Hawaii's Dirtiest Job?

Written by Lisa Kubota - lkubota@kgmb9.com

It's one of those horrible jobs somebody has to do.

Cleaning up bloody crime scenes is stomach-turning work.

But the owners of a unique Hawaii business tackle the task on top of their regular jobs.

Theresa Nishite is comfortable in the classroom.

She's been at Moanalua High School for nearly a decade.

A year and a half ago, this biology teacher started a new chapter in her life with a second career.

This is her other job.

Cleaning up gruesome crime and trauma scenes.

"If I come by myself, the first thing they say when they look at me is, 'Are you the one that's gonna clean this up?,'" said Nishite.

She's seen it all from blood splatter to the mess left behind by decaying bodies.

"It definitely wasn't something that I got used to right away cause sometimes the things that we see in our jobs are a little bit stomach queasy," Nishite said. "You see the maggots flying around and the flies and everything."

To protect themselves, Nishite and her partner, Tom Tomimbang, wear splashproof biosuits.

They seal their gloves shut with duct tape.

And they wear masks with special filters to help with the worst part of the job, the overwhelming odor.

"People are under the impression that sometimes the police or firefighters or even the ambulance will clean up a lot of the mess," said Tomimbang.

Tomimbang knows because he's a Honolulu police officer, a veteran of 17 years.

He came up with the idea for Island Decon, after spotting an ad online for a biohazard recovery certification course.

The couple invested $50,000 in equipment and powerful cleaning supplies.

"It kills HIV, hepatitis, also the avian flu," Tomimbang said.

The company charges $250 an hour for cleaning up and decontaminating death scenes.

Island Decon also does other jobs, tackling everything from bird droppings to sewage backups.

"Yeah, I talk about it like it's no big deal but maybe two years ago, I would have been, 'Whoa! Really?' I would have been amazed at what I'm doing right now. I don't think I would have ever seen myself doing this kind of work," Nishite said.

"The best part is the thank yous from the families -- to see that they don't have to go through more emotional trauma," Tomimbang said.

Right now, the company is based out of the couple's home in Waikele.

One day, they hope to expand and get a separate space for their business.