Consolidated Debris Removal Program: Step 1 to Opt-In or Opt-Out

Step 1: Determine your insurance company’s specific coverage available for ‘debris removal’ from your property.  This varies greatly from insurance company to company, but can be a flat % of the total replacement value of your home ranging from roughly 5% and up.  Some homeowners have more than enough coverage while others have far too little (a rough estimate on testing, clean-up and disposal is $20,000 on the low end and $50,000 on the high end).  If you had no insurance on your home, then Guzi-West recommends you “opt-in” to Shasta County’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program, as the program will cover costs from testing to debris removal.  You should be prepared to be patient if you choose to opt-in and allow the government agencies to complete their work.

Read the full step by step guide here!

Clean-Up After Carr Wildfire in Redding

Thousands of Shasta County residents were displaced by the Carr Fire and many who lost homes have been calling our office requesting asbestos sampling and to generally help with what the next steps will be.

Guzi-West has been in contact with our local health departments and we expect them to follow the cleanup standards utilized for the recent Sonoma Fires.  Homes that require demolition will likely be required to have a full asbestos survey of the remaining contents of the home so that the debris can be properly disposed of.

Further, environmental soil sampling will likely be required to ensure the soil beneath the home is not contaminated with various metals that may now be present from the interior contents of the home essentially melting.

To facilitate this, background soil samples will likely have to be collected around the perimeter of the structure; 3-6 inches of soil may need to be excavated to ensure the new home is built on non-contaminated soil; and, confirmation soil samples collected following the excavation to ensure the soil remains largely free of metals.  The number of confirmation samples and what constitutes ‘clean’ will be determined by our local health departments.

In the event the confirmation samples have concentrations of metals above the ‘clean’ criteria then the background soil samples will be analyzed to see if certain metals are naturally occurring in the vicinity of the home.  Although this sounds burdensome and slow, this work will likely happen rapidly once the protocols for sampling are in place.


To find out more about how we're helping families affected by this wildfire, please visit our website!

Helping Families Affected by the Carr Fire

The Carr fire in Redding, California is one of the most destructive fires in California’s history, spanning 126,913 acres and counting. In response to this unfortunate event, Guzi-West has offered to donate 20% of its August revenue to families who are victims of the fire. There have been six casualties and over 1,000 homes destroyed by the Carr Fire.

Families are still evacuating their homes throughout the county due to the continuous spread of the fire. Firefighters are doing their best to fight the fire to keep it from spreading further with the current conditions. Guzi-West feels that donations will help families with their losses and struggle during this tragic event. 20% of their August revenue will go to victims of the Carr Fire.

For more information, visit our website!

Lead Based Paint: Lack of Compliance

There have been many cases portraying lack of compliance to safety regulations. You can read an example of failure to comply with lead-based paint regulations below.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, the owners of a TV show on HGTV called “Fixer Upper,” have been fined for failure to comply with safety guidelines for lead-based paint removal. Their show contained footage of employees not following proper safety guidelines while removing lead-based paint. Their company, Magnolia Homes, paid a civil fine of $40,000 and agreed to show a demonstration on how to properly remove lead-based paint. Since then, Chip and Joanna have made a serious effort to make a difference by funding a lead-paint abatement program in their hometown with $160,000.

Read more about fines for lack of compliance here!

Asbestos: Lack of Compliance

There have been many cases portraying lack of compliance to safety regulations. Here are some examples of failure to comply with asbestos regulations:

An audit at California State University uncovered a large list of ongoing problems that created extreme safety hazards for half a million students and employees. The University was fined multiple times for the lack of compliance on two of its campuses – San Diego and Channel Islands.

During the renovation of a former air force base located in Atwater, California—Firm Build employees, subcontractors, subcontractors’ employees and student workers were exposed to airborne asbestos. Directors knowingly strayed from safety precautions to save money during demolition and renovation. Prison sentences were handed down as a result.

Read more about fines for lack of compliance here!

Asbestos & NESHAP

Asbestos is a mineral that is commonly found in building materials. It is toxic to the human body when inhaled or ingested. It can cause serious negative health effects--including some types of cancer. If NESHAP regulations are not followed, people may have higher chances of asbestos exposure as well as exposure to other toxins found in building materials.

Learn more about NESHAP regulations here!

History of NESHAP

NESHAP’s standards were originally proposed in 1971 as a response to the clean air act of 1970. In the following years, amendments were enacted to further reduce the exposure to various air pollutants. By 2004, the final standards of NESHAP were entirely implemented.

Read more about NESHAP here!