Crime & Trauma Scene Cleanup

How many times have we been tasked with removing blood from concrete?  Just like oil and water, the two will never be happy with each other.  We steam and wipe, we lay down absorbant material, we steam and wipe . . . over and over again.  Finally, we lay a barrier and call it a day.  But wait, days later, as the humidity fluctuates, the blood has worked its way up through the porous concrete, through our finely laid barrier, ever so quietly painting the surface pink.  The blood of a brother, sister, mother, father or other loved one has risen as a gruesome reminder of tragedy not soon forgotten. 

As technicians in the Crime & Trauma Scene Cleanup Industry, we often find ourselves wearing several different hats.  Equally important to our job of removing blood & bodily fluids, is the job of comforting the family and friends of deceased loved ones.  Through our words and gestures, a degree of comfort can be conveyed.  Yet I have to believe much of what we do on scene is in vain when the job is left incomplete.  Although I’ve used the removal of blood from concrete as an example, there may be many other aspects of our job that we fail to accomplish or to finish properly. 

Please feel free to comment on this post.  I’m curious as to the mistakes others have made and what we can do as professionals to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.