Cleaning firm revamps crime scenes, meth houses

Loretta and Wesley Burgin, of Ava, started D&S Crime Scene Decontamination April 1 to handle that job.

“What we actually do is we go in and clean up after crime scenes,” said Loretta Burgin. “We go in and clean up after homicides, suicides, decomposition, as well as industrial accidents, car accidents, meth houses and mold.”

The couple also takes on what Loretta Burgin calls “filth houses,” homes where a resident has allowed trash, clutter, food, animal waste, etc. to reach what most people would consider unlivable levels.

The Burgins traveled to Irving, Texas, to study their craft with Amdecon, www.amdecon.com, a company that specializes in crime and trauma scene cleanup and decontamination.

There they received instruction on Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards for bloodborne and airborne pathogens, respiratory protection and hazard communication as well as business training, hands-on training in cleanup techniques, and certification testing.

The Burgins’ business is based in their Ava farmhouse, but they are willing to travel up to 150 miles to provide cleaning services.

Focus on trauma, crime

While there are cleaning companies in the area that will clean up after a suicide or criminal violence, D&S is unusual in that it specializes in this kind of service.

Law enforcement comes into a death scene to document and remove evidence, but the remaining mess – including blood and body fluids – is the property owner’s problem.

And cleaning up after violence, suicide or even a natural death that goes undiscovered for days or weeks can be traumatic for family and physically dangerous in terms of hepatitis, HIV and bacteria.

The Burgins take all necessary precautions, from gloves and respirators to bodysuits and booties.

One service the Burgins offer that is important to them personally is cleaning up former meth houses.

“The Ozarks has something that no other place has. And these people that are cooking meth in these houses ... they’re taking that away from us,” Loretta Burgin said.

She wants to make sure that the hazard created by meth manufacturing is eliminated after the bust so the home can again become safe for families.

“Meth houses, you can’t go in and just wipe the walls down and go, ‘OK, it’s clean,’” she said. “It goes into the ceilings, the walls, the floors, it goes through your ductwork, it’s in your air conditioning, even if they only cook in one room.”

D&S isn’t a hazardous waste contractor and doesn’t handle the meth labs themselves, but it can go into properties where labs have been and decontaminate the premises.

The company charges $500 to clean a meth house. Other crime scene cleanups are charged at $100 per hour per technician. Other charges vary depending on the job.

Meth issues

A frustration that the Burgins have faced in starting their business is the lack of state regulations regarding meth cleanup and a lack of standards for what constitutes a “safe” level of contamination. The Burgins shoot for 99.9 percent clean.

“We’re not going to say we can do 100 percent,” said Wesley Burgin, “but (after thorough cleaning) we can put a sealant on there – it’s a high-dollar sealant – and it will keep it from coming back.”

The Department of Health and Senior Services offers basic cleaning guidelines for meth contamination, but Springfield-Greene County Health Department is taking a leadership role in trying to improve on them.

“I have been in contact with DHSS and also a person from (the Department of Natural Resources) and we are going to proceed on a coordinated effort to try to clarify some of the cleanup guidelines, make sure they’re appropriate, and also do some testing to establish some baselines on what would constitute a house that isn’t sufficiently clean,” said Ron Boyer, assistant director of health for Springfield-Greene County.

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