Fire can cause catastrophic amounts of damage to your home or business, you may even call it the ultimate annihilator. Fire consumes almost everything in its path and what it doesn’t consume it damages. The path left behind fire usually consists of the charred, sooty, and oily residue of what used to be there. As a home or business owner, you are responsible for the safety of the people, contents, and property. Fire prevention safety should be on the top of your list. With that in mind, Advanced Disaster Recovery Inc. in has decided to debunk some common fire damage restoration myths that you may have heard.
First Fire Damage Myth: Smoke Detectors Are All I Need.
Smoke detectors are great at providing an early warning…when in working order. Make sure your smoke detectors are installed properly and have well-charged batteries. Smoke detectors can provide you and your family with the opportunity to stop before it gets out of hand, however, there may be some unforeseen factors that can go wrong. It is crucial that you have an evacuation plan in place for fire damage emergencies. Sit down with your family, housemates, or employees and put together an emergency preparedness plan so, if the time comes, everyone can evacuation the property safely.
You may also want to invest in the appropriate fire extinguishers or sprinkler system for your home or business. Providing that additional layer of safety can go a long way in preventing fire damage to your property and saving the lives of property residents. Fun Fact: fire sprinkler systems are eligible for insurance rate savings and can increase property value.
Second Fire Damage Myth: Sprinklers Cause Way More Damage
When a fire occurs, typically, only the sprinkler within range of the fire will active, releasing water directing on the fire. The other sprinklers will remain dormant unless the fire spreads. Roughly 85% of the time, during a fire, only one sprinkler will be active.
With that in mind, fire sprinklers can reduce damage and property loss significantly. The sprinkler system will quickly eliminate the heat and control the smoke from the fire, limiting the damage the fire is able to cause. Any resulting water damage is minimal compared to the water damage caused by fire-fighting hose lines.
Third Fire Damage Myth: Most Fires Are Caused My Electrical Malfunctions
According to FEMA, The US Fire Administration, electrical malfunctions is not the leading cause of fire damage, nor is it the second-leading cause of fire damage. Cooking is responsible for nearly half of all house fires reported in the United States. Heating comes in a far second, causing over 12% of the house fires in the US. Electrical house fires come in third with consisting of only 6% of the house fires in the US.
Fourth Fire Damage Myth: Flames Pose The Biggest Threat In A Fire
Flames can cause some major destruction, but smoke inhalation is responsible for most fire-related deaths. Smoke is chalk full of toxic chemicals and is easily inhaled, leading to unconsciousness and then death.
For fire damage and smoke damage cleanup and restoration, make sure you contact a professional certified and insured company like Advanced Disaster Recovery Inc. that knows every step of the fire and smoke restoration process and how to do it correctly.
Knowing How Is Half The Battle
Knowledge is power. When a disaster happens, it’s easy to feel beat down and overwhelmed. But, this can be avoided. By understanding what steps to take in the event of a fire disaster, you can step in and get the repair process started so that your life can get back to normal. If there is a lot of damage, do not despair! There are certified professionals who can help take the burden off your shoulders so that you can worry about your daily life.
Any fire is going to bring damage. Even just smoke damage can take a toll on a home. However, major fires typically come with water damage that needs to be resolved in the process. Luckily, there are major steps and processes to can get the damage cleaned up and resolved quickly and efficiently. Knowing what these steps are gives you a head-start. Let’s look at those steps now.
Step 1. Fire Damage Evaluation
How bad is the damage? Is there just smoke damage? Smoke damage and a little fire damage? A lot of fire damage and
tons of water damage from putting out the flames? A professional fire restoration company like Advanced Disaster Recovery Inc. knows exactly what needs to be looked at and assessed to determine the degree of the damage. The extent of house fires will always vary from fire to fire so it’s pertinent to have your home evaluated by an experienced and skillful professional. Sometimes, the extent of the damage is so severe that a third party may need to be called in to make sure your home gets back to livable and comfortable standards. If this is the case, you can guarantee that a professional fire restoration service will know the best third parties in the Goshen area.
