It was a hot August morning. The sun had just begun to rise by the time we arrived at the small, one-way street in Philadelphia. We were here to decontaminate and clean out the property of a recently exposed animal hoarder.

Police officers work in a hostile environment. Danger lurks with every car stop and around every corner. Every modern police department issues its officers bullet-resistant vests to help keep them safe. Departments are very good at being proactive with immediate dangers.

Most of us working in the disaster restoration industry switch to an objective, business-minded way of thinking when tragedy strikes, and we empathize with the victims of fire, flood, or other disaster. But what happens when the victim is you?