In spite of the shocking figures, you just can’t imagine it ever happening to you. This past Fourth of July gave us all pause. More than 60 people here in Chicago were victims of gun violence in just one night of celebrations across the city.
How do you handle the aftermath of this kind of tragedy?
For many years, we’ve helped area residents deal with the worst after a violent crime. Too often, we hear about situations in which people are further hurt by service providers who aren’t qualified or trustworthy.
If you ever face a crisis and need the assistance of crime scene cleaners, always keep these four important points in mind.
1. Industry Experience Is Vital
Don’t assume that all professional cleaning companies can tackle homicide cleanup. It takes industry expertise to properly handle this type of job.
A reputable cleaning contractor has years of experience in with trauma cleaning services, maintains complete staff certification and never works through a third-party broker.
When you hire the right crime scene cleanup specialist in Chicago, you’re assured of:
- Extensive knowledge of sanitizing processes and biohazard remediation
- Strict adherence to OSHA and EPA protocols for blood and biohazard cleanup
- Highly trained technicians authorized in the use of industry-approved equipment and techniques
- Full compliance with local and state regulations for bonding, licensing and insurance
- An established business with headquarters in Chicago and staff on duty 24/7
2. Track Records Can Be Verified
A company’s website provides a good starting point for verifying its capabilities. A reputable business lists its trauma cleanup services in detail including emergency contact information.
Be cautious of a site that only offers a toll-free number and no physical address. This indicates that the company isn’t local and relies on third-party brokers.
To verify that you’re dealing with professional blood clean up companies, look for the following:
- Positive customer comments on local and national independent review sites like Yelp and Google+.
- Company website testimonials from real people dealing with situations similar to yours
- An excellent BBB score combined with very few or no customer complaints
- Good standing with both the police and health departments
3. Transparency Ensures Trustworthiness
It’s an unpleasant reality. There are cleaning contractors in the business taking advantage of people who are vulnerable while going through a personal tragedy.
If you need to hire a crime scene cleaning company, your hands are already full with so many things. It’s important to protect yourself from unscrupulous operators.
Before you make a final hiring decision, talk with the contractor and his staff. You should always expect:
- Straight answers to all questions so that you feel comfortable about the process
- Proof of certification on request including licensing, bonding and insurance information
- A full explanation of what to expect, how long it will take and what follow-up might be required
- An estimate that makes sense and includes a breakdown of anticipated costs
- Honest assessments of what your insurance does and does not cover
4. You Deserve Compassion and Empathy
It’s very difficult to cope with the aftereffects of a traumatic event, and it’s especially hard to face the kind of cleanup often required at a crime scene. You wonder if things will ever be the same again.
It’s important to hire a professional company with industry experience and a solid track record, but you also need a contractor who offers:
- Staff and field teams who genuinely care and treat you like family
- Preferred insurance vendor status for working directly with your carrier
- Solid ties with the surrounding community to help with your recovery
- Real understanding of your circumstances and discreet solutions to unique situations
Making a Positive Difference
In our years of experience as Chicago’s preferred crime scene cleaning specialists, we’ve seen firsthand how devastating this kind of trauma can be. You deserve compassion and empathy to help you deal with a very trying time.
We’re a local business, and we’re family-owned, so we’re able to offer the personalized, one-on-one assistance that you need to start on your road to recovery.
No one is ever really prepared to cope with the tragedy of a serious crime or its aftermath. We offer this post in hopes that it can help you make the best decisions possible under difficult circumstances.
It’s our goal to make a positive difference in our Chicago community, so let us know how we’re doing through our Comments Section.
If you should ever face a situation that’s overwhelming, we’re here for you 24/7. We provide fully-licensed, professional crime scene cleanup services for all of Chicago and the suburbs.
When you have to make the hard call, ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba stands ready to answer with compassion, respect and genuine care.