WINTERS ARE HERE!
It’s the time of year when families switch on their heaters, light up their fireplaces and plug in electric heaters and warmers to make their homes warm and cozy. But most homeowners don’t realize that it’s also the riskiest season for home fires because these heating devices and equipment increase the chances of an accident.
Across the U.S., heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires, and the numbers increase exponentially in winter. Truly speaking, more than 50% of heating related fire incidents occur in December, January, and February.
And when a fire incident happens, it not only burns your property and brings physical damage to your property, but it is emotionally and financially devastating for homeowners, too.
After the incident, the most overwhelming feeling is “What do I do next?” Most homeowners describe the experience as “devastating,” “shocking,” and “paralyzing,” especially when they see their belongings covered in soot, smoke, and ash.
In such emotionally stressful situations, when you are grieving over your loss, the cleanup and recovery process often feels like another mountain to climb. And the fear of hidden dangers like weakened structures, toxic residues, electrical risks, etc., makes living in that burnt home even more stressful.
This guide will tell you how to start recovery with help of fire damage restoration team and how to get your Carolina home safely restored.
What is Fire Damage Restoration?
Fire damage restoration is the process of returning a fire and smoke damaged property to pre-loss condition. Fire cleanup and restoration jobs can take weeks or months due to the destructive nature of the disaster.
In an unfortunate event when fire broke out, many other problems raise their heads concurrently. One of the high rated issues is water damage that occurs during the incident and its restoration. Water damage occurs because of two main reasons. Firstly, it’s due to the dousing of water from the fire department during the process of containing and extinguishing fire. Secondly, water supply pipes may burst or melt during fire, which leaks into the structure. So, water damage can make a place at fire almost irreparable.
Water damage restoration involves mitigating water and drying the property. This process often needs days to a week to get completed. Whereas, Fire cleanup and restoration jobs can take weeks or months due to the destructive nature of the disaster.
It can include boarding up broken windows or doors, tearing down unsafe parts of the house, and rebuilding them again. It also involves cleaning up debris, removing smoke smell, cleaning soot, and washing or saving your belongings if possible. During a fire incident, harmful chemicals lead or asbestos might get disturbed, the restoration team will safely remove them too.
Read More: California Holiday Fire Safety Checklist for Winter Homes and Celebrations
Steps to Restore Fire Damage
After the fire, your place is unsafe to enter, and it is not permitted to enter it until or unless a licensed authority gives you a go ahead signal. So, before a fire damage restoration contractor assesses your property, the first and foremost task is to get your place VERIFIED AS SAFE TO ENTER by a licensed authority.
Once the access is granted, the fire damage restoration team looks at the damage caused by fire and analyzes which fire damage can be restored, and to what extent. So, here is a typical look at how the fire damage restoration process is carried out:
1. Assessment of Damage
After the fire damage restoration team is signaled to enter the home their first task is THOROUGH ASSESSMENT. In this process the team checks each and every thing to assess how much damage is caused by fire and additional damages that occurred due to dousing of water during the process of extinguishing fire.
This typically involves assessing how far the flames and smoke have penetrated into the structure and how extensive any clean up is likely to be.
This thorough assessment helps them to understand what needs to be repaired, what needs to be cleaned, and what must be rebuilt because of excessive damage.
At the end of a thorough assessment, the restoration team will have an appropriate idea of the scope of the work and how long it will take. At the end of this step, the team will also formulate how much of the total investment will be required to complete the restoration process.
2. Security of Property & Debris Removal
After the assessment of the actual damage caused by fire, the restoration team will secure and protect the property as their next move in the process. In this step, the first and foremost step is to fence the property to prevent strangers, thieves, or any curious person from entering the space because the place might be unsafe for non professionals entering the house.
Once the fencing is done, the next move will be to clean the venue by removing broken pieces from around. In a fire, glass usually shatters due to intense heat, leaving a portal to enter inside the home, so the team will cover and board up windows and doors to protect what’s left inside the house from theft and weather.
After boarding up the doors and windows, the restoration team will next cover the damaged parts of the roof with tarps so rain or wind doesn’t cause more damage.
Fencing, boarding the windows and doors, and tarping the damaged roof seals the house so nothing get worse any further while restoration work is being planned.
