Multidisciplinary Remediation

30 Forensic Engineering, Canada’s leading and fully-independent multi-disciplinary forensics firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jeff Reitsma, MBA, PMP, P.Eng. to Principal of the Remediation Group.

In his role as Principal for the Remediation group, Jeff will continue to provide leadership to multidisciplinary engineering teams and manage both small-scale forensic investigations and large-scale remediation projects. Over the past 5 years at 30 Forensic Engineering, Jeff’s commitment to collaboration, mentorship and project management best practices has allowed him to continually build highly-effective project teams and deliver innovative solutions for our valued clients. Jeff also plays a vital role as a senior member of the firms Leadership Team.

Jeff Reitsma is a professional engineer and project manager with over 15 years of experience in the engineering consulting and construction industries. Jeff specializes in project management of multidisciplinary complex loss investigations and reconstruction projects and has led teams for some of the biggest firms in Canada. He has overseen municipal capital infrastructure projects from conception to completion and designed and directed environmental assessment works involving indoor air quality, chemical engineering, mould, asbestos, smoke and soot and fire and flood impact mapping.

“Jeff wears the 30 brand with pride and passion, consistently demonstrating a commitment to the firm and his team, and giving of himself to ensure the success of both. One of Jeff ’s greatest strengths is his desire to move the firm forward in non-traditional areas, evidenced by his growth of our expertise in remediation, as well as infrastructure. Please join us in congratulating Jeff on his well-deserved promotion to Principal.” stated Dr. Rob Parkinson, Principal, Biomechanics & Personal Injury Group.

As the current state of emergency in British Columbia continues, more than 3,200 square kilometers of land have been scorched, 40,000+ people have been forced from their homes, and hundreds of wildfires still continue to burn in B.C.’s interior, many of which are a direct threat to local communities. The effects of such a catastrophe are unprecedented in Canada. In addition to the rapid mobilization of Canada’s P&C insurance industry, there are over 3,500 firefighters and additional personnel battling the blazes with auxiliary support from 375 members of the military.

30 Forensic Engineering are deploying environmental staff in this early phase, to assess the extent of fire impacts for a variety of commercial and residential clients to set the stage for proper and safe restoration & re-occupation of the Town of Williams Lake as the evacuation orders are lifted and life seeks to return to normal.  “At 30 Forensic Engineering, we frequently encounter properties which have been subjected to serious emergency events and by taking a thorough yet efficient assessment in a timely manner, we can help to provide significant peace of mind to our insurance-industry clients and more importantly, the home- and business-owners whom they serve.  Ultimately we’re committed to a safe and speedy recovery from these wildfires and are looking forward to helping” states Jeff Reitsma P.Eng, and Practice Lead, Multi-disciplinary Remediation.

In response to this catastrophic wildfire event, 30 Forensic Engineering will be on the ground in Williams Lake and are able to provide an array of assessment and remediation services for our insurance industry partners, across the health & safety, environmental, structural, electrical and mechanical teams.

Collection of online resources dedicated to the
British Columbia wildfire emergency:

BC Wildfire Service – All Current Wildfires
BC Wildfire Service – MAP Active Wildfires
BC Wildfire Service – Latest Wildfire Statistics
BC Wildfire Contact Information
Current Wildfire Situation
Preparing for a Potential Evacuation
What to do if Evacuated from your Home
Donate to the British Columbia Fire Appeal

Additional wildfire resources available from:

Insurance Bureau of Canada
Canadian Red Cross
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Government of British Columbia
Emergency Info BC
Drive BC
Air Quality BC

Emergency Preparedness Week is organized by Public Safety Canada and takes place each year in May. This year, the event was rolled-out nationally May 7^th – 13^th, with the aim of helping Canadians safeguard themselves during an emergency situation.

The event also presents an ideal opportunity to identify whether your organization is prepared for an emergency. With the heavy rainfall we’ve already seen early in May in southern Ontario, floods are a particular concern for owners and managers of small apartments through to large commercial and industrial facilities. “At 30 Forensic Engineering, we frequently encounter properties which have been subjected to serious emergency events—I would suggest looking for ways to prevent, mitigate and reinstate the damages from an emergency event, and always look to be prepared, so that you can manage an emergency situation safely and calmly,” states Jeff Reitsma P.Eng, and Practice Lead, Remediation.

