Time Sensitive Nature of Fire and Smoke Restoration

6/12/2020 (Permalink)

After everyone is safe and the fire department has extinguished the flames, the aftermath of a fire and smoke damaged home or business can be traumatic and overwhelming; especially, if the next steps of mitigation and restoration are unknown.  Every year, thousands of home and business owners experience a fire loss and the SERVPRO franchises are there to assist them in the process of making it "Like it never even happened.”  The #1 thing to remember after experiencing a fire is that time is of the essence when it comes to mitigating your loss. 

Key actions to take:

• Call your insurance carrier and file a claim
• Get approval for a restoration company to perform emergency services

Your insurance carrier will be able to answer questions you may have, start the claims process, and give authorization for emergency restoration services to be performed to prevent further damage to the property and its contents.  The insurance carrier will also assign an insurance adjuster to work with you and your restoration company in determining what is salvageable and what needs to be replaced.  

Once the property has been released by the fire marshal emergency services can proceed.

Emergency services include:

• Board up of fire damaged and compromised windows and doors
• Installing roof tarps to prevent water intrusion due to fire damaged roofing
• Providing temporary power if necessary
• Winterization of utilities
• Drying and dehumidification of home or business if water was used to extinguish the fire to prevent further damage to the structure and contents
• Initial cleaning to salvage items that could be permanently damaged due to soot exposure
• Pack out of contents for cleaning

Quickly getting emergency services started increases the odds of salvaging high value and sentimental soot damaged items like electronics, marble counter tops, furniture, precious metals, artwork, and photos.  It also reduces the size of your insurance claim which can be a benefit at the time of renewal.

If you experience a fire loss your knowledgeable SERVPRO of South Durham and Orange County team will work with you to get you back into your home or business as quickly as possible. Call us 24/7 at (919)596-1242.