Fires destroy billions of dollars of property in the United States and Canada every year. In 2009:
• There were 377,000 residential fires in the United States, or 78% of the total number of structural fires.
• A residential fire occurred every 84 seconds!
• $7,796,000,000 of property losses occurred in residential properties, alone.
(Source: National Fire Protection Association Report, August 2010)
While some fires are a total loss and there is nothing, or very little, left to save, many fires are much smaller in scope. In some cases there is little structural damage to the home. Even in those cases, however, there is usually significant smoke/soot damage to the contents of the home. And, when the contents of a home such as furniture, kitchen utensils, dishes, toys, clothing, bedding and draperies, or other personal items are damaged by smoke/soot mitigating the damage, cleaning and restoring the contents to its pre-loss condition is a job for restoration professionals.
The first concern in every fire situation is safety. Restoration professionals will take steps to make sure all workers and others entering a structure after a fire are safe. It is important to ensure the structure is sound before any evaluation is done or work begins.
Smoke/soot particles are Products of Incomplete Combustion (PIC). Many are dangerous and many are proven carcinogens. In most cases, consideration should be given to wearing a respirator, such as an N-95 or N-100, and gloves or other protective clothing which will protect people entering the structure adequately. Ventilation can be very important and if at all possible, the contaminants in the air should be evacuated to the outside.
PICs may start to degrade affected contents in hours, just a few days, or perhaps a week or so, depending on the item affected. It is important to evaluate items quickly and begin cleaning procedures as quickly as possible.
After safety concerns are addressed, the next issue to resolve will be which items are to be cleaned and where. Most soft goods such as bedding, clothing, and draperies will be taken to a dry cleaning or laundry facility for processing. Remaining items will be sorted as to whether the items are suitable for the restoration process or are to be discarded. Careful records should be kept of all discarded items for later consideration for compensation by the insurance company. With restorable items, the restoration professional may decide conditions in the home are severe enough to warrant removing the smoke/ soot damaged items to a controlled environment outside of the home for cleaning. This process is referred to as a "pack out." If this is done, careful records must be kept for items taken, location of the items, and condition of the items when removed. Inventory lists should be kept on stored items. In other circumstances, the restorer may determine that conditions allow for cleaning and storing the contents within the home, or perhaps the garage.
A restoration professional will evaluate the contents in every room to determine whether they should be replaced, or can be successfully restored to a pre-loss condition. Cost, sentimental value, and antique value are all considerations. In many cases, if they have not been damaged directly by the fire or by excessive heat, they do not need to be discarded. They can be restored. A professional will perform testing to determine the appropriate product and mix ratio to use on each content item. Today's restoration professional will use environmentally friendly products for all cleaning and restoration processes. This is an important consideration when choosing a restoration company.
Food items must be treated with the utmost discretion. Any open items should be discarded.
Unopened items in original packaging that were away from the heat can be considered safe. If there is any doubt, discard the items. Again, a full inventory is very important.
Many plastic items are easily damaged by fire. Melting is the most obvious situation where a plastic item will not be able to be restored, but many plastics bond with the smoke/soot in the air. This discoloration is permanent and cannot be removed.
Removing the source is always the first step in every odor control situation. Often, the cleaning already accomplished by the restoration professional will eliminate any odor from the fire. If there is a hint of odor remaining, then the professional will consider the best method of controlling that odor as an additional step in the complete restoration effort. This could include ozone or hydroxyl deodorizing, as appropriate.
Regardless of the circumstances - dealing with fire/smoke damage, water damage, mold remediation, or even biohazard remediation/cleanup - call your local PuroClean office (866-944-7876), the Paramedics of Property DamageTM. For all property damage situations, these professionals are standing by. We will mitigate the loss to prevent further damage and will then provide restoration services to return the property to a pre-loss condition as quickly as possible. All PuroClean offices have well-trained professional technicians who provide the latest state-of-the-science services to all property damaged from water, fire, smoke, mold, and other disasters.
PuroClean Professional Services
866-944-PURO (7876)
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