Step 2 – Isolation
Any areas that can be hazardous need to be completely isolated after a fire. Isolating burned and water damaged areas will protect individuals from danger, but will also prevent the damaged areas from getting worse. Fire repair specialists will make sure that all areas deemed unsafe are blocked off and sealed for your protection.
Step 3 – Cleanup and Water Extraction
Nothing in a damaged home can be repaired until all water has been removed. The areas that need to be cleaned need to be dry before work can begin. This is an important process and must be started immediately to save the home from long-term damage. Stagnant water can take a damaged area from bad to worse in as little as 24 hours. Long-term structure damage can start to occur as well as mold growth. Both can be costly and devastating to the future of your home if not remedied immediately.
Step 4 – Elimination of Smoke and Soot
Smoke residue is probably one of the furthest damaging elements from your mind in the event of a fire. Though fire and water can produce a significant amount of damage to a home, smoke and soot can cause just as big of a problem. Soot is generally caked on to walls, ceilings, furniture, carpets, and other items after the event of a fire. Professionals have tools that can help eliminate and clean soot off your home or business, and off any salvageable items. They will also be able to eradicate the long lingering scent of smoke odor.
Step 5 – Sanitization
Cleaning up a damaged property does not only involve water extraction and soot cleanup. The sanitization process is an extremely important step that will most definitely not be missed by a fire damage repair specialist. If you can move back into the home or business that was damaged, rest assured that it was sanitized and made safe to occupy before you set foot inside. Any items that were saved from the fire will also be cleaned and properly sanitized for future use.
Your safety is the primary concern of the professionals that take on the task of repairing your home or business. Advanced Disaster Recovery Inc. wants you to understand how important the knowledge of how to remedy a fire damage situation can help ease your mind in the unfortunate event of a home or business fire. Take the proper steps. Contact a specialist and make sure you are on the right track in getting your home and life back to normal.
Every family wishes for a holiday season that is merry and bright but … not too bright, right? As the cold weather settles in and snow starts to fly in Monroe, the number of house fires increases because people are simply spending more time indoors, and fire hazards are being used more frequently like small heaters, candles, fireplaces, and so on.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, a majority of house fires happen between 5 and 8 p.m. – dinnertime. Winter house fires do more than $2 billion in property damage every year; two-thirds of those fires are in single or two-family home settings, the rest happen in large buildings like apartments or condos.
Decorations
The NFPA also says holiday decorations cause about 860 house fires every year between 2009 and 2013, Christmas trees excluded! Decorations too close to a heat source – like a candle or the fireplace – sparked nearly half of those fires. Twenty percent started in the kitchen, and one out of six started in the living room, family room, or den. One in five house fires started by decorations inside a home (holiday or otherwise) happen in the month of December.
Cooking
Thanksgiving is the #1 day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, then Christmas Eve. Remember that decoration bit we just talked about? Well – 18 percent of cooking fires involve decorations catching fire because they are too close to the stove or other cooking equipment.
Candles
Yes, these are technically decorations too – but more year-round, and worth their own category. Candles. Who doesn’t love a wonderful smelling pumpkin or cinnamon spice candle burning during the holidays? For many of us, scents are part of the magic of the holidays! However – back to that whole discussion about decoration fires, half of those fires were started by candles during the month of December. That stat drops 15 percent in November and January – so it is clear candles are used much more regularly around Christmastime.
The top three days for home candle fires are Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Christmas Eve.
Check out this video by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to see just how quickly a natural Christmas tree can burn when it’s dried out. Wow – less than a minute for it to be totally consumed. Just imagine how quickly that fire can spread through the house then during dry winter months.
It’s likely you’ve heard all these fire prevention tips before. We get it. Most house fires happen because of simple accidents like someone forgetting about a burning candle or a burner on the stove left on with something flammable on top. The holidays are so busy, and sometimes stressful, it can be easy to forget something so simple! Our best advice is to just simply enjoy the holidays while being aware of your surroundings. Make it a habit to check around the house for decorations that need to be turned off before bed or leaving the house, and voila! You’re set!
The entire team at Advanced Disaster Recovery Inc. is wishing you and your families a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
