We would like to welcome and introduce our newest addition, Scott Berndt. Mr. Scott Berndt (CHMM, CEM), a native of Findlay, Ohio and disabled U.S. Army Intelligence Veteran with  over thirty-five years of extensive experience and education as an Environmental Safety and Health, Disaster Management official and NIMS ICS Incident Command Safety Officer. Over the years Scott has successfully managed numerous projects at the National level including U.S. EPA Superfund sites, Hurricanes Katrina/Rita, BP Deepwater Horizon ICS Safety Officer (Florida/Alabama) , Haiti Earthquake response and most recently as the Incident Command Safety Officer (FEMA) over the “Camp” fire response that burned Paradise, California to the ground.
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Mr. Berndt’s expertise encompasses all aspects of safety management including but not limited to; OSHA, NIMS ICS, USCG, MSHA Compliance, U.S. Corp of Engineers (EM385-1-1), Industrial Hygiene, Health Physics (Radiation) and all levels of HAZWOPER. For his service he has received several letters of commendation for on-site safety management from the U.S. Corp of Engineers, U.S. Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) and U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) agencies.

After a successful 10th Annual Play It Forward Toy Drive at the beginning of this year, we are deeply saddened to announce that we have decided not to collect toys this January due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a difficult decision, but we feel that we have a duty to keep our volunteers, general public, and our employees safe and healthy.
 
We know how helpful this cause is for our community, and we encourage you to reach out to your local charities and see if they are accepting gently used toys and what their process is.
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We are optimistic that we will be able to continue this program in some capacity in the future.
 
From Everyone Involved With The Play It Forward Used Toy Drive,
Be Safe, Stay Healthy, and Thank You For Your Continued Support.​

When your house floods, dirty water wreaks havoc on the underlying structure of the house, your personal belongings, and the health of your family. Flood waters contain many contaminants and lots of mud. High dollar items can get ruined all at once, even with just an inch of water. 
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Cleaning up is a long and hard process. After the danger has passed and you are safely in your home with access to clean water and electricity, you need to use your time and energy wisely. Focus on sanitizing and cleaning the heart of your home, the kitchen. 

All porous materials will need to be discarded. You will have to clean and disinfect every hard, sealed surface.

If there is an emergency situation that requires biohazard or trauma cleanup, the two vital factors are experience and quick response. Exposure to any kind of chemical or biological contaminants can pose serious health risks and the failure to remove these hazardous substances can make the environment unhealthy and dangerous.


Our certified team of technicians from Cousino Restoration have the required specialized training, equipment and the experience when tackling biohazardous scenes and removal and disposal of hazardous substances according to the OSHA standards and health regulations. Our expert team is well equipped to assist you in transforming any unsafe environment to clean and safe places.

After you experience fire damage, the last thing you want to do is sift through your belongings to see what has been damaged. However, after hiring a fire damage reconstruction specialist, documenting your damage for an insurance claim is the most important step in the rebuilding process. Here are some tips for you to document your damage. ​

If your house has a basement, a sump pump is a great appliance to prevent against flooding. A pump sump essentially diverts water from the house safely, especially at times when there is a threat of your home getting flooded and the risk of water damage.

If there is sump pump failure, your basement can get flooded and if this occurs, you must act very quickly. Water damage can be a progressive problem and if not handled quickly, can lead to the growth of mold and mildew, structural damage, etc.

Sump pumps are extremely important and help to keep the basement in your home dry. When there are heavy rains, the pump switches on and removes the water away from your home. However, sometimes your sump pump can malfunction and fail, which can cause damage to your home. In this article, we will discuss some of the causes of pump failure and what to do when this happens.