Important IICRC Certifications for Water Damage Mitigation
Important IICRC Certifications for Water Damage Mitigation
Meet Ed
Instructor Ed Jones has over 30 years of experience in theindustry, has the title of MasterWater Restorer, is an Institute ofInspection Cleaning andRestoration Certification (IICRC)-approved instructor, and hasserved on the S500-2021consensus body committee todevelop the most recent standard.
The IICRC currently has a Master Water Restorer program that requires technicians to have active certifications in Water Damage Restoration (WRT), Applied Structural Drying (ASD) and Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (AMRT). Those 3 certifications get you halfway to being considered a Master Water Restorer and in today’s industry that gives you much more credibility than the average technician. Add the IICRC CCT (carpet cleaning certification), the RRT (repair & reinstallation certification) and the HST (health & safety certification) along with 3 years of experience and you qualify to become a Master Water Restorer.
Over a year ago Accuserve raised the bar for entry to earn water damage claim referrals by requiring the IICRC certified firm to not only have WRT certified technicians but also have someone with the ASD certification. It won’t be long before the bar rises again and if you want to be considered at the top of your industry you need to get to work now to obtain your Master Water Restorer designation.
Even if you don’t perform a lot of mold remediation you still need the AMRT certification because it teaches you not only how to remediate mold, but how to mitigate categories 2 & 3 water.
Insurance carriers and third-party administrators (TPAs) are more knowledgeable about the industry standards and certifications and if your company is competing for business in vendor programs you MUST have at least the WRT, ASD & AMRT to be considered a professional in today’s water mitigation industry.
The ASD certification is the only certification that requires you to dry out a home in person while earning your certification. If we are going to stop the epidemic of “unnecessary demolition” it starts with educating our technicians on how and when to dry materials in-place, when possible, and in accordance with industry standards.
The AMRT continues to be the leading mold remediation certification in the industry. Some states have already added the IICRC AMRT as a certification requirement to perform mold remediation (most recent are Illinois & Virginia).
Knowledge is power and you need to be a serious student of water and mold if you plan on succeeding in this industry.
