Emergency services

CRDN describes itself as a first responder in the aftermath of a disaster/loss, quickly on site anywhere in the UK, to inspect and triage textile damage, while offering reassurance and practical assistance to insurance policyholders. Where customers have suffered a total loss, for example in a severe flood or fire, CRDN offers a quick turnaround service for essential items such as work/school wear – where it can quickly restore items and return them so customers can get on with their lives. This also means that insurers don’t have to pay out for new items.

Chris Turner, CRDN account manager, tells LCN: “Our technical expertise in textile restoration across the globe is without peer, and we twin this operational knowhow with rigorous corporate compliance. CRDN works with best-in-region dry-cleaning specialists, and provide these players with everything they need to know about textile restoration, and working compliantly with FCA-regulated insurance customers.”

To accomplish its recovery programme, CRDN has the full range of textile restoration machinery in each of its locations, including drycleaning and wetcleaning kit. “We ensure that the correct and best method is used for any one piece, following manufacturers’ guidelines, with some specialist restoration techniques added from our experience, for delicate and valuable pieces such as silks and leathers,” says Turner.

“CRDN’s rigorous quality control system, is the final part of a consistent inventory and tagging system, ensuring that textiles items are restored to pre-incident condition, and this is an important differentiation where insurance is concerned.

“We have the techniques and experience to restore all manner of textile and fabric items, including hazardous/ medical items, using the appropriate care and attention.” For example, says Turner, there was a black water escape in an Oxfordshire family home. CRDN was on site within 24 hours. Five hundred and thirty nine pieces of Indian silk wear was collected and validated and 536 pieces successfully restored and returned to the customer within 21 days. That job saved £25,000 on like-for-like replacement and the customer was delighted with the results.

In another example, this time in a commercial environment, a wedding dress shop, in the home counties, had an escape of water from and upstairs apartment and 134 dresses were damaged.

CRDN was on site within 24 hours and had a 97% restoration success, with items back to the customer within 14 days offering a £150,000 saving on replacement and business interruption. To the delight of both customer and insurer.

“We ensure that customers, policyholders, feel looked after at every point of their journey with CRDN, from booking in a visit that suits the customers’ schedule, to clearly explaining the restoration process on site (including making a Covid-19 distancing plan ahead of attendance). This extends to to ensuring we know which items are of sentimental value, whether the customer has any specific wishes or allergies, and ensuring all items are inspected and if necessary re-sited on our return visit,” says Turner.

SOFTENER THAT IS TOUGH ON STRONG ODOURS

To eliminate unpleasant odours in special care fabrics, Cole and Wilson, the laundry, dry- and wetcleaning divison of Christeyns added to its wetcleaning portfolio a new and environmentally-friendly softener, named Pro-Fit Fusion, which has only just become available in the UK. This softener features extraordinary malodour capturing properties and traps odours such as smoke, sweat and humidity, leaving a long lasting tropical aroma. Therefore, Pro-Fit Fusion can perfectly be used for softening non-delicate textiles where elimination of unpleasant odours is required, especially after drying.

Pauline Debaisieux, operations manager for C&W in America-Europe-Morocco explains that besides personal clothing, carpets can also benefit from Pro-Fit Fusion, as they can contain lingering odours of r smoke. In particular a smoke smell can be persistent after a home fire, as it clings to soft fabrics such as carpets, upholstery and drapery. Thanks to the microencapsulated fragrances of Pro-Fit Fusion, smoke molecules are trapped and replaced with a long lasting sweet tropical perfume.

With Pro-Fit Fusion, Cole and Wilson, now has two softeners in its wetcleaning portfolio. Both softeners contain microencapsulated fragrances, from which the end user can benefit greatly. Whereas Pro-Fit Everfresh releases notes of flowers, Pro-Fusion is characterised by a scent that combines sweet coconut with exotic island fruits.

FIREFIGHTERS PPE TAKEN CARE OF

The Girbau ExpressDry® gear dryer offers a user-friendly touch-screen control; optional heated- or ambient air flow; up to 24 component ports for gloves, boots and facemasks; up to eight component ports for drying helmets; four, six or eight drying stations; and a removable blower for drying pumper truck ports. NFPA 1851 compliant, it safely dries bunker gear and accessories according to FEMA recommendations. The Girbau ExpressDry Gear Dryer comes standard with four to eight stickmen drying stations, a timer for automatic shut off, durable steel tube and diamond plate deck construction, roller castors for ease of movement, up to 24 utility drying ports, quick-attach removable blower and a noise reduction package. Boasting an operational life span of 87,000 hours, they are backed by a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty.

When the dryer is combined with a Girbau HS6 Washer, fire departments can feel secure knowing gear is properly washed and dried. The HS6 washer can be programmed according to NFPA guidelines to properly and safely clean soiled protective gear. By properly washing gear, firefighters are better protected from fire contaminants and costly gear lasts longer. Using the ExpressDry Gear Dryer, gear can then be properly and quickly dried—returning it to service sooner without material damage.

Also, Girbau’s Disinfection Monitoring Package (DMP) monitors and verifies that disinfection and/or NFPA 1851 gear-cleaning protocols are met during the wash cycle. Available as a module on Girbau HS6 Washers, the DMP integrates with Girbau’s Sapphire remote management software to show, in real-time, the evolution of machine wash cycles with details of temperature, water levels and cycle phases.

Meanwhile, Ideal Manufacturing has two products, which, according to managing director Phillip Kalli, will deal effectively with cleaning firefighters’ PPE. “We have a recovery process for PPE - although it’s important to pay attention to the reflective strips. We have a standard recovery process using the following products that would work a treat.” Phoenix Clean (Pc) is a powerful concentrated detergent liquid for heavy commercial and industrial soiling. which is extremely economical in use and reinstates condemned linen. Phoenix Ion (Pi) is an organic sequesterant blend for reclamation work. Use as part of the Ideal First Aid Kit recovery process. This product also clears the way for Pheonix Clean to penetrate deeply ingrained staining.