By: Michael Lilly
Dec. 19th, 2014
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| Fire damage can happen to anyone. |
There is
essentially no residential or commercial property that is immune to the risk of
fire, and if one isn't stopped quickly enough, the amount of fire damage it can
leave behind is astronomical. What happens when your home or commercial
property has sustained fire damage in Ormond Beach? How can you recover? These are tips for
understanding fire and smoke, as well as how to move past a fire incident.
What is
Smoke?
Smoke is a
combination of gases and particles that weren't burnt in the fire. Smoke
contains specific particles by the name of PM10. PM essentially stands for
"particulate matter." Wood smoke, in particular, contains dangerous
chemicals such as methane, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, acetic acid, and more.
Other materials such as fabrics, plastics, and foods also produce their own
hosts of dangerous chemicals. This is why smoke is incredibly hazardous to
people.
Smoke is
extremely corrosive and can cause critical damage to, not only living things,
but material objects as well. Smoke does not dissipate after a fire has ended.
Instead, much of it creates a film that can easy discolor, corrode, and damage
materials.
What
Happens After the Fire?
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| Put out a fire quickly to minimize the damage to your home |
A building
sustains many kinds of damage after a fire including water damage, fire damage,
and smoke damage. Your first order of business is to contact the fire
department, as well as your insurance company. When speaking with your
insurance company, request a senior adjuster; these types of matters are
extremely time-sensitive. Don't enter the building unless it has been approved
by the fire department or an engineer. When assessing fire damage, understand
that items that look untouched could be heavily damaged. High temperatures can
cause quite a bit of damage by themselves.
You'll
want to begin the collections process of sorting through everything that will
be cleaned, thrown out, repaired, etc.
Salvaging
the Building and Collections
For the
building, you can do things such as vacuum dry soot, sponging away loose soot
and smoke film with approved cleaners, cleaning chrome fixtures and Formica in
the bathrooms and kitchens, and replacing structural damage to salvage as much
as possible. Ensure that you keep any architectural remains; many can be
cleaned and re-affixed.
If
possible, use a conservation expert to assist with collections. Surprisingly,
you'll be able to get away with vacuuming many items.
Choosing a
Restoration Company
A
restoration company can be of great help in the event of significant fire damage.
Typical services include roof/window/door cover-up, cleaning, odor removal,
structural repair, electronic restoration and cleaning, and more. Ensure that
the restoration company you choose belongs to the Restoration Industry
Association and/or the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and
Restoration Certification).
How to Get
Rid of Smoke Odor
Lastly,
you'll likely want to get rid of the strong odor left behind from the fire. At
this point, you essentially have two choices: ozone treatment and thermal
deoderization. You must explicitly make sure you do not use these treatments
with archive, library, or museum collections. Likewise, you should also be
removing as much fire damage as possible to eliminate the sources of odor. Be
sure to frequently flush out the building with clean, fresh air to continue
filtering the odor out.
For additional information go to: NATIONALDISASTERRECOVERY.ORG
SERVPRO of Flagler County Professionals provide fire and water damage restoration services. SERVPRO of Flagler County proudly serves Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Hammock Dunes, Beverly Beach, Bunnell, Marineland, Hammock, Hammock Beach, and surrounding areas. We are available 24 hours/7 days a week and are ready to restore damage to your home or commercial structure caused by:
Fire Damage Restoration
We understand that smoke and fire damage is both devastating and disruptive to your family or business. SERVPRO of Flagler County Professionals respond quickly to repair fire, smoke, and soot damage, including:
- Fire damage cleanup
- Smoke and soot damage cleaning and repair
- Cleaning your home's contents and belongings
- Eliminating fire and smoke odor and deodorization
