From tragedy to trust: How this Arizona-based remediation service transforms loss into community support

Originally published in the Phoenix Business Journal

Aug 1, 2024.

David Lesaffre was not prepared for his dad to pass away. He was away traveling, and his father was not answering his phone, which was common, so he thought nothing of it. But when David’s wife, Leanne, showed up at his father’s house to check on him, she found him unresponsive.

While Leanne was with the first responders, she was told that they would need to have the room remediated. It had been multiple days since his father’s passing and the paramedics deemed this service necessary.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and David could not sit with the idea that someone’s last memory of a loved one could be cleaning up after they had passed away. He and his wife understood that they would not have been mentally or physically equipped to do the cleaning themselves and so, after talking with his wife, David immediately quit his job and vowed to make sure that no one in his community would have to make that their last memory.

David and Leanne Lesaffre are now co-franchisee owners of T.A.C.T., The Last Responders Trauma and Casualty Team, where they specialize in 24/7 biohazard and hoarding cleanup. Their franchisee, T.A.C.T 48/AZ, services all of Arizona and can take on any project due to their certified, licensed, insured and bonded technicians.

Supporting the Phoenix community

In addition to cleanups following a death, T.A.C.T. 48/AZ offers many other services. According to Leanne Lesaffre the most requested services are hoarding cleanup, undiscovered death, odor removal and rodent droppings.

“I think most people, when they're making that first call, they're so lost. Especially if it's an undiscovered death or a suicide or a murder. Those are the horrible ones where the client does not know what to do,” said Leanne. “We sincerely hope no one ever needs our services, but we want you to also know that if tragedy rears its ugly head in your life, we want to support you to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible.”

Beyond the gratitude they receive from their clients, David and his team have received plenty of words of appreciation for the giveback work they provide to the community.

Since its inception, T.A.C.T. 48/AZ has given back to local fire and police departments that they work closely with, sponsored multiple Law Enforcement Torch Runs for the Special Olympics and cleaned up crime scenes and homeless encampments for a free or reduced cost.

"Giving back to our community is at the core of what we do. We’ve seen firsthand the difference it makes in people's lives, not just in moments of crisis but in fostering a sense of security and support,” said Leanne. “It's important to us to be there for our community, not just as a business, but as neighbors and friends."

The value of operating with integrity

In recognition of their outstanding efforts, T.A.C.T. 48/AZ was recently approved by Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest to become a BBB4Good Verified Business.

Businesses that earn BBB accreditation demonstrate their commitment to operating with integrity, and those that go a step above to advance social change are further magnified through BBB4Good.

The BBB4Good Trustmark enables trustworthy, purpose-driven businesses to become BBB4Good Verified by committing to four additional social impact standards: higher purpose, community engagement, authentic marketing and social and/or environmental impact substantiation.

The BBB4Good program focuses on the belief that better businesses create a better community. A recent study showed that 84% of consumers believed that companies should demonstrate how they are following through on their corporate social responsibility initiatives, a number that has continued to rise in recent years.

Committed to ensuring a healthy community

“We are humbled and honored to have been approved as a BBB4Good business. Sadly death is a part of life, and so we make it a point to educate our community on the fact that when a family is in the sad situation of losing a loved one unexpectedly from a murder, suicide or even natural causes but weren’t discovered for some time, we as professionals are here to help get one’s home back to a healthy environment, and the family doesn’t have that as their last memory,” said David. “Additionally, we enjoy working with municipalities throughout the State of Arizona to ensure that communities remain healthy with proper remediation of biohazardous needs. We pride ourselves on our prompt response times and providing each client with thoughtful and caring treatment.”

BBB4Good is committed to supporting aspiring businesses looking to incorporate a social impact component into their businesses. Through its continued education initiatives, the Better Business Bureau ensures that even the businesses that were not accepted into the program receive valuable resources and guidance to pursue their goals of making a positive difference in their communities.

See the original article here:  www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news

T.A.C.T. 48 provides 24/7 emergency biohazard decontamination services for residents and businesses in the local communities that we serve. We specialize in clean up from suicides, homicides, crime scenes, trauma scenes, undiscovered death, blood spills, bodily fluids, vehicle decontamination, odor removal, dangerous pathogens, decontamination, sanitizing, tear gas, drug labs, mold remediation, hoarding, rodent droppings, and specialized cleaning services that vary by location*. 

We work with all insurance providers, are licensed, bonded, and insured. We handle your situation discreetly and empathetically. When you call T.A.C.T. for help, your call will be answered by an owner or manager, never a call center or answering service. Our technicians are certified and highly trained in the latest methods. If you are in need of emergency assistance to clean up following a traumatic event, call T.A.C.T. 48.

*Services offered vary by location