First Onsite Pensacola Expands Biohazard Response Capabilities

Team equipped for crime scene, trauma, infectious disease and illicit drug cleanup in Florida Panhandle, as well as Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana

/EIN News/ -- PENSACOLA, Fla., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Onsite Property Restoration (First Onsite), one of North America’s largest disaster recovery and restoration providers for commercial enterprises, today announced a major expansion of its biohazard response capabilities. Rob Bonham, General Manager of the Pensacola branch, has earned the Certified Bio Recovery Technician (CBRT) designation from the American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA).

With these credentials, Rob and the Pensacola team have increased their capabilities to handle highly specialized biohazard remediation, including crime scene cleanup, trauma response, infectious disease mitigation, and hazardous substance removal. This enhanced capability will serve clients across the Florida Panhandle (Northwest Florida), as well as parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana.

First Onsite’s Environmental And Bio Recovery Teams are equipped to manage risks, mitigate threats, and restore properties from biological hazards that endanger people and animals. These include medical waste, bloodborne pathogens, biological toxins, sharps and needles, trauma scenes, and controlled substances.

Understanding Biohazard Response
When first responders or health officials complete their work, property owners are often left to manage hazardous and emotionally challenging scenes. Whether dealing with a crime, trauma, suicide, or infectious disease outbreak, proper biohazard cleanup is critical. Without certified remediation and strict protocols, these sites can present ongoing health, safety, and even legal risks.

Why Specialized Teams Are Crucial for Bio Recovery
The risks tied to biohazard cleanup—especially in cases involving substances like fentanyl—require specialized training and equipment. Untrained personnel face potentially life-threatening exposure.

“We’ve seen tragic cases where other teams, without proper equipment or training, were tasked with cleaning contaminated areas, resulting in accidental exposures and fatalities,” said Rob Bonham, General Manager of First Onsite’s Pensacola branch. “These outcomes are devastating reminders that only certified professionals should handle hazardous environments to ensure everyone’s safety.”

With this milestone, Pensacola becomes the third First Onsite branch with CBRT certification, joining Monroe, New Jersey, and San Antonio, Texas. Across these branches, First Onsite now has nine ABRA Certified Technicians and plans to further grow its biohazard response capabilities.

“First Onsite is committed to providing its customers with professional, compassionate, and ethical biohazard response services,” added Tom Licker, SVP of Regulatory Business Practice at First Onsite. “As we expand our expertise, we will continue adding certified technicians and branch locations to the ABRA resource network.”

As demand for specialized biohazard remediation services increases, First Onsite is making significant investments in expanding, training, and certifying its workforce—ensuring customers receive industry-leading care backed by trusted expertise.

About First Onsite: North America’s Trusted Leader in Property Restoration
First Onsite Property Restoration is one of the largest and fastest-growing emergency response planning, mitigation, and reconstruction service providers in North America. First Onsite employs over 2,500 team members and operates from more than 100 locations across Canada and the U.S. With a culture focused on harnessing the human power of its team members and a commitment to doing what’s right, the First Onsite team helps clients restore, rebuild, and rise. First Onsite is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation. For more information, go to firstonsite.ca or follow @firstonsite on LinkedIn.

Press Contact:  
Julia Koichopolos
MAVERICK Public Relations 
M 416-938-2882
julia@wearemaverick.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/160363bf-5c28-4bb3-8296-a60d26c3a352