A Markham family called our 24/7 line at 11pm Saturday. A relative had passed suddenly in a townhouse near Steeles and Kennedy. The family had been with first responders through the evening, and the officer in charge had given them our number before leaving. The family needed a crew who could begin before Monday so they could handle funeral arrangements and the house without the trauma scene being present.
The Situation
The family needed the affected area cleaned, documented and returned to a condition they could enter without re-trauma. The townhouse was in a tight attached-home community where neighbours would notice unmarked activity. Discretion mattered - the family had not told extended relatives yet and wanted work completed before the funeral home visit the following Thursday.
We dispatched a four-person crew Sunday morning in unmarked white vans. Family stayed with relatives during the two days of work. The crew lead sent dated progress photos at the end of each day and coordinated the Thursday walkthrough with the family’s funeral director.
The Scope
Scope landed at $6,500 to $12,000 for a Markham trauma scene of this material load. Final invoice came in at $9,200, direct-billed to the insurer. Trauma Category 3. Service type: trauma scene cleanup, biohazard remediation under OSHA 1910.1030, porous material removal, hospital-grade disinfection, ATP verification, licensed carrier manifested disposal.
Timeline: 2 days on site, with the family walkthrough on day three.
The Process
- Day 1 - Containment, documentation, primary cleanup. HEPA negative-air set at the room door. Dated photos of the scene before anything was touched. Porous material affected by biohazard removed, sealed, double-bagged for licensed carrier.
- Day 2 - Disinfection and verification. Sodium hypochlorite at 0.5% on all hard surfaces, dwelled, wiped. Quaternary ammonium disinfection cycle. ATP surface verification on every square foot that had been in contact with biohazard.
- Day 3 - Handoff. Family walkthrough by appointment, after HEPA cycling completed overnight. Documentation package delivered to the insurer within 24 hours.
Written workmanship warranty, WSIB registered, $2M CGL, IICRC S540 certified, OSHA 1910.1030 trained. Licensed biohazard carrier.
The Outcome
Family entered the home on Thursday for the first time since Saturday. The affected room was clear, the air was clean, and the walkthrough went for 15 minutes without emotional overload. The insurer approved the direct-bill submission within 48 hours. The funeral home used the townhouse for a reception the following weekend. The family passed our contact to their estate lawyer, who has referred two additional trauma-scene jobs since.
Trauma scene calls are rarely about scope or volume. They are about getting the family back into a space that no longer carries the memory of what happened. The ATP verification step matters because it proves - not just visually, but numerically - that the space is clean.
