The Best Approach to Dealing with Fire Damage

5/12/2022 (Permalink)

The Best Approach to Dealing with Fire Damage

The effects of fire damage can be catastrophic and far reaching whether it's a fire in home or fire in business. When the flames are extinguished and the fire fighters go home, business or home owners are left to come up with a plan of attack to put the pieces back together of their property. A fire damage restoration company is able to help people along with this process. For a fire restoration company, a game plan typically follows the same general outline of events.

Initial Contact and Evaluation

Most ideally, fire cleanup would begin immediately. Many fire damage restoration businesses provide a round the clock call service in order to schedule an appointment. At the first meeting, your technician will evaluate water damage, fire damage, soot damage, smoke smell severity, and smoke damage. The restoration company will assess every component of damage on site.

Address Immediate Concerns

While the entire scope of a project is critical to figure out from the get go, there are several things that need to be taken care of and addressed during the initial visit. First and foremost, because fire hoses release thousands of gallons of water during a fire containment effort, water damage is an immediate concern. Most drying methods for post fire in home or fire in business involves first pumping any standing water out. Then, a dehumidifier is integrated to complete the drying administrations.

Among the first restoration steps is also board up and roof tarp services. The board up process involves identifying any areas on windows or walls that have exposed the inside of the structure to the elements. Technicians then board up those areas to protect the home or business from additional damage. Tarping serves the same essential function, but it covers holes in the roof with a tarp to provide temporary protection. After a fire in home or a fire in business, board up and roof tarping are an imperative step for a restoration company.

Side Effects of a Fire Cleanup

Even if the fire is small, there is almost no way to avoid soot damage, smoke damage, and smoke smell inundation. Sometimes when fire damage occurs, people forget about the secondary effects of that incidents. Smoke damage and soot damage cast dark coloring across surfaces and can stain them if unattended. Soot damage often peppers and leaves a residue and can often times be wiped away by a restoration professional. Smoke damage, under good circumstances, can sometimes be wiped away, but on occasion surfaces must be replaced or sanded and refinished to return them to their original state. Sometimes in commercial fire damage situations, smoke damage and soot damage can impact neighboring businesses as well.

Part of a fire damage restoration company's fire cleanup efforts will also include sanitizing and deep cleaning the property. A lingering shadow of smoke smell is an intensive situation to eradicate. Most companies will utilize industrial strength air washers coupled with fogging machines in order to address an area's smoke smell condition.

Restoration

The concluding steps of a fire cleanup project, whether it's for commercial fire damage or residential, is the actual structural restoration. The professional restoration company that you've selected should be knowledgeable about the coding requirements in a commercial fire damage situation, but also residential. They should also be well informed in safety stipulations. Maintaining aesthetic and function as they replace dry-wall, paint, carpet, etc. is at the core of this step in the process.

Finding yourself in the horrible circumstance of a post commercial fire damage or residential fire damage situation can feel daunting. However, knowing the general outline of what will happen after a fire in business or fire in home can give you peace of mind in knowing that a solution is attainable and forthcoming. Whether it's board up services, structural restoration, or sanitizing the space, a fire damage restoration company will get you through it all.