Some practices to consider:

• Identify procedures and key support persons, including 24/7 contact numbers for your insurance representative, after-hours emergency response contractors and operation-critical vendors.

• Include audits of emergency response actions such as shut-downs, testing of back-up power, flow-testing drains, and exercising of shut-off valves as part of scheduled preventative maintenance activities.

• Actively manage designated substances such as asbestos, silica, PCBs and lead and maintain inventories of said materials in accordance with applicable regulations; this information should be shared with emergency responders to make every reasonable effort to notify those workers of health & safety and environmental hazards.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date drawings or CAD models, especially of infrastructure-critical elements such as electrical single-line diagrams and plumbing riser & valve schedules, to identify critical isolation and shut-off points and to direct emergency responders.

• Clear and consistent labelling of piping and valves, cables, conduits, panels and junction boxes will save precious time when tracing leaks and confirming isolation of systems in an emergency.

• Ensure all construction and renovations are done to code by qualified contractors; proper fire-stopping of floor slab penetrations for instance can minimize the spread of smoke & soot damage during a fire, and also prevent water from travelling from floor-to-floor via ceilings and within wall assemblies.

Incorporate resiliency into design selections where possible:

• Bolt- or screw-on finishes can be more easily removed than glued- or cemented-on finishes facilitate drying or replacement.

• Water permeable materials in layers should be avoided in leak-prone areas – hardwood flooring with foam underlayment as an example is difficult to dry in place in a timely manner.

• Permeable walk- and drive-way finishes and green roofs can help to minimize surface run-off in and around properties.

• Make allowance for flooding in risky areas and provide robust drains, housekeeping pads or pedestals for sensitive equipment, while keeping overhead areas in such locations free to allow use of lifting devices to facilitate replacement.

Make use of the extensive emergency preparedness resources available on-line, including excellent check-lists, tips and guides:

Insurance Bureau of Canada

Government of Canada

Canadian Red Cross

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Restoration Contractors Organization of Canada (RCOC)

It is essentially impossible to effectively plan for all potential emergency situations, but effective and targeted preparation can result in significant reductions to the likelihood and impact of an emergency situation on your property – “Plan. Prepare. Be Aware”!

As outlined by Public Safety Canada “Get Prepared” program, here are additional on-line resources as to what’s occurring across Canada:

Alberta
Alberta Emergency Management Agency

British Columbia
Emergency Management BC

Manitoba
Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization

New Brunswick
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization

Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Fire and Emergency Services

Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories Emergency Management Organization

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office

Nunavut
Nunavut Emergency Management

Ontario
Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management

Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island Emergency Measures Organization

Quebec
Quebec – Ministère de la sécurité publique

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Emergency Management Organization

Yukon
Yukon Emergency Measures Organization

30 Forensic Engineering, Canada’s leading and fully-independent multi-disciplinary forensics firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Ciasnocha, B.A.Sc., as Senior Associate within the Remediation group.

Chris joins the firm with 10 years of experience in managing environmental projects relating to industrial hygiene, designated substances (including asbestos and PCB abatement), gas station and fuel storage decommissioning and associated permitting and reporting, throughout Ontario, Québec and the Maritime provinces for both public and private clients. At 30 Forensic Engineering, Chris will lead multidisciplinary environmental, health and safety projects.

Chris brings a robust health & safety background to the firm, including interpreting legislation, developing access and remediation protocols in complex industrial and construction settings, addressing government issued compliance orders, pre-start health & safety reviews, designated substance management programs, and providing training for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), asbestos & mould awareness, and confined spaces among other topics. Chris received his Chemical & Environmental Engineering degree at the University of Ottawa and is fluent in both official languages.

“I am personally thrilled to welcome Chris to the team and look forward to him reinforcing our existing depth while increasing our team’s technical portfolio.” stated Jeff Reitsma, Practice Lead, Remediation.