If you have experienced a fire damage it is very important that you exercise extreme caution. Your local fire department will have notified you as to whether it is safe for you to enter the property. Please heed their advice because there are many potential safety and health hazards.
A fire damage is as much of an emergency as a water damage. Emergency cleaning services to remove soot and contain odors need to begin immediately due to the potential safety and health hazards they pose to occupants and workers. SOOT may be light and dry or greasy and sticky. The longer it remains in place, the more difficult it is to remove. Soot is acidic and can etch into furniture, and appliance finishes, metals, bathroom fixtures, countertops, and glass in a matter of hours.
An immediate result of the fire and soot, ODORS will continue to spread throughout the property, penetrating carpet, upholstery, clothing, linens, dry goods and other porous materials more deeply with time.
The following are the normal steps in dealing with a fire damage restoration:
- Protection – taking steps to protect the health and safety of all occupants and protecting structure and contents from further damage.
- Extraction – removal of water using state of the art equipment specifically designed to handle large quantities of water/sewage.
- Deodorization – removal, destruction, or modification of undesirable odors generated by the fire and its residues.
- Cleaning – removal of soot and any additional residues
- Structural repairs –recovery, repair, and rebuilding, reconstruction or replacement services to return your property to pre-loss condition once the emergency services are completed.
Our emergency services also include mitigating the water damage, securing the structure through board ups or tarps, packing out the contents when necessary and deodorization. Thermogen fogging disperses a deodorizing vapor that will trace the path of the smoke, penetrating structure and contents, to encapsulate and neutralize the smoke odor molecules, yielding excellent results. In certain circumstances, other processes such as Vapor Tek, ozone, or ULV fogging will smoke odor counteractants are used.
Fire restoration usually requires extensive cleaning, refinishing, painting and other structural repairs. As your adjuster will probably ask that you get estimates for these repairs It is important for you to know that preparing an accurate estimate for these types of damages is often difficult and time consuming. Delay at this stage are sometimes irritating, but often necessary to ensure that your needs are being met. There are often hidden damages that are not apparent until demolition has begun. There may be necessary code upgrades as determined by the building inspector. Expect to have differing opinions among all parties’ concerned (potential contractors, the adjuster and the building inspector and you) as to what needs to be done.
We recommend you have your adjuster provide you with his/her scope of the necessary work and have this reviewed by each restoration contractor as to its accuracy. If you are talking to several restoration contractors, obtain a list of references and check those references.
You need a contractor experienced in work of this nature. One who understands how to communicate and handle negotiations with your insurance company as the work progresses. One who will keep you informed of any issues that may arise.
Our fire damage specialists are caring, experienced professionals who respond quickly to minimize the damage to your property and repair your property to its pre-loss condition as quickly as possible. Unlike many companies that only provide limited services, our team is fully qualified to handle both the mitigation and the structural repairs necessary for total recovery.
Once the job is complete, our job supervisor conducts a walk-through inspection with you to make sure your property has been properly restored to pre-loss condition.
We regret that you have experienced a fire damage. Our company earns its living by helping people like you recover and return to normal living as soon as possible. Understanding the trauma you have experienced, we make every effort to create open lines of communication and cooperate with insurance companies, while protecting your interests. There is nothing more rewarding than the look of satisfaction on a customer’s face when their property has been restored to its pre-loss condition.
Should you experience a disaster, call AFTERDISASTER at 800-948-0242 for immediate assistance.