Staff Writer
Paul Davis Restoration launches training center
When Paul Davis Restoration Inc. officials cut the ribbon tomorrow to open the company’s 17,000-square-foot national training center, it should have that new building feel.
It should feel the same way even after the floods, fires and countless classroom sessions that begin there the next several months.
The company, a provider of fire, water and mold damage restoration, provides certification courses from The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a nonprofit that sets standards for the three industries.
The courses, for insurance and industry professionals, include fire and water damage mitigation, structural cleanup, fire and smoke restoration, water damage restoration and odor control and contents cleaning.
“It’s not an old industry, and the technologies and education are rapidly changing,” said Tim Robinson, Paul Davis CFO.
Many people might think most of the company’s work results from catastrophes such as hurricanes and massive flooding, said Robinson. However, the majority of the projects are the result of kitchen fires and pipe bursts.
The Southside facility, at 7251 Salisbury Road, has two large theater-style classrooms that will be used for up to 70 different courses for professionals and potential Paul Davis franchise owners. There also are numerous hands-on stations with vendor-donated equipment to replicate real-life situations.
The training area is an extension of the classroom, featuring stations designed to nullify smoke damage and odors on clothes and household items and also offering an actual charred kitchen to show students the results of a fire.
However, the centerpiece of the facility is the 1,800-square-foot, built-to scale, two-story “flood” home complete with furnishings.
“That’s the ‘play room,’” said a smiling Sonny Bass, Paul Davis director of technical services.
As part of the Applied Structural Training course, it will be studied by students 24 hours before being flooded with 1,800 gallons of water in a controlled environment.
The water will then sit for 24 hours, with no ventilation, to mimic a real-life situation before students return to the home and use equipment to dry the home.
Different building materials, such as stucco, drywall, wood and tile, were constructed specifically to allow students to determine how water affects different building materials.
Science and technology will allow students to dry the home completely without tearing out portions that need to be replaced due to damage, said Bass, and the home should be as good as new.
“It’ll literally be flooded hundreds of times over the next few years,” said Bass, “and with the methods today, we can dry it in as few as three days.”
The facility is part of the company’s growth plan, said Robinson, as the economy hasn’t had a huge effect on the business. Instead, as consumers become knowledgeable of the services, they have turned more to the company to restore items and sections of house they once thought needed to be removed.
Robinson and Bass like to say that Paul Davis has helped people “go green before going green was popular.”
As the industry changes and demand increases, Robinson believes the training center will be a hub of activity.
“The technology and educational aspects related to our industry are continuously evolving,” said Robinson, “and I have no doubt we’ll be full.”
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