Insurance Restoration Specialists

What Insurance Restoration Specialists does

Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. (IRS) is a New Jersey-based emergency response and disaster recovery services company founded in 1985 by Tim Jarema and Alan Goeltz, later joined by Tom Peter as General Manager and Certified Industrial Hygienist. The firm delivers property restoration services for both commercial and residential buildings, including water extraction, flood, fire and smoke damage restoration, storm and hurricane damage recovery, mold remediation, HVAC cleaning, environmental cleanup, infection control and disinfection, asbestos abatement, contents restoration, and odor removal. Operations are anchored in New Jersey with multiple locations across the Northeast, supported by 51-100 employees and an expanding suite of regulatory credentials (EPA Lead-Safe, NJ Home Improvement Contractor, NJ Public Works Contractor, NJ UST certification).

The business operates on a professional-services revenue model, billing project-by-project for emergency restoration work and increasingly through pre-loss preparedness partnerships with property owners and managers that smooth event-driven volatility. The go-to-market is direct and field-led: services are delivered through local offices with a 24/7 emergency contact line (1.800.622.6433) and a website contact funnel, marketed via content, organic social across Facebook/X/Instagram/LinkedIn/YouTube, and email newsletter. Customer segments are diversified across commercial property owners and managers (primary), residential property owners (primary), and insurance companies and adjusters (secondary), with vertical segmentation between business units.

In 2020, IRS entered a strategic partnership with First Onsite, a property restoration and reconstruction company, and now operates under the First Onsite brand. The firm retains its local New Jersey teams while gaining access to national First Onsite offices across the US and Canada, plus digital infrastructure including the BOLT Connect client portal and BOLT employee platform. This integration positions IRS as the Northeast node within a national roll-up, expanding both geographic reach and the resource pool available for catastrophic-event response.

Name

Insurance Restoration Specialists

Legal name

Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc.

Website

https://irs-restoration.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Insurance Restoration Specialists is a New Jersey-based emergency property restoration and disaster recovery services firm, founded in 1985, serving commercial and residential property owners and insurance companies with water, fire, storm, mold, and environmental cleanup, now operating as First Onsite.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Property Restoration Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Mitigation & Site Stabilization (Board-Up, Tarping, Water Extraction) (HSAPAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery (Water Intrusion/Mold/Contamination) (BPALALAI), Contents & Personal Property Restoration (Pack-Out, Cleaning, Storage) (HSAPAOAF), Insurance Claims Estimation, Documentation & Managed Repair (HSAPAOAL)

Keywords

• Property restoration services
• Disaster recovery services
• Water damage restoration
• Fire damage restoration
• Mold remediation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroe Township

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Property Restoration Services: Service-based revenue from restoration and recovery services for properties damaged by water, fire, storms, mold, and other disasters. Services provided to both commercial and residential property owners, managers, and insurance companies on an as-needed emergency basis and through pre-loss partnership arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. (IRS), now operating as First Onsite, provides 24/7 emergency property restoration and disaster recovery services for water, fire, smoke, storm, flood, hurricane, wildfire, and severe weather damage, as well as mold remediation, environmental cleanup, infection control and disinfection, asbestos abatement, contents restoration, odor removal, facility hygiene, and commercial renovation services. Services are delivered to commercial property owners and managers, residential property owners, and insurance companies across the Northeast U.S. with national First Onsite resources and manpower behind the local New Jersey teams.

Product overview

Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. (IRS) is now First Onsite, a property restoration and reconstruction company offering a comprehensive suite of services for both commercial and residential properties. The company operates as a service provider rather than a software platform, delivering its services through a network of local teams with national resources. Core services include water damage restoration, fire and smoke damage restoration, and storm damage restoration (encompassing flood, hurricane, wildfire, severe weather, spring weather, and winter weather damage). The company also provides mold remediation, critical infrastructure services, and specialty services including large and complex loss restoration, commercial renovations, environmental and bio recovery services (with Infection Control Technologies for specialized bio-hazard cleanup and disinfection), asbestos abatement, facility hygiene services, contents restoration, and odor removal. The company offers client and employee-facing portals (BOLT Connect and BOLT respectively) for project management and operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Damage Restoration
• Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration
• Storm Damage Restoration
• Mold Remediation

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• First OnsitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRS partnered with First Onsite in 2020 after searching for a national partner. Tim and Tom knew that to reach the next level they needed a partner with experience and resources to advance services across the Northeast region. IRS is now operating under the First Onsite brand, offering property owners and managers access to the same local New Jersey teams with national First Onsite resources and manpower. This partnership enabled expansion from regional New Jersey provider to national property restoration company.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PuroClean: National franchise restoration company specializing in water, fire, mold, and biohazard cleanup for residential and commercial properties; comparable service catalogue and franchise-led delivery model.
• First Onsite Property Restoration: IRS's parent company and operating brand; First Onsite delivers the same property restoration, reconstruction, and catastrophe response services across the US and Canada, and is the most direct functional peer now that IRS operates under the First Onsite name.
• Interstate Restoration: Large-loss commercial restoration and disaster recovery firm serving property owners, insurers, and facility managers across North America; directly comparable in large/complex loss and catastrophe response work.
• Cotton Holdings: Restoration, disaster recovery, and consulting provider delivering emergency response services to commercial clients and insurance carriers; comparable in catastrophe response and managed repair programs.
• Paul Davis Restoration: North American franchise network providing emergency water, fire, and mold restoration plus reconstruction services; comparable business model, customer base, and insurance-driven GTM motion.
• Rainbow Restoration: Franchised restoration provider offering water, fire, mold, and carpet cleaning services to residential and commercial customers; competes with IRS/First Onsite for insurance-restored work in overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Belfor Property Restoration: Global leader in property restoration and disaster recovery covering fire, water, storm, mold, and large/complex loss; closest direct competitor to First Onsite/IRS in the Northeast catastrophe response market.
• ServiceMaster Restore: National franchise-based restoration brand offering water, fire, and mold remediation to commercial and residential customers; overlaps heavily with IRS's core service lines and competes for the same insurance-managed repair work.
• Servpro Industries: Large US franchise network providing fire and water cleanup, restoration, and mold remediation; directly comparable to IRS across residential and commercial restoration with a similarly broad national footprint.

Emerging players

• Infection Control Technologies: Specialty biohazard cleanup, disinfection, and environmental remediation provider referenced alongside IRS as part of the First Onsite service portfolio; a comparable niche player in infection control and bio-recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/firstonsite
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBPOwPHnEgoYByfBVxLRlhg
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstonsite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstonsite
• Instagraminstagram.com/first.onsite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Insurance Restoration Specialists