The Fire Is Out. Now What?

5/4/2020 (Permalink)

We've been taught since preschool that when you see smoke or flames in your house, call 911 immediately. What homeowners need to do after the fire department leaves is less common knowledge. This is where SERVPRO of Cookeville/Carthage/Smithville/Woodbury comes in.

Speed Is Key

Within hours of the fire being out, metals tarnish, countertops yellow, and grout stains.

Within days, walls yellow, clothing stains, and circuit boards may fail due to corrosion. This is why it is important to contact your insurance to verify coverage and file a claim as soon as possible.

Once the home is released by the fire department, schedule an initial assessment with a trained and licensed fire restoration company to see what can be salvaged and develop a plan of action. After the initial assessment is complete, the home should be boarded up and the roof tarped to maintain security and protect from further damages.

Fire Mitigation

The first step in the mitigation process is to pack out and clean the contents that were affected by smoke and soot. All of the restorable contents in affected areas will be professionally cleaned and deodorized. Restoration professionals begin by carefully inspecting and testing all fabrics in the structure to determine which cleaning methods are most appropriate. They should be able provide wet or dry cleaning services. Additionally, all the other restorable contents will be cleaned and deodorized to preloss condition. Finally, restoration professionals can provide an inventory list of all “to be claimed” items if requested.

Content Inventory

Restoration professionals can generate comprehensive room-by-room inventories. Contents are categorized as salvageable, non-salvageable and questionable - allowing for easier contents settlement.

Restore VS Replace

Once the contents are out of the home, SERVPRO of Cookeville/Carthage/Smithville/Woodbury's technicians will reassess the structure for unseen damages. We will clean and disinfect structure materials that were affected, and restore the home to its pre-fire condition. This may include some repairs to the structure.

We focus on restoring versus replacing because restoring the affected areas of your property is substantially less costly than demolishing and replacing those areas. This “restore first” mentality also allows us to get your home back to pre-fire condition quicker and with less disruption.

Once the repairs are complete, the home is deodorized and the contents are moved back in "Like it never even happened."