Bio-Tec Emergency Services

I found a national Crime Scene Clean up company online that appeared to be legitimate last year. I paid over 1,200 dollars for supplies and Crime Scene Tech,"Certification."Once this was done I was called out to a home in Griffin, Ga. for a clean up a trailer. The job lasted about six hours. I made sure all the required paperwork was completed and sent to BIO TEC after the job. I never met anyone in person and spoke to several people on the phone. After the job I was told it could take up to two months to be paid. The agreement was $50 dollars an hour. My phone calls were repeatedly ignored after the two month mark.

I decided to call from a different phone number and someone answered. A female answered and refused to give an explanation for lack of payment and extended time frame. She was rude and made it clear I would not get paid. I realized at that point what I was dealing with. I also took pictures of a home in Douglas ville Ga. that had water damage and sent the pictures on disc to BIO TEC with my own money and received nothing for that as well. BIO TEC is parading around as a legitimate company that helps people in need and could be deceiving not only the customers but employees as well and must be investigated. It is my responsibility to at least stop them from taking advantage of customers whom are already dealing with traumatic situations.

Andrea of acworth, GA
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/business/bio_tec_emergency_services.html#ixzz0zprTwozd

The Clean Team

As bio-recovery experts, this Ulster County couple spends their days decontaminating crime scenes

By: Nina Flanagan

Ever wonder who cleans up crime scenes, traffic accidents, or decomposing bodies discovered days or weeks after death? How about houses piled floor-to-ceiling with garbage? Although breezily depicted in the recent film Sunshine Cleaning, this work is no walk in the (Hollywood) park. It requires the fortitude of an EMS worker and the tact of a funeral director. Fortunately, West Saugerties resident Raquel Steinlage-Pallak and her husband/partner-in-crime-cleanup, Ian, have experience being both.

Beginning in high school as a volunteer for the Miami-Dade Crime Scene Unit, Raquel’s journey into this enigmatic world took several turns. She was a mortician, funeral director, and a death investigator; she also graduated with a degree in social work/criminal justice. “It’s difficult dealing with relatives of people who die suddenly or violently,” she says. “They want answers right away, and contrary to popular TV shows, results for some tests can take months.”

While in Florida, she became aware of several crime-scene cleaning companies, and it seemed a viable career option. When she realized that no one was offering bio-recovery (as the process is called) in Ulster County, she began thinking about starting her own company. “Many people thought it was ghoulish,” she remembers. “But from our perspective, it’s a service.” She and Ian decided to move forward, and created Ulster Biorecovery, LLC in 2008.

“You can’t just call a housecleaning service to clean up crime scenes,” states Raquel. Unfortunately, it turns out you probably can, but shouldn’t — due to federal, state, and local guidelines for handling medical waste. As a homeowner, landlord, or employer, you’re responsible for any pathogens left behind which can cause sickness months or even years later.

“Upon arrival, it’s critical to establish when the incident occurred, other hazards at the site, items of sentimental or financial value that need to be salvaged, and the presence of free roaming pets that may have spread contamination,” Raquel summarizes. After suiting up in protective gear, the couple documents the scene with photos, sketches, and video. A staging area for equipment is set up just beyond the area to be cleaned. Work progresses from the most contaminated area to the least. Vomit in a police car takes a couple of hours to clean; a decomposed body can take up to two weeks or more to disinfect and deodorize; the process often entails almost complete inside demolition, right down to the wall studs and trusses.

Raquel recalls their first job was a “trash” house, which was occupied by a family. It was filled with garbage and had no working bathroom, which she says is often more psychologically upsetting than an actual crime scene. Ian agrees: “You’d never think in a million years that parents could treat their own kids that way.” Yet, they have to remain neutral. “You’re not there to judge a situation, you’re there to do your job and clean it up,” he explains. Other jobs have included a fire in a house where an elderly woman had hoarded everything (including trash) and owned about 50 feral cats. Garbage was literally piled up to the ceiling. Ian says a “viscerally shocking” job involved the suicide of a young man, who shot himself in the shower. A decomposed body in the Bronx wasn’t discovered for two weeks. “This man lived in this boarding house for 10 years and died in his room. The landlord couldn’t even remember his first name.” Raquel shakes her head. “That’s what we encounter.”

The work is both emotionally and physically demanding. Donning Tyvek coveralls, gloves, boots, and respirators slows them down. Special equipment — ozone generators (for big stinks), ultra low volume foggers (to dispense disinfectants in tiny particles), and an automatic pressure washer — is used to tackle tough jobs. There’s some low-tech stuff, too. “Our handy-dandy blood detector, like on CSI, is just hydrogen peroxide that bubbles on contact with blood,” laughs Raquel. Paper towels and shovels are often used to clean up large amounts of blood.

Raquel has some advice for those considering bio-recovery as a career. “Have a passion for it because it’s a lot of work. The key is to restore the environment and make it safe. And remember, you’re also emotionally restoring it, too.”

Pasco County Man Arrested for Illegally Dumping Biomedical Waste

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2005 CONTACT:
Lucia Ross, (850) 245-2862

Pasco County Man Arrested for Illegally Dumping Biomedical Waste

PORT RICHEY– Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) law enforcement officers today arrested Andrew Tierney Froelich, age 54, owner of ServPro in Port Richey, for illegally dumping biomedical waste.
During a six week investigation, in partnership with the Pasco County Health Department and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, DEP law enforcement officers observed Froelich illegally disposing biomedical waste into a commercial dumpster.
Froelich is charged with 3rd degree felony commercial dumping. Charges are pending for transportation of bio-medical waste without a permit and causing a public nuisance. If found guilty, Froelich could face up to five years in jail and a fine of $5,000. No court date has been set.