio-One KC and that we specialize in crime and trauma scene cleaning, one question I get asked often is, “How do you find employees that want to do this?” The truth is, they usually come to me. As surprising as it sounds, many people are fascinated by this industry and want to be a part of it. I get phone calls and e-mails on a regular basis from people asking if we are hiring. That doesn't always mean that they're cut out for it, and I'm obviously not hiring all the time, but I appreciate the interest and always forward them an application to fill out and return so I can look it over once I do open up another hiring process.
The last time I put a help wanted ad on-line, I received over 110 applicants within 24 hours. Seriously. I had to take down the ad after one day because I got so many responses. It was extremely overwhelming having to sort through all of those applications and resumes, but eventually I found the perfect fit for the position.
There are no specific qualifications that will necessarily give you an edge when applying for this job, and no experience is necessary. Experience is helpful but that's understandably hard to come by. Once I think you'd be a good fit for the team, I would provide you with all the training you needed to be able to do the job safely and effectively.
The traits I look for when hiring a crime scene technician are (in no particular order):
Personality – I will not hire someone with a bad attitude or that would be incapable of communicating with a client in a professional manner. Not only will we have to work side by side for extended periods of time, but often times the clients are on the scenes with us, and I will not allow someone with a bad attitude ruin the reputation of my company.
Work Ethic – You must be dependable, punctual, motivated, and have an extraordinary attention to detail. When it comes to the crime scene clean-up business, Bio-One is the best. I am very proud of the work we do, and I insist on the best for our clients.
Physical Fitness – It may not seem like it, but the work can be very physically demanding. Just last week we cleaned up a suicide in an attic converted into a bedroom. It was very hot and there was no air conditioning. Even though we weren't doing anything necessarily physically demanding, when I took my bio-hazard suit off it looked like I had jumped in a swimming pool with my clothes on. We also complete many hoarding jobs, so we can be wearing bio-hazard suits for hours at a time while lifting refrigerators, couches, etc. If you are not in decent shape, you won't be able to do it.
Strong Stomach – This should be an obvious one. We work in blood, vomit, feces, urine, and any other body fluid you can think of. We come across spiders, roaches, mice, maggots, and other numerous insects and animals, both alive and skeletalized. It all smells as good as you can imagine. Typically, you either know if you could handle it or not. If you are applying for a job in this industry and you think you can handle it, I would have to think long and hard about hiring you.
Schedule – We are on call 24 ours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My phone rings regularly in the middle of the night. Sometimes the job can wait until the morning, sometimes it can't. It's whatever the client needs. I understand things happen and all of my employees aren't available 100% of the time, but if you aren't available most of the time, I can't use you.
Pay – Again, this is an on-call business. The work is extremely streaky. Some weeks you will make lots of money, some weeks you will make zero. It's the nature of the business and you have to be prepared for that.
I should clarify that at the time that I am writing this blog, Bio-One KC is not currently looking to hire anyone. I am writing this in the hopes that I answer some questions for the curious. It is a truly fascinating industry that I love, and if you have the positive traits that I listed and think you would someday be a good fit with Bio-One KC, send an e-mail to bioonekc@gmail.com and I'll send you an application that you can return to me for future consideration.
