Decades ago, the pioneers of the restoration industry recognized the need for standards that restorers could use to set a benchmark for professional services. People like Martin L. King, Lloyd Weaver, Cliff Zlotnik, Claude Blackburn, Rusty Amarante, Lee King, Larry Holder, Pete Consigli (and many more) fought to have our industry recognized as organized and professional. First came the publication of the ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration (1994), then the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation (2003). Finally, in 2012 the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) began work on the first industry Standard for fire and smoke damage, Fire Standard (FS) #1. This was followed in 2014 by Fire Standard (FS) #2 all of which were based on the NIDR Guidelines for Fire and Smoke Damage Repair (1997). Finally, now in 2025, we have the first ever publicly reviewed American National Standard – ANSI/IICRC S700 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration.
The Foreword contains nine foundational principles on which the writing of the S700 was based and grounded on over 60 years of fire/odor restoration practices with hundreds of thousands of successful restoration projects as data points. The S700 provides the written “standard of care” for what reasonably prudent members of the trade (professional restorers) are doing on every project.
The S700 is NOT a training manual, an educational textbook, or a review of the state-of-the-art tools and solutions for the industry. The intent of the S700 is to inform the reader about what processes, procedures, tools, materials (consumables), and equipment should be employed to achieve a successful fire/odor restoration project. However, the S700 does recognize that in certain special situations, deviation from the Standard may be necessary to reach the desired results. The S700 aims to establish guardrails within which professional restorers should operate, and to define what qualifies someone as a professional restorer. Using trigger language like “should” and “shall” the S700 establishes competency boundaries to work within.
That said, though technically not part of the Standard, the document contains an informative and educational Appendix titled “Fire and Smoke Restoration Theory” which provides readers who have less ‘hands on’ experience and training a better understanding of the behavior of smoke (odor) during and after a fire. Appendix A details the distribution and deposition of fire residues, fire residue characteristics, visual and olfactory detection process, and surface characteristics that are impacted by these residues. Readers are strongly urged to read Appendix A prior to reading the Standard.
An Executive Summary of the Sections within the S700 might look like this:
Section 1: Fire and Smoke Damage (FSD) Restoration Contractor Qualification. Fire restoration is a specialized field that requires formal training, education, hands on experience and a history of successful fire restoration projects. Qualified restorers are much better equipped to assess and formulate a Restoration Work Plan (RWP) than individuals who do not have these qualifications.
Section 2: Administrative Requirements and Documentation. The importance of project documentation cannot be understated. From initial visits, to test cleaning, to periodic project milestones, to final acceptance, every aspect of every project must be (over) documented.
Section 3: Fire and Smoke Assessment. This section is the meat and potatoes of the Standard. The reader should first read Appendix A. This section discusses the considerations and paths that professional restorers take to establish an RWP in order to complete a successful project. Finding hidden damage requires an understanding of the behavior of smoke and exploratory demolition. It is simply not possible to write a comprehensive RWP until all the damage has been located.
Section 4 Fire Restoration Equipment, Tools and Materials (ETM). This brief section brings clarity to what restorers consider a piece of equipment, a tool, and what are considered materials (consumables). Some phases of fire restoration projects such as emergency services are often priced at labor and materials – this section aims to help navigate invoicing for these services.
Section 5: Fire Restoration Mitigation. Fire restoration often involves substantial urgent work to improve indoor air quality, stabilize buildings, preserve contents, and prevent further damage. This section goes in-depth about how restorers approach these critical phases of a project.
Section 6: Source Removal. Fire restoration is much more than just cleaning, hence the title. Fire and smoke damage is a complex challenge, ranging from very light to total destruction. This section covers the procedures ranging from gentle dusting with microfiber clothes to aggressive media blasting. Restorers know that single procedures rarely address complete residue removal and that a combination of processes may be required to obtain satisfactory results.
Section 7: Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) and Air Conveyance Systems (ACS). Fire restoration projects should include an inspection of the HVAC system. While many restoration contractors do this work in-house, the S700 emphasizes the need for qualified specialists to be involved. We worked closely with NADCA to develop a pathway (flow chart) to assess the restorability of these systems. Note: This section was written before the ANSI/IICRC S590 Standard for Assessing HVAC Systems Following a Water, Fire, or Mold Damage Event was written and published and will be eliminated with subsequent editions of the S700.
Section 8: Fire and Smoke Odor Management. Fire-related odors can be the biggest challenge for restorers. Odor cannot be seen, but the presence of residues is an indicator of fire-related odors. While source removal is the key to odor removal, this section discusses the ways restorers locate and address fire-related odors, even those that persist after some level of removal efforts have failed.
Section 9: Fire and Smoke Damage Contents Restoration. Many of the methodologies in structural fire and smoke restoration work parallel those of contents restoration. This section takes on contents as a unique subset of the project starting with assessment, then mitigation, source removal, and odor management. It’s literally a standard within a standard. Whether considering the decision to perform work on site or pack out, or distinguishing salvageability versus non-salvageability, it’s all there. Note: The IICRC currently has the draft S320 Standard for Professional Assessment, Cleaning, and Restoration of Contents in development, meaning this section will be dropped in subsequent editions of the S700 Standard.
Section 10: Post Restoration Evaluation. This is where the rubber meets the road. Satisfactory completion of a fire restoration project is based solely on client acceptance. Ongoing client involvement in the various phases of the project ensures the work outlined in the RWP has been correctly performed and that fire-related residues and odors are not detectable.
Section 11: Limitations, Complexities, Complications, and Conflicts arise on nearly all projects. Each of the methodologies sections identifies the various roadblocks to a successful project and how restorers address them by open lines of communication, documentation, and client involvement.
“As mentioned in the opening paragraph of the Foreword, the S700 has been decades in the making and deserves a place on every restorer’s bookshelf.”
Bran Lynch, IICRC S700 Standard Consensus Body Chair
“The ANSI/IICRC S700 is the product of nearly six years of volunteer effort from a broad range of experts and stakeholders in the fire and smoke restoration field. By furnishing this document through the ANSI Consensus Standards process, our industry now has the common ground we need to establish what is common among reasonably prudent members of the restoration trade.”
Brandon Burton, IICRC Standards Chair
Bran Lynch has been the restoration industry for more that 25 years and has always enjoyed the ever-changing daily challenges that comes with it. He prides himself in his abilities and willingness to jump into any given project….as chief cook, or bottle washer. Bran is the Chair of the S700 Consensus Body.
