I recently had the opportunity to spend several days at the offices of KCI, the administrative arm of the IICRC. Tom Hill, the IICRC’s executive administrator, set me up with a desk and a phone line so that I could work on IICRC business whilst there.

One of the best parts of this visit was meeting and talking to the staff of KCI, many of whom I have known for some time. It is one of those places that you really want to be: everyone is most helpful and knowledgeable, and they all enjoy their work.

I listened to them talking to registrants and assisting them with their questions; of course, this is all part of their job. However, as president it is important to me that I hear and see for myself that the day-to-day running of IICRC is going smoothly, and I can assure you it is. I watched the process of what happens to the exams, from when they arrive at IICRC headquarters right through to the certificate and card being produced. You may think that doesn’t sound very interesting; however, I felt it important to understand the many processes that take place to ensure that our registrants and instructors efforts are well catered for.

Of course KCI does a lot more than process exams, certified firms and registrants. Among other things, there are more than 140 instructors worldwide, offices in Great Britain, Australia and Japan, and a board of directors to look after.

From there, I visited with Larry Cooper, the IICRC standards consultant, in Phoenix where he was running the latest S520 workshop; this one was being carried out at a supplier’s facility where 34 attendees were introduced to the new IICRC S520 ANSI standard. The principals are always AMRT instructors: Jim Holland (IICRC standards chair) and Rachel Adams (AMRT TAC chair) were the two main presenters, with Cooper providing support.

I sat at the back of the classroom and was entertained by not just an explanation of the document, but by an education on the subject of mold and how to deal with it. While it was only an 8-hour course, there was as much information provided as possible, with as much passion for the subject as anyone could muster. Attendees were enthusiastic and, I believe, everyone went home quite satisfied. The hosts made sure everyone was looked after from the minute they got there, and at lunchtime we were introduced to a BBQ which was enjoyed by all.

While I was away, my home suffered a burst pipe. The damage was limited to my office, so I had my own water restoration to deal with. The biggest part of the loss is my rug book collection. It’s funny: over the years I have dealt with many clients’ water losses, and you just get on with it, sympathizing as necessary and so on. When it is your own, it seems everyone is against you: the insurance company, loss adjuster and the remodelers. It’s funny being on the other side. At least now I am more aware of how to deal with mold, should it materialize. Of course if the area is dried properly there won’t be any mold, will there?