FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dayton Firm Affiliated with Hurricane Response Effort
(Dayton, OH, September 16, 2004) - Disaster Kleenup International, Inc., North America's leading network of quality, independent damage restoration contractors, has responded in force to the significant emergency response challenges created by Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Francis and now Hurricane Ivan. A. E. Fickert, Inc., Dayton's oldest and leading damage restoration firm, is one of the newest members of Disaster Kleenup International.
When Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Francis landed in southwestern Florida and cut a path of devastation across the state, Disaster Kleenup International swung into immediate action in a manner that only it can. Now as Hurricane Ivan rolls through Alabama DKI is responding quickly again.
In Alabama the DKI firms closest to the storm's impact are moving into action removing debris, pumping out water, drying out buildings, and mitigating damage at dozens of structures, just like the DKI companies closest to the Florida storms' impact did just a short time ago. Meanwhile, DKI contractors from around the country have been mobilizing resources to travel to Alabama and Florida with equipment and staff to lend a helping hand.
DKI already has 18 companies physically in Florida, as well as its own corporate staff, to assist in the massive cleanup efforts and allow residents and businesses to return to their homes and office buildings as quickly as humanly possible. Other DKI companies have sent equipment to aid their peers. DKI's presence currently consists of over 20,000 pieces of portable restoration and drying equipment moved by a fleet of over 100 vehicles, and it now has over 800 people on the ground in multiple affected areas. Similar efforts will be focused on Alabama from additional DKI firms to cleanup after Hurricane Ivan.
All across the country, mini-disasters occur to structural property every day. A sump pump fails and causes a basement to flood, a wind storm damages a roof, a faulty wire causes a fire, or a car knocks over a fence. These, and other incidents like them, are handled by thousands of specialty contractors like A. E. Fickert, Inc. who are specifically trained to respond to these types of emergencies. These specialty contractors are the core of what is known as the property restoration industry.
If Dayton is ever hit by a similar catastrophe, such as a tornado, the Dayton community, with A. E. Fickert, Inc. leading the effort, would receive a similar response from DKI member firms. "Our affiliation with DKI allows us to expand our scope of services to respond to significant disasters with resources unmatched by any other firm in the area" said Mike Bacevich, President of A. E. Fickert, Inc. He added "we are pleased that our company has met DKI's high standards for membership and is affiliated with the elite damage restoration firms in the nation."
Disaster Kleenup International was created 30 years ago to bring together the most accomplished independent contractors across North America to share resources, ideas, and strategies with one another in order to provide a higher level of service to the market. While the primary beneficiaries of this enhanced level of service are usually the property owners in the individual contractor's market, every few years a significantly large storm hits the U.S. mainland with such force that the impact of this group reaches a very different level.
The coordinated efforts of DKI members from around the country to assist communities devastated by storms and other disasters on a large scale has been a hallmark of DKI's business for many years. Its effort around the current hurricanes' aftermath runs parallel to the company's response to Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo, the frequent Southern California wildfires, the 9/11 cleanup in New York, tornados throughout the Mid-West and other natural and man-made catastrophes which are too large for the affected market to handle with their own finite resources.
"One of the core reasons that our professionals entered the property restoration business is because of an overwhelming need to help people in times of distress," said Dale Sailer, president of Disaster Kleenup International. "So while I am not at all surprised by the response of our organization, I am nonetheless immensely gratified to see that our member companies have once again risen to the occasion in helping these communities work through the rebuilding process, as well as assist their fellow contractors when they need an extra hand."
It is expected that the efforts of DKI and its affiliated companies will continue in Florida and Alabama for several months.
About DKI
Disaster Kleenup International, Inc., headquartered in Bensenville, IL, is a network of the leading, independent property damage restoration contractors across North America. DKI member companies provide full service to their customers: emergency response, water damage abatement, mold remediation, complete reconstruction and much more 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, returning damaged property to pre-loss condition fast and efficiently, delivering complete satisfaction to their consumer, insurance, and corporate customers. Its parent company, DKI Services Corporation, provides property loss management programs for property owners and managers, risk managers, and insurers throughout the United States. For more information about DKI, visit our website at www.disasterkleenup.com or contact Stacy Walsh at 630-350-3000.
About A. E. Fickert, Inc.
A. E. Fickert, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, established in 1951, is a full service restoration company capable of handling any size or type of property claim. They provide emergency response, water damage abatement, mold remediation, complete reconstruction, and much more, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year to return damaged property quickly and efficiently to pre-loss condition. For more information about A. E. Fickert, Inc., contact Mike Bacevich at 937-299-5531.
Contact:
Disaster Kleenup International Inc.,
Stacy Walsh, 630-350-3000
A. E. Fickert, Inc.
Mike Bacevich, 937-299-5531