How the Kingston ODSP Office Recovered 7,500 Files After a Fire

A December 2016 fire compromised roughly 12,000 client files at the Kingston ODSP office. Within a three-month window, Nimble cleaned the smoke- and soot-damaged records, digitized and indexed the active files, and delivered them through a secure, Canadian-hosted portal: about 4 million pages of client records are now available in digital form.

When a fire damages the room where your records live, the problem isn't only the building. It's whether the information those records hold can be recovered, kept confidential, and put back into the hands of the people who need it, fast enough that service doesn't stop.

The client

The client was the Ontario government branch responsible for Social Assistance Modernization across the province, working with Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) offices on business process improvement, technology enhancement, and digital transformation. This project involved the Kingston ODSP office.

The challenge: a fire, and 12,000 files at risk

In December 2016, a major fire caused significant damage to the Kingston ODSP office. It compromised client files stored across three file rooms: the main floor, the basement, and the fourth floor. The damage was serious enough that staff had to relocate to a temporary office while the building was renovated.

The stakes were high. These were active files for people who depend on disability support, so any interruption to the office's ability to access them was an interruption to service. The records were also sensitive personal information that had to stay confidential and accounted for at every step. As records of an Ontario provincial program, they fall under the province's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), which governs how the personal information they hold is protected and accessed. Every one of the roughly 12,000 affected files had to be removed from the building, decontaminated, and made usable again, and the office needed secure access to them once it reopened.

What Nimble did

Nimble ran the recovery as a managed project, from removing the files out of the damaged building through to secure online access on the other side. The work was coordinated under formal project management (PMBoK) and a documented chain of custody from pickup to delivery, so every file could be accounted for throughout.

The recovery included:

• Coordinated pack and move: all remaining files were manifested, packed, and moved from the damaged office to Nimble's operations facility.
• Secure logistics and chain of custody: every file was tracked and documented from the site to the facility and back into digital access.
• File cleaning: smoke and soot contamination was removed so the records could be safely handled and scanned.
• Document preparation and purging: files were prepared for capture, with redundant material removed.
• Digitization and indexing: the active files were scanned and indexed so they could be searched and retrieved on demand.
• Secure portal and hosting: the digitized files were delivered through a secure, Canadian-hosted portal for staff to use.

Of the roughly 12,000 files removed from the building, 7,500 were fully digitized and indexed as part of the recovery.

The outcome

Nimble completed the entire recovery within the three-month window. Every affected file was cleaned, the active files were digitized and indexed, and roughly 4 million pages of client records are now available in digital form through a secure portal.

Just as important as the numbers: the office regained secure, online access to its client files, so staff could resume serving ODSP clients effectively from the renovated Kingston office. Instead of sitting in vulnerable paper form across three file rooms, the records are now digital, searchable, backed up, and held in Canada under a documented chain of custody. A disaster that could have meant permanent loss of client information became a move to a more resilient, more accessible system.

Frequently asked questions

Can fire- or smoke-damaged records be recovered?

Often, yes. Even after significant fire and smoke damage, paper records can be decontaminated, digitized, and returned to use. In this project, roughly 12,000 files affected by a fire were cleaned of smoke and soot, and the active files were digitized and indexed within three months.

How long does a large records recovery and digitization project take?

This recovery, from packing and moving files out of a fire-damaged building to delivering them through a secure online portal, was completed within a three-month window and covered roughly 4 million pages. Timelines depend on volume and condition, but a large recovery can move quickly with the right project management and facilities.

Are recovered records kept secure and in Canada?

Yes. Throughout this project, files were handled under a documented chain of custody and delivered through a secure, Canadian-hosted portal, keeping sensitive client records within Canadian jurisdiction from pickup to digital access.

Recover, digitize, and secure your records

When records are damaged, scattered, or trapped in paper, the same disciplines that drove this recovery apply to any project: secure chain of custody, professional cleaning and preparation, high-volume digitization, and a Canadian-hosted portal. If you need to recover, digitize, or secure critical records, explore Nimble's document scanning and conversion services, or talk to us about a secure records portal.