Dirty Work Done Well

Rick Beckrich

Aaron Ruslander does the jobs no one else wants to do – the really dirty jobs. The Huntingtown resident is the owner, along with his wife Renee, of Chesapeake Crime Cleaners, the area’s only provider of trauma, death and crime scene cleaning services – in Ruslander’s words, “...technically, a biohazardous removal and remediation company.

“Chesapeake Crime Cleaners is our four-year-old company that adheres to all state and federal guidelines,” the Ruslanders told us. “We are both licensed, bonded and insured. Our trained technicians are certified in handling bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials and biohazardous waste.

“In most cases our services are covered under your insurance (commercial, homeowners or automobile) and we work directly with your insurance company to abate the situation,” Aaron explained. “If needed, we have a network of certified contractors to complete all restoration needs.

“Our services range from handling the unpleasant, like removing dead animals, to the extremely traumatic, like cleaning up after a suicide, a homicide or an accidental death.

Unfortunately these types of incidents do happen. Blood and the other body fluids that remain can carry many infectious diseases and are hazardous. Public safety officials recommend the use of trained professionals to ensure your well-being.

“Chesapeake Crime Cleaners also handles the cleanup of work place accidents.” Aaron explained that federal regulations [29CRF1910.1030] are very specific in who is qualified to clean up blood-contaminated areas, and may impose severe penalties [OSHA fines ranging from $7,000-to-$70,000] on employers who place themselves, their families, employees and customers at a health risk.

“We perform all manner of unpleasant tasks,” Renee Ruslander said. “A lot of it involves odor removal – foul odors, animal odors, and the odors associated with feces, vomit, body fluids and decomposition. All residues are securely packaged, labeled as biohazard material, and delivered to a certified medical waste disposal firm.”

Renee, a lifelong Calvert resident, explained that most of the people in their families were involved in either police work or firefighting. She was a volunteer firefighter herself, “before motherhood interrupted.”

“Aaron is the deputy chief of the Benedict Volunteer Fire Department, where he’s served for more than 15 years, and we’re both qualified and certified bio-recovery technicians. He uses that well-marked trailer [with Chesapeake Crime Cleaners signs prominently displayed] as an advertising tool, but we also have a variety of unmarked vehicles for discreet service. We emphasize confidentiality.

“Our technicians are all certified in bio-recovery, including bloodborne pathogen (BBP) training and are completely equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) like biohazard blue suits, face shields and respirators. All of our techs have had extensive training as police officers, firemen or EMS specialists,” added Renee.

“Not many people realize it, but we also clean up uninhabitable properties – such as you sometimes see in foreclosures or evictions – and we also handle the cleanup and decontamination of vehicles. Not as traumatic, but equally difficult, and sometimes, really nasty. ”

“We offer 24-hour confidential service, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year,” Aaron continued. “Our motto has always been, ‘We clean up the unexpected’ and obviously, there’s no way to know when the unexpected will occur. Days, nights, weekends – our rates stay the same – no premium fees or overtime charges.

“Chesapeake Crime Cleaners services private residences, commercial properties, apartments, condominiums, motels, hotels, automobiles, RVs, watercraft, and aircraft in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.” Aaron smiled and added, “Like they say – it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.”