During an ECA Board of Directors Meeting in the Spring of 2009, the swine flu epidemic in New York was a primary topic for discussion, along with a prominent news clip of a janitor shown cleaning a New York City school following an outbreak.

The ECA Board identified a void in education and training related to the ever-changing world of infectious disease and contamination. The individuals called upon to supervise, manage or perform the cleanup and decontamination of a site put themselves and others at risk without thorough knowledge of current standards and processes for effective site decontamination.