After dealing with the damaged part of the place, the other most important focus of the team will be to protect those parts of the home that are not damaged by fire. This is done by sealing the undamaged part so that smoke, soot, dust, or dirty water from spreading into the undamaged parts of the house.
3. Demolition, Water Removal & Dry Out
Now, what’s done due to fire can’t be undone, but what’s left can be saved. After securing the place, the next step is to prevent any further damage from happening and causing further loss.
The water used during the process of extinguishing fire, if left at the place unattended, might cause rust and mold. To prevent this from happening, the whole place is evacuated and dried with the help of industrial dryers, fans, and machines.
Moreover, the damaged parts of the place, like burnt drywall, wet flooring, and ruined walls, are cut out and removed. Only the strong parts of the home like concrete walls are kept because they are comparatively safe and can be remodeled and revamped.
4. Clean Up and Smoke Removal
This step involves deep cleaning the interior and exterior of the damaged place. This is the most intensive part of the whole restoration process because it involves a lot of manual labor to properly clean smoke and soot from interior and exterior surfaces. In most cases, every inch of the affected area, like walls, ceilings, floors, windows, in short, everything that has smoke or soot needs to be cleaned. Once the cleaning is over, the team uses special deodorizing agents to remove the strong smoke smell so the home smells normal again.
Also, fire damage restoration makes sure to clean the air ducts thoroughly because if any smoke and soot are left there, it can spread again when the ventilation is resumed, leading to bad smell across the home once again.
Moreover, the team will also desensitize the whole place to prevent the growth of molds due to humidity caused by water damage. Everything that was removed previously from the home is also cleaned and revamped off-site to bring it back to its pre-damaged condition.
5. Construction & Restoration
In the final step of the fire damage restoration process, the parts that were declared irreparable during the initial assessment will be removed and replaced properly keeping in mind all the quality standards. This step will bring the place back to its pre-damage condition and make it worth living in again.
This step includes rebuilding and replacing the roof, electrical connections and wirings, flooring materials, replacing interior counters, fixtures, etc.
How to Get Fire Damage Restoration in Carolinas
Finding a trustable and professional team requires you to take control of nerves after heavy financial and emotional damage as it is also the only way to prevent worse things from happening any further.
There are many trustworthy fire damage restoration companies that are providing services in the Carolinas. These companies include SERVPRO, Paul Davis Restoration, BELFOR, and ATI Restoration. These are all highly professional and licensed companies with years of experience in damage restoration with top-notch expertise.
In order to get their help, go to their websites, either take their contact number from the site or fill out their online contact form to connect with them.
When you contact them, they will ask you about your details, credentials, and a short description of what happened.
Once the initial contact procedure is done, the fire damage restoration company will send its team to your place. The team will do the assessment process and formulate how much money you will need for the whole restoration process. The team will start the restoration process as soon as you approve.
FAQs About Fire Damage Restoration
Do I Need To Move Out During the Restoration Process?
Usually, it depends on many parameters, especially the extent of damage. If the fire was intense and had left remarkable damage, then the place is initially unsafe for anyone to step in until or unless you are permitted by the licensed authority. During the restoration process, if the building’s structural integrity has been compromised and the basic utilities are unavailable due to damage, then its good to relocate until the restoration process is complete just to prevent any stress or emotional strain. But the best way is to consult with your trusted restoration professionals and follow their recommendations.
What Is the First Thing I Should Do After a Fire?
After firefighters have completed their task, the first and foremost thing is to ensure that your family and your pets are safe. If someone is injured, make sure to give them proper medical aid they need. It’s a wise decision to call a fire damage restoration company immediately.
Can I Inspect My Home After a Fire?
Never, it’s a highly unsafe act to enter the damaged home without prior safety checks and approval by licensed authorities. This is because homes affected by fire might get weak, and there is a chance that the building’s structural integrity might be compromised. Moreover, the smoke and soot inside the damaged home or building can cause health damage if you inhale them. So it’s safe to let the experts enter first and assess the place for damage.
How Do I Secure My Home After a Fire?
If you have hired the fire damage restoration team, let them do it their way. They will secure and protect your place by fencing it, boarding up the doors and windows, and tarping the damaged roof to prevent any further damage due to theft and weather.