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Fischer Environmental Services' PESP Strategy
Strategic Approach
- Reduction or elimination of all broadcast applications. Use of targeted precise applications.
- Targeting residential structures for environmental modification.
- Increasing customer awareness of Integrated Pest Management concepts.
- Increasing technician training in exclusionary practices. Eliminating the use of any chemical with a higher than "caution" label.
- Instituting our new program of achieving a 50% reduction in caution label use by going to essential plant oil formulations which fall under the G.R.A.S or "generally regarded as safe" category.
Progress on 2005 Activities
Our progress on our strategic activities for the past year were halted by Hurricane Katrina which destroyed our records, impacted our customers, and caused us to focus on recovery. We are now in a position to resume our strategic approach activities.
Activities for the Coming Year
Activity 1
Continue to reduce or eliminate all broadcast applications in our lawn care and horticultural division by using backpack sprayers and applying treatment only to the infected or infested areas plus four feet outside of the margin of infection or infestation. We will also include soil aeration on all accounts which give us permission. We now solicit all commercial accounts to allow us to use soil aeration to promote healthy growth and reduce the amounts of fertilizer needed.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
The use of backpack sprayers allow the technician to more accurately apply the materials to only the areas needed; eliminating the need to perform “preventative” broadcast power spray applications. The use of soil aeration provides the lawn with a more suitable growing environment in which it can produce more vigorous growth without "preventative" treatments outlined above.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
We will do a constant inventory of the usage of chemical. This amount will be compared to a baseline to determine average per customer and this amount will be compared to the amount used the following year. (Also see activity 6)
Activity 2
Use of targeted precise application by utilizing only baits, aerosol crack and crevice equipment, pheromone traps, glue boards, mechanical traps and removing all liquid compressed air sprayers from residential pest control accounts. This year we are also starting a new program to move all residential accounts to the use of natural oils and other products which fall under the classification of G.R.A.S. or generally regarded as safe. Our goal is to reduce the use of category III chemicals by 50%.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
Liquid pesticides is more difficult to control and accurately measure on the interiors of building. The use of baits, aerosol crack and crevice equipment and pheromone traps removes the need for liquid pesticide diluents, which would reduce the amount of total active ingredients used in each account. The use of glue boards and mechanical traps will reduce the total amount of rodenticide used and; therefore, reduce the risk of non-target kills and environmental contamination. The elimination of all liquid compressed air sprayers from residential pest control routes will eliminate the ability of the Service Technicians to apply liquid pesticide diluents and violate our company policy. The institution of ECO PCO line of products will hopefully eliminate a large portion of category III products we currently use and thereby further reduce risk of exposure.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
We will inventory the usage of chemical amounts and will compare the total average amount of active ingredient used per customer from one year to the next.
Activity 3
We will continue the use of our new Service Ticket “Fischer Residential Integrated Pest Management Survey on each and every residential account. This survey will be used on every service and will outline the areas of the home that need structural modification, sanitary improvements or mechanical corrections. This program has resulted in a 17.4% reduction of call backs in 2004.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
By completing this survey on each service, the residential customer will become more knowledgeable in reducing or eliminating the pest population without the use of pesticides. It will also show them how to remove harborage areas, use exclusionary practices and eliminate cultural factors such as water and food sources. Since residential accounts nationally are the areas with the least awareness of the practices and the highest per square foot usage of over the counter pesticides, we believe a significant reduction in pesticide usage will occur along with a decrease in customer call backs.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
Our report forms will be monitored for change from our customer recommendations to the actual completion of the recommended tasks by the customers. We will also measure efficacy, as shown in the average number of call backs per residential customer over one year. This program has resulted in a 17.4% reduction in callbacks in 2004.
Activity 4
We will increase our Service Technician training in exclusionary practices by implementing the Whitmire P.T.U. Training Program, which the Whitmire Company has completed and installed. Continuing program outlined in "Progress Activity 4" from 2004.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
This will allow a knowledgeable and competent usage of the "Fischer Residential Integrated Pest Management Survey" that is outlined above.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
The Whitmire P.T.U. Training program is disk and web based with self-testing after each module is completed. This will allow direct overview of each Service Technicians measured proficiency in the studied material.
Activity 5
We will continue an outreach program for multi-family housing clients. This outreach program will prepare and distribute a "Helpful Hints" brochure for the residents of the multi-family housing units we service, on how sanitation can help reduce insect infestations and maximize the usefulness of pest control. We will also schedule a series of presentations to the owners and management firms of these multi-family housing units to educate them about sanitation and exclusion in maximizing their investment in pest control. We will also implement throughout our program the taking of digital photos in which we will record all sanitation and maintenance problems to be attached to our monthly reports to multi-family housing management companies.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
By increasing the cooperation and understanding of our multi-family customers and their residents we will be able to reduce the amount of pesticides applied. This will be due to the fact that we will be able to just monitor and not have to apply any chemical to units that have no infestation, due to improvement in sanitation or structure modifications. The number of units having no infestation should increase with our outreach program.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
We will measure risk reduction by a comparison of the total average amount of active ingredient applied per unit in 2003 to the total average amount of active ingredient applied in 2004. We will also compare the percentage of call backs in 2003 to those in 2004.
Activity 6
By instituting Palm computer maintenance of chemical usage program which tracks all product from delivery to our warehouse to end application we will be able to reduce the amount of pesticides applied. This is because we will be able to establish with greater accuracy and ease exactly how much chemical is delivered to each property and develop base lines of application rates to determine averages which allow closer inspection of each needed application.
This program had a number of setbacks due to hardware and software issues. It was supposed to come online by 3/1/2004 and it is only partially working now. Our primary supplier went out of business and we had difficulty finding a new one. These problems seem to be behind us now and our new supplier expects completion of the beta version by 4/19/05.
How does this activity reduce pesticide risk?
By establishing functional baselines where by each technicians usage per structure or per square foot or customer type etc we will be able to detect areas of potential over usage quickly and apply the educational program training for the technician, consumer outreach program, or supervising structure needed to correct any variances. This of course will mean less pesticide usage and therefore less risk to the applicator, consumer, and the environment.
How will you measure the risk reduction gained from this activity?
Our existing inventory control over bulk receiving and issuing should show a reduction the first year and then from the second year forward we will be able to show reductions per account type, route, technician, infestation problems, etc.