Recovery and Restoration After a Fire

8/31/2017 (Permalink)

Recovery and Restoration After a Fire

There are few things homeowners and business owners fear more than a fire in their home or a fire in their business. Commercial fire damage not only impacts the individual business directly, but also the local economy as that business’ operations flounder during the fire damage restoration. Conversely, fire damage from a fire in a home causes families to be left out on the street without shelter. It is extremely important therefore to undertake fire damage restoration quickly and effectively, which is why most leave the arduous chore to professional restoration companies. A restoration company will utilize efficient methodologies to accomplish the task in an expedient manner.

The first step a restoration company will take is to identify and assess the extent of the fire damage. Whether commercial fire damage or residential, fire cleanup cannot begin until the professionals know precisely what must be done. Ergo, inspectors will survey the soot damage, smoke damage, and even the smoke smell to determine if any special procedures must be used or if the building is even structurally recoverable.

When the restoration company knows what must be done, their next action is often to board up the facility. Fire damage is not resigned to the walls and ceilings, it has a particularly harsh effect on glass too. Therefore, between the heat, warping structure and fire crews doing all they can to access the flames many windows, doors and sometimes wall segments are destroyed. This exposes the interior of the structure to the outdoors, causing additional issues in fire cleanup. Therefore, professionals will often board up the exterior openings in order to prevent the elements from further complicating the matter.

Another reason to board up the exterior openings is to prevent additional water damage. When there is a fire in a home or fire in a business, fire crews utilize large amounts of water to put out blaze. This leaves a substantial amount of water damage to the structure as well. Crews cannot fully engage in fire damage restoration until the water is out of the way, so once a restoration company is done boarding up the exterior openings, they begin removing the standing water and moisture to facilitate the fire cleanup.

With the water out of the way, fire damage restoration effort moves on to removing soot damage, smoke damage, and smoke smell from the premises. Fire damage from soot and smoke is not only hazardous but also debilitating to home resale value if not properly handled. Commercial fire damage from soot and smoke can be just as damaging to business’ ability to attract clientele. For these reasons, fire cleanup procedures for soot damage, smoke damage, and smoke smell are often very thorough and can sometimes be one of the more meticulous steps in the process.

Once the smoke damage, soot damage, and smoke smell have been removed, the next step for restoration of residential and commercial fire damage is cleaning and repair. When a fire occurs in a home the homeowners cannot return until all of the debris is cleared out and all of the structural damage done to the building itself is repaired. There are cases where building repair is not possible, but most often such cases are identified in the early stages of restoration. A fire in a business is much the same, as most local governments will not allow businesses to reopen and draw in patrons until after the facility has been deemed structurally sound.

As soon as the building has been cleared of water damage, soot and smoke damage, cleaned then structurally repaired, it is then time to move on the restoration of the property to its pre-fire state. This step incorporates multiple tasks into one, is essentially an attempt to make the building appear as though the fire had never happened. If it is a fire in a home, everything from furnishings to carpet are likely to be replaced. If it is a fire in a business, equipment and safety features will also likely be replaced in addition to cosmetic factors. Once the restoration step is done, the building becomes habitable again and the project is finally complete, allowing families to return home and businesses to return to their operations.
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