Dealing with the aftermath from a fire can feel overwhelming, but ServiceMaster Restoration by RSI’s professional fire damage restoration services can help. It’s essential to immediately address fire damage if you want to avoid the need for additional repairs, so you should call for help as soon as possible after the incident occurs.
It’s completely normal to get stressed out or feel overwhelmed after a fire, but you don’t have to go through it alone. SMRSI is here to help. Read on to find out what to expect during the restoration process.
What to Expect During the Fire Damage Restoration Process
When you work with SMRSI, you can expect your family and your home to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve at all times. Disaster restoration services play an essential role in getting clients’ lives back on track, and their staff is committed to making the process as painless as possible.
A fire can affect some parts of your home or all of it. Different areas might require specialized cleaning, restoration, or rebuilding methods, but SMRSI’s experienced technicians can do it all. They’ll be able to quickly and accurately identify what areas of the home have been damaged, give you an idea of what items and building materials can be restored and which ones will need to be replaced, and even work with you and your insurance company to come up with budget-friendly solutions.
Quick Response
The restoration process begins when you call SMRSI for help. The company has representatives available 24/7, so don’t be afraid to call at unusual hours of the day. You’ll still be able to get the immediate services you need to get the restoration process started.
Inspection and Assessment
SMRSI will send one or more technicians to the property to conduct a thorough damage assessment. The technicians will document their findings using photos and videos, test the rooms for smoke and soot damage, and look for hidden damage in attics, behind walls, or in other difficult-to-access areas of your home. After the initial assessment, SMRSI will provide a general project timeline and explain what will be required to restore the property to its former glory.
Further Damage
After a fire, one of the homeowners’ top priorities should be to protect their homes from further damage. They can trust SMRSI to remove contents from affected areas, so they don’t become more challenging to clean and take preventative measures to protect the home.
Boarding and Tarps
Boarding up the home’s windows can prevent further damage by protecting the house from the elements and deterring vandals. SMRSI may also use tarps to cover areas of the roof that sustained damage during the fire or in the process of putting it out.
Clean Up
It’s essential to start the clean-up process as quickly as possible. Smoke, soot, and firefighters’ water to put out the fire can cause more extensive damage if they aren’t treated quickly. Your restoration team will use various methods to salvage furniture, building materials, and personal belongings left behind in affected areas.
SMRSI’s technicians will also dispose of any belongings that cannot be salvaged after taking photos and videos to document their condition for your insurance company. You should let these professionals handle disposing of items too damaged to be repaired, as the property may not be safe to enter at this stage of the restoration process.
Expect the technicians to remove some items that don’t appear to have sustained damage from the home or business.
Don’t worry. They aren’t going to throw them away. They must be removed from the affected area to prevent further contamination. The restoration technicians will clean and sanitize them thoroughly before bringing them back into your fully restored property later on.
Water Removal and Drying
It may seem odd to lump water removal into fire restoration services, but there’s a good reason SMRSI and other service providers include this step in their standard remediation processes. Firefighters almost always use fire hoses to extinguish fires, which can leave areas of the home flooded. It’s imperative to deal with water damage as quickly as possible to avoid mold growth.
The technicians will start by removing the water, typically using sump pumps. Once the standing water is gone, they will use specialized air movers and dehumidifiers to remove excess humidity from the air. If water has been left standing in the home, there will probably be mold to contend with, as well. This may require applying fungicides in addition to removing all the standing water.
Smoke and Soot
Smoke and soot can cause substantial damage even in areas of your home that weren’t initially impacted by the fire. Your restoration team will use various methods for removing smoke, soot, and odors from different materials.
Depending on what areas of the home were damaged, they will probably include:
- Removing smoke and soot from the walls, floors, and furniture using a mild soap or detergent
- Sanitizing the walls and ceiling, then drying them thoroughly to prevent mold growth
- Using tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) products to reduce odors
- Removing smoke and soot odors from clothing, furniture, and draperies using specialized detergents or bleach
Some smoke and soot removal processes, such as treating the walls, floors, and ceilings, will be performed on-site. Most belongings will be treated in a separate facility and returned to the property later in the clean-up process. Expect the technicians to contact you before they get started to determine which items should take priority.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
All restorable structures and items in your home will have to be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly following the fire. Disaster restoration specialists have access to a wide variety of specialized equipment and products that can help them remove smoke, soot, mold, and contaminants from your home.
It’s common for carpets, curtains, and other textiles to require extra attention during this phase. Even if they haven’t been destroyed during the fire, they can easily get ruined during the cleaning process. In most cases, carpets are shampooed, dried, and restored on-site, while fabrics are washed and cleaned at a specialized facility. It’s typically pretty easy to tell which textiles can be repaired and which of them are beyond hope.
It’s not just building materials, furniture, and belongings you’ll need to clean following a fire. Soot, smoke, and the mold that often accompanies water damage can contribute to low air quality, so your technicians will also have to cleanse the air of lingering contaminants and odors. This requires specialized equipment like air scrubbers, air movers, and dehumidifiers. Once the technicians are done with this stage of the restoration process, all surfaces of your home or business, and even the air inside it, will be free from contaminants.
Repair and Renovation
The repair and renovation process is the last step in restoring your building to its pre-fire condition. Depending on the fire’s scale and how long you waited to begin the restoration process, you can expect either minor repairs or major renovations. The cost associated with this step of the process will vary significantly, but it may be covered either way if you have insurance.
Minor Repairs
If the fire was small, and you contact SMRSI as soon as you can, your property may only need some minor repairs. These can include replacing wet or damaged drywall, repainting rooms that have been badly smoked damaged, or installing new carpets. If firefighters were called to the scene, expect to deal with water damage in addition to the actual fire damage.
Large Scale Reno
If the fire damaged substantial portions of your property or the firefighters had to cut holes in the roof and walls, your home or business may need large-scale renovations. In some cases, entire areas or rooms may need to be reconstructed. If this is the case, you should take the time to discuss your options and try to provide photos or videos, if available, to show what the rooms looked like before they were destroyed.
Get the Restoration Process Started Now
When your life gets turned upside down, you can always count on the professional services of ServiceMaster Restoration by RSI. We are prepared to handle calls 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Call us now (405) 251-7286 to help repair and restore both your home and life.
