ANSI/IICRC S700 Standard for Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration offers guidance after a fire

January 15, 2025 – The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has announced the publication of a new American National Standard: ANSI/IICRC S700: Standard for Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration. This standard describes the principles, processes, and procedures for assessing the presence, intensity of impact, and boundaries of fire residues and odors affecting a building, building systems (e.g., heating, ventilation and air-conditioning [HVAC]), and contents after a fire event. The fire event can occur within the building, an adjoining building(s), or building(s) in the vicinity impacted by an external or internal fire, other than wildfires.

Standard S700 also describes the practical principles, methods, and processes including equipment, tools, and materials, for the restoration cleaning, and fire odor management of buildings and contents. This standard also addresses contractor qualifications, administrative requirements, procedures, development of the Restoration Work Plan (RWP), documentation of project related events, and compliance with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

The ANSI/IICRC S700: Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration includes the following:

• Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Contractor Qualifications
• Administrative Requirements and Documentation
• Fire and Smoke Damage (FSD) Assessment
• Fire Restoration Equipment, Tools, and Materials (ETM)
• Fire Restoration Mitigation
• Source Removal
• Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) and Air Conveyance Systems (ACS)
• Fire and Smoke Odor Management
• Fire and Smoke Damage Contents Restoration
• Post Restoration Evaluation
• Limitations, Complexities, Complications, and Conflicts

Bran Lynch, IICRC S700 Consensus Body Chairman, expressed appreciation for other members of the Consensus Body and their hard work, noting the standard was over a decade in the making.

Brandon Burton, IICRC Standards Chairman, said:

Providing a Standard of Care for the professional restoration of structural fire and smoke damage to the restoration community is a massive win for our industry.  This ANSI/IICRC Consensus based Standard will propel the industry into a new phase of transparency, consistency, and quality.  I cannot stress enough how thankful I am to all the volunteers and organizations that have contributed to this critical and important document.  Specifically, thank you to the S700 Chair Bran Lynch and Vice Chair John Pletcher, to the volunteer Consensus Body members, and to the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) leadership for its donation of technical literature and resources.  

To purchase a copy of the new ANSI/IICRC S700: Standard for Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration and other standards, visit IICRC.

ANSI/IICRC S590-2023 Standard for Assessing HVAC Systems Following a Water, Fire, or Mold Damage Event

A related standard was first published in 2023: ANSI/IICRC S590-2023: Standard for Assessing HVAC Systems Following a Water, Fire, or Mold Damage Event.

The HVAC assessment process identifies impacted and non-impacted HVAC internal surfaces after a water, fire, or mold damage event. This Standard contains procedures to perform HVAC assessments and create a written report and Restoration Work Plan (RWP) of work for residential, commercial, institutional and healthcare buildings. The document lists methods and procedures to determine visual deposition and odor retention.

The S590 Standard includes the following:

To purchase a copy of ANSI/IICRC S590-2023: Standard for Assessing HVAC Systems Following a Water, Fire, or Mold Damage Event and other standards, visit IICRC. IICRC standards are also available via the IICRC Standards Subscription website at Gilmore Global. For more information on certification programs offered by IICRC, visit the group’s website.