Students enhance disaster restoration curriculum with certification

Six building construction management majors completed an extra certification this fall as part of the disaster restoration and reconstruction management program (DRRM). The three-day water damage restoration technician (WRT) training took place at Hydro Lab in Cicero, Ind.

The experience included frequent discussions about the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy because of the amount of water damage it caused along the Atlantic Coast.

“The main issue for disaster restoration there is water extraction. It’s crucial, especially with salt water,” said Scott Notary, a BCM senior from Lafayette, Ind., who completed the training. “You need to get the water out first.”

In fact, because of Sandy, all of Hydro Lab’s equipment had been shipped to the east coast to help with clean up, so it was unavailable for the technician course. Even without the clean-up equipment, the students learned about the tools of the trade and basic standards for extraction, containment and mold procedures.

Notary was excited to know that a majority of what they learned at the certification was already covered in his DRRM classes. The training offered some complementary hands-on activities with sensors and taking readings in a water-damaged environment.

The certification is just part of a bigger curriculum focused on clean-up and rebuilding.

“There’s lot of opportunity,” Notary said. “The restoration companies need a lot of managers to manage these projects. They want people with a college degree to help rebuild or gut a home.”

The Purdue student chapter of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) helped pay for the training fees.