When a fire strikes your property, there’s not much you can do but wait for the firefighters to put the flames out. And once you finally get the chance to check everything out, you have to make arrangements to get fire damage restoration performed on your home or place of business right away.
With fire damage restoration, you get the opportunity to reverse whatever havoc the fire has wreaked on your property and allow you to resume your normal routine the soonest possible time. While the fire damage scenario may vary from property to property, the steps that restoration professionals follow remain pretty much the same. Here are the five steps of damage restoration.
1. Damage assessment
The fire damage restoration process begins with a thorough evaluation of the damage the fire has caused. Restoration professionals will check the extent of the destruction, from the walls right down to the furniture. With a complete examination of the scene, the damage restoration company should have a clear idea of what needs to be done, and from there create a plan of attack that will cover everything from the estimated cost of the whole procedure to the date of completion.
2. Preventing further damage
The damage that a property can sustain because of a fire does not end with firefighters extinguishing the flames. Things could still get worse, like in the case of a burst pipe that will continue to soak the property and cause water damage, which often comes hand-in-hand with fire damage. Restoration pros will locate the burst pipes as well as try to identify other sources of potential further damage and address them accordingly.
3. Fire damage cleanup
The next step is to clear the property of all the mess. The charred parts of the damaged area, as well as any furniture and appliances that have gone up in flames, will be removed. Carpets that didn’t sustain fire damage but were soaked by all the water from the fire hoses and possible burst pipes will also be taken out.
Speaking of water damage, the cleanup will also involve pumping out standing pools of liquid, and drying out all surfaces. The property will also have suffered considerable smoke damage, so restoration crews will also work to clear contaminated air and to neutralize odors using special equipment like air scrubbers and negative air fans.
4. Fire damage repair and restoration
Once the damaged area is all cleaned up, the crew of the restoration company you hired will start repairing what can be fixed. Cabinets that sustained minimal fire damage, for example, will only have to need some fixing and topping off with a fresh coat of paint.
However, when most of the affected area is beyond repair, your restoration professionals will then proceed to perform a complete renovation. With their skills, experience, and special tools, they should be able to return the fire-damaged part of your property to its former state. And with further deodorizing efforts to remove the smell of smoke, your home or place or business will seem it was untouched by fire.
5. Debriefing and consultation
As part of their service, fire damage restoration companies have also made it their mission to help their clients avoid a repeat of the incident that nearly cost them their property. After restoring the damaged area, they will sit down with you and give a debriefing that will cover many things, including what may have caused the fire and what they did to reverse the damage. They will also provide you with advice on what to do to ensure nothing of the sort ever happens again, like installing smoke detectors and other preventive measures.
Of course, before calling a restoration company, you have to clear it with your insurance provider first so that your fire damage restoration efforts will proceed with no hiccups.
