Restoring Your Property After A Fire

1/8/2020 (Permalink)

For all of your fire remediation needs, call the pros!

When the First Responder vehicles depart, your home is likely to show signs of fire and smoke damage, with some degree of water damage from efforts made by firefighters to extinguish the flames. SERVPRO of The Dutch Fork has a team of men and women with the specialized fire restoration training needed to make your home “Like it never even happened.”

Have Questions About Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage? Call Today 803-749-0178

Every fire damage is unique. The type of structure, contents inside and overall environment requires a specific plan of action, but our recommended general process stays the same. The steps listed below illustrate our process for the standard fire damage mitigation:

Step 1: Initial Contact

The clock starts when you call SERVPRO of The Dutch Fork, we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our representative will ask a series of questions about what happened, the state of the home and the contents inside the home. This helps our team prepare to arrive with the proper equipment and resources.

Step 2: Inspection and Assessment

Our team will carefully walk the home in order to inspect and test several factors. The structural damage must be analyzed to predict repairs and any permits that will need to be applied for. The contents will be filed in an inventory log and separated into categories of salvageable and unsalvageable. This is determined by a set of regulated standards. This step is crucial in developing a plan of action to move forward. Moisture levels will be read throughout the home to determine where equipment is needed.

Step 3: Securing the Property

Fire typically damages the integrity of windows, walls, and roofs. To maintain security and to protect against further damage, we can board up missing windows and walls and place tarps on damaged roofs. It’s important to keep unwanted humans and wildlife out of the home during this time.

Step 4: Water Mitigation and Dry-out

The water removal process begins the first day our crews arrive. Using extraction to remove the water from various materials allows us to place dehumidifiers and air movers to dry out any residual moisture. If this is not done quickly, the possibility of mold growth is likely.

Step 5: Smoke and Soot Removal

We will use specialized equipment and techniques to remove smoke and soot from ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. Our technicians have been trained to perform this task the correct way, without proper equipment and products, it is possible to spread the smoke and soot making surfaces unsalvageable.

Step 6: Cleaning and Sanitizing

We clean all salvageable items that the homeowner wishes to keep. This includes furniture, flooring, and fabric type items. We use a variety of cleaning techniques to restore your belongings to pre-fire condition and have contacts with specialist companies that can handle those we don’t have the ability to tackle. We’re able to remove the odor of smoke with the help of air-scrubbers and ozone machines. Smoke and soot particles infiltrate the pores of porous material which harbors odors that become difficult to mask.

Step 7: Restoration

The most important part of any of our processes ties back to our motto – “Like it never even happened.” We strive to leave each property we work on in the same condition and often better than it was before any damage occurred. SERVPRO of The Dutch Fork is a start-to-finish franchise with the ability to rebuild most anything. We work with property owners to discuss upgrades and what their insurance will cover as far as replacement before we begin any work.