Commercial Fire Damage Cleanup and Repair

5/8/2017 (Permalink)

Commercial Fire Damage Cleanup and Repair

Going through the trauma of having a fire in home or fire in business is something no one wants to experience. The loss of property from smoke damage, soot damage and fire damage is devastating, and if anyone in the family suffers injury or suffocation from strong smoke smell, getting your house back to normal after the unfortunate fire in home incident is sometimes delayed. After the horrifying experience from fire damage, it takes time for families to regroup, settle down, and think about repairs and fire damage restoration for your home. But once things are stabilized you need to work your way through the following steps.

Step One

The most crucial step is to seek help from fire cleanup professionals. It is best not to enter the house until the fire department tells you it is safe to do so. Families should stay out of the home until fire cleanup officials assure them the fire is out and the smoke smell is completely clear.

Fire cleanup professionals will also inspect the house for any potential dangers, such as hanging lumber, blocked walkways, and broken glass. The fire department will advise families of the damage the house has sustained from both the soot damage and smoke damage.

Step Two

It is entirely possible that fire cleanup officials will restrict the family from re-entering the house for an unknown amount of time, especially when fire damage restoration is still in progress. Once you have let your extended family know what happened and assured them that things are under control, it is time to call your insurance company.

You need to make contacting your representative a priority. Your insurance agent will document the damage, assist you in finding lodging, and calculate your emergency living expenses. The agent will also estimate the cost of clean-up. Do not underestimate the cost in all fire damage restoration endeavors.

If you rent, call the landlord and report what has occurred so that he is aware of the fire in home.

Step Three

The fire department will write a "fire report" that will contain information about the fire in home, notably the damage to the property, smoke damage, soot damage, resources destroyed, pungent smoke smell if any and other pertinent information.

This document will be an invaluable record of the incident. If necessary, homeowners may procure a copy of the report to get an idea of the full extent of the fire damage.

Step Four

Depending on the damage done to your home, emergency services may require you to cordon off your property to discourage trespassers and keep people safely away from the dwelling. In most cases, insurance companies require this action.

If your house is damaged, before any work takes place you will want to clean the inside of your home to prepare it for repair. In some cases, a professional cleaning service might be necessary as the smoke smell can become unbearable; this is a good topic to discuss with your insurance agent.

Take these things into consideration before you make your final decision to restore your home, leave your home, or sell:

· the extent of the damage
· the amount of work to be done to clean up the smoke damage and soot damage
· expenditures
· living situations
· insurance coverage
· status of mortgage

Once you have the go-ahead from your insurance company, you need to decide if the damage to your home is more than a layman can handle.If it seems insurmountable, call a fire damage restoration and clean-up company. You can find local businesses online, but there are a few tips you need to know concerning how to find the right professional for your job.

1. The faster you get a cleanup crew into your house the easier it will be to get rid of strong odors, Ashes from the fire discolor everything in the home, and metal will tarnish. Every day these problems get worse if not quickly addressed.

2. Depend on the crew helping you because they have done this before. The experts know what can be restored and what can't.

3. All professional cleaning and restoration businesses will be:

· prompt, detailed, time efficient
· available at any time
· licensed, insured, and bonded
· industry certified
· up-to-date and properly maintained equipment
· knowledge of the full spectrum of restoration needs
· able to work with your insurance company
· customer-focused

Many restoration professionals are also capable of repairing damage to:

· drywall
· carpet (in some cases installation included)
· rooms
· business offices

Step Five
It may be that many of your personal papers and physical files burn as a result of your house fire. Replacing items like birth certificates, passports, and other documents means you will need to call government, federal and state, departments to get notarized copies of your important papers.

Commercial Fire Damage

The same principles apply when there is fire in business premises. Restoration companies know that when a business has experienced commercial fire damage and water damage from fire hoses, business owners need to get things clean and up-and-running as soon as possible. Time is money and business owners can suffer insurmountable losses if commercial fire damage is not taken care of promptly.

Cleaning and repair companies are trained, experienced, and have access to the right equipment to manage the job and put out fire in business establishments promptly. Restoration crews are fast in their response and will see the work through to the end. They are fully aware that a business cannot shut down because of damage from fire in business premises.

Call SERVPRO if you suffer from home fire damage or commercial fire damage. Visit http://www.SERVPROhydeparkcentralaustin.com for more information on fire damage.