Jeremy Reets

Today our personnel are the most important resource we have. Tools that help our staff to stay safe and complete the work at the highest delivery level are the most important.  

Training is the most important tool in water damage restoration. Anyone can buy water damage restoration equipment. We need properly trained personnel to make it work. Although there have been significant improvements built into today’s equipment, a properly trained technician could work with any air mover, dehumidifier or specialty equipment you provide them. An investment in training always pays dividends to the company. It is the best way to upgrade our most important resources.

Specialty drying equipment that limits demolition can make the working environment safer. Units that inject air into walls can give a trained tech the option to dry structural materials instead of removing them. Of course, demo is still needed on many projects, but taking advantage of opportunities to limit demo reduces employee exposure to hazards. As an additional benefit, limiting demo increases the profitability of mitigation companies.

Proper training and specialty air injection equipment have made our industry safer and more profitable.  For this reason, they stand out as important in our industry.

The most important advancements in tools today are the ones that have made equipment safer for our techs. This is personally important to me. Today, my son is working in the field as a third-generation restorer. I want him and all techs to be able to avoid injury through the advancements in restoration-specific safety training and equipment we can provide today.

Air movers like the new Phoenix Focus 2 Axial are smaller and weigh less than their predecessors. It weighs 15.5 pounds and the previous axial from Phoenix weighed 29.5 pounds! They weigh almost half as much. Dehumidifiers have followed the same trend.

This makes the trucks we drive smaller and more efficient but, more importantly, the equipment provides an immediate safety advantage for our techs. Our techs set thousands of these air movers every year and that weight reduction keeps them safer.  

The restoration industry is growing rapidly. There is plenty of work available if you have trained personnel to care for it. As we move forward, the most successful companies will be the ones that attract, rapidly build competency in and keep great employees. Providing a safety-focused work environment with opportunities for employees to grow professionally will help your company to grow profitably and sustainably.