I want to begin my first newsletter article by saying that
it is a privilege and a great opportunity to have been elected to serve as the
president of the Nebraska State Pest Control Association. As
past president, Jeff Voelker was an outstanding leader of our
association. Jeff is a great guy with
some unique expertise in wildlife control.
Where many of our backgrounds stem from the insect end of the business,
we are often intimidated by calls about wildlife problems. If you have questions about how to handle
some of these, Jeff is a fantastic resource.
That is, unless you are inside of Jeff's service area, then just
recommend Critter Control!
Being able
to network with members of our association and benefitting from their
experience is one of the things that make membership and involvement in the
NSPCA so valuable. We are all
interested in developing the knowledge and ability of ourselves, our companies,
and our employees. My own family's
business has an extensive history with the association dating back 25 years to
my late grandfather's membership. I am
fortunate to have a legacy committed to education and a dedication to our
industry.As pest management professionals, we don't have to look far to see evidence of the fact that we provide a vital service to the public. We protect buildings from damage, filth, and structural decay. We protect people from nuisance pests, food contamination, disease, psychological stress, and sometimes deadly allergic reactions. Fortunately, we have customers and a public that see, on a daily basis, the value of our services as well. Unfortunately, it can take one incident to reverse decades of the positive image building our industry has accomplished.
On March 20th a family of four were found in their room at an upscale vacation resort in the Virgin Islands, the father unresponsive, and the mother and two sons convulsing with seizures. An ensuing investigation found that two days prior a product containing Methyl Bromide had been applied to a room below theirs by the resorts pest control contractor, Terminix.
I have been involved in this industry for the last thirteen plus years and had never heard of methyl bromide being used in a structural setting, so I had to do a bit of research. Beyond the science and labeling of the product itself, I found some pretty shocking information. In 1987, the U.S. and 26 other nations signed on to the Montreal Protocol, international treaty developed to protect the environment from ozone depleting products. In 1993 the EPA froze the amount of methyl bromide being produced and applied, and in the years following the amounts were significantly reduced until it was phased out altogether in January of 2005. What I could not find however, was any explanation for why a pest management firm would posess the product, much less use it in a way that grossly violated the label.
To condense this into a take home lesson for us as applicators, knowledge of and compliance to regulations and labels are important, sometimes deadly important. To prevent harmful exposure to people and the environment we need to make sure that all applicators have been trained to READ THE LABEL. Think through the application process at every job to minimize risks and potential exposures. Don't keep long-expired product in your inventory. Take advantage of the Department of Agriculture's pesticide disposal events. Keep your inventory secured, organized, and up to date so that you know exactly what you stock and what is leaving your shelves. Keep an approved product/practice list for your technicians so that you, and they always know what is on their truck. And of course, READ THE LABEL!
That being said, these types of occurrances are rare, and the majority of those involved in our business take great care to ensure that even minor cases of exposure and misapplication don't happen. The fact that we belong to an association of professionals such as ours demonstrates that we are dedicated to a high level of professionalism, safety, training, and the image of our industry.
I look forward to the coming years of serving the Nebraska State Pest Control Association, alongside our Vice President Shawn Ryan, and the rest of our board of directors. I encourage everyone reading this newsletter to get involved in the association if you are not already. One of the many important benefits of your involvement is the input that we have on the content of the Urban Pest Management Conference, which can make a large impact on the relevance of the education being provided. If you know someone who used to be involved and isn't anymore, reach out to them. If you know someone new in the business, tell them about the association. If you are already involved and you have ideas on how to make our association more valuable, tell any of us who serve on the board. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and profitable Spring.
