Dirty Job: Crime Scene Cleanup in Colorado Springs
Donnie Lamirande, co-founder and co-owner of Rocky Mountain Biohazard, says it is her business's job to clean up crime scenes or infectious messes. The business started five years ago when they wanted to take their careers into their own hands. Meanwhile, Steven Misner, a police officer at the time, asked who cleaned up crime scenes, and he soon became the founder and owner of Crime Tech. "There were bodily fluids all over the place. The coroner picks up the body and leaves the rest," he says. After the initial call, he heads to the scene and provides a cleanup cost estimate. Some jobs can take a couple hours, while others take a dozen hours. Sewer backups, bed bugs, mouse and raccoon feces, mold, homeless camp removal, cleanup of MRSA, C diff, norovirus — the list of dirty jobs and worst-case scenarios is never-ending. Lamirande says, "We think of it as a service, not as a job. We don't want them to clean up themselves. It's not as easy as you think and it's traumatizing." Homeowners insurance often covers the costs, but renters insurance does not unless there's a specific endorsement. Sometimes the apartment complex will cover the cost, but there also are victims compensation assistance, discount programs, payment plans, and aftermath financial assistance, if eligibility requirements are met.