Death, Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup in Kitsap County

Death cleanup, suicide and crime scene cleanup, and other biohazard work in Kitsap County, from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island, is covered here. Biohazard and trauma cleanup in Kitsap County is done by independent private companies that a family, landlord or property manager hires directly. After a death, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ comes first: it decides whether to investigate, and cleanup waits until the scene is released. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company, but it does not do the cleanup; the company you hire does.

A biohazard is a biological material, such as blood or other body fluids, that can carry germs that cause disease. This page walks through the steps in Kitsap County, the offices involved, and how bridges and ferries affect getting a crew to the property.

First step after a death: the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office

Kitsap County has an appointed medical examiner, a public official who investigates certain deaths and controls the scene while doing so. The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in the county. Washington law, RCW 68.50.010, places deaths caused by violence or by unknown causes under the county coroner or medical examiner.

Scene release means the office, and police if they were involved, have finished and returned the property to the family or owner. Do not start cleaning before then, and ask any company you contact to confirm the release before its crew begins.

The office also helps families with the steps around a death. If you are unsure what comes next, its investigators carry a pamphlet that answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources. If you are looking for a loved one’s belongings, ask the funeral home, because personal property the office secures is released there with the body. The office page links a Resource Guide, veteran burial benefits information and a family declaration form for requesting a report. The Resource Guide states that the office does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of cleanup company is yours. You can reach the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ at 360.731.6843.

Getting a company to a Kitsap property

Where a company is based affects how it reaches you. SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst, at the western end of Sinclair Inlet, are the only land-based route onto the Kitsap Peninsula, and that route is congested. A crew coming from the south crosses the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which carries SR 16 between Tacoma and Gig Harbor, with tolls applying only toward Tacoma. From Jefferson County, the link is the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge, a floating bridge that can drop to single-lane, one-way alternating traffic for repairs. Bainbridge Island’s road link to the Kitsap Peninsula is the Agate Pass Bridge on SR 305.

Washington State Ferries routes include Edmonds / Kingston, Seattle / Bainbridge Island, Seattle / Bremerton and Fauntleroy / Southworth. Kitsap Transit’s fast ferries and foot ferries are passenger-only, so a crew bringing a truck and equipment needs a road route or a Washington State Ferries crossing. Ask each company where its crew is based and which route it plans to take. Once the scene is released, starting sooner is better, because contamination left in place can spread further into floors and walls.

Kitsap Public Health District

Kitsap Public Health District² is the county’s health department. Several of its programs can matter during a cleanup.

• Blood and waste. Biomedical waste is a legal category in Washington, limited to types listed in state law, such as discarded human blood and sharps waste, meaning used needles, syringes, lancets and blades. Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease, such as hepatitis B. The district²’s Solid & Hazardous Waste program covers this area, and the district notes that hauling biohazardous or biomedical waste is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the district. Ask the company you hire how waste from your property will be hauled away and by whom.
• Needles. If you find needles, leave them where they are and see the district²’s Safely Handling Sharps guidance.
• Sewage. A septic failure or sewage spill may involve the district²’s Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program or its Water Pollution Identification & Correction program.
• Mold and living conditions. The district² has a Mold program and a way to Report a Public Health Concern.

You can reach Kitsap Public Health District² at 360-728-2235.

When a home has been affected by hoarding

Hoarding is a recognized condition, and the person living in the home deserves respect throughout. Ask a company how it sorts belongings and how the person, or your family, will decide what to keep and what to let go. If animals live in the home, the Kitsap Humane Society is the animal control authority for Kitsap County by contract. If your parent is an older adult, Kitsap County Aging and Long-Term Care (ALTC) is a county resource you can contact.

After cleanup: repairs and restoration

Cleanup can mean removing damaged flooring or drywall, and some homes also need repair for water damage or mold afterward. See how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration for how that later work connects. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this kind of work, so contact your insurer early and ask the company what written records it can give you for a claim.

How to check a company

Before you hire, ask a company how its crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, published by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.

Cities and communities in Kitsap County

• Port Orchard is an incorporated city; its downtown waterfront includes Port Orchard Marina Park and Dekalb Pier.
• Bremerton is an incorporated city with Harborside Fountain Park and the Puget Sound Navy Museum near the downtown ferry terminal.
• Silverdale is an unincorporated community; Silverdale Waterfront Park and Old Mill Park on Bucklin Hill Road are county parks.
• Poulsbo is an incorporated city on Liberty Bay, with American Legion Park on Front Street downtown.
• Bainbridge Island is an incorporated city; Waterfront Park & City Dock sits on Eagle Harbor beside downtown, and Winslow Way is part of the Winslow core.
• Kingston is an unincorporated community with an old town commercial core and the Kingston Ferry Terminal, served by the Kingston Fast Ferry.