A house fire is a tragic—and all too common—occurrence here in the United States. Each year, hundreds of thousands of homes face out-of-control blazes, which adds up to billions of dollars in property damage. It also means devastating personal costs in terms of injuries and fatalities.
During an out-of-control fire, it’s not just the flames that are contributing to the destruction. The smoke that is generated by the blaze can be equally harmful to the contents of a home. The aftermath of most house fires will also include a great deal of water damage as a result of putting the fire out.
One of the things we specialize in at Biodynamic is fire damage restoration. Our goal is to help return your home to its pre-loss condition while also taking steps to prevent the problems that caused the fire in the first place from recurring. Below, we’ll offer some insight into that process.
After a Fire: The First Steps
The very first thing you should do after a fire, of course, is to check in with all the inhabitants of the home. Have you accounted for all the people in the building? Is everyone safe? Are there any injuries that need medical attention? What about pets?
Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need to contact friends or family members to see about staying somewhere else until the fire department declares the building safe.
Protect Your Home From Further Damage and Theft
When homeowners contact a professional fire damage restoration company, an important step is to protect the rest of the property by setting up tarps and boarding up as needed. This will not only prevent damage from spreading, but it will help secure your home and prevent unauthorized access or theft.
We can then begin the restoration process by removing anything that is likely to contribute to further damage in the home, including water remaining from extinguishing the fire. This means utilizing an extensive process to remove standing water and any debris or other clutter that can render an area unsafe. A full dryout will likely be required to ensure further water damage is mitigated.
Part of our preparation work also includes packing up as much of your property as we can. Individual items are packed and placed in climate-controlled storage until they can safely be returned to the home. This allows us to inventory the items so you have a complete list for your insurance claim, and it protects your belongings from the restoration work to follow.
File a Claim With Your Insurance Company
Before you begin the process of repairing the damage, you must file a claim with your insurance company. Start by determining what is covered by your homeowners’ insurance and meticulously document all damage, including individual items. This is why one of the services we provide during the restoration process is inventory reporting. It’s important to have a detailed record of everything you expect to be covered.
You should also contact the fire department and ask for a copy of the report on the fire in your home. This will also provide important information that the insurance company will require.
Extensive Cleaning
The next step in the restoration process is to begin a deep cleaning. As we mentioned above, our goal is to return everything to its original, pre-loss condition, which means removing all soot, visible smoke damage, and any other signs that a fire has occurred. Even items with no obvious signs of damage are cleaned, including artwork and electronics, to ensure they are in pristine condition. We use innovative cleaning techniques, such as dry ice blasting, to perform the task as quickly and effectively as possible.
Of course, signs of a fire in the home are more than visual. Residual odors are extremely difficult to remove. The smell of smoke, in particular, remains for a very long time after the blaze has been extinguished, which is why our cleaning process focuses on eliminating it. We use a technology called BioSweep, which guarantees the odor is 100 percent eliminated. In addition, BioSweep avoids the cost, hassle, or mess of less-than-effective coverups, such as sealers and encapsulants.
Repairing Damaged Structures
Depending on the extent of the damage, repairing structural damage can often be the most labor-intensive and time-consuming part of the process. If the fire has penetrated the surface level of the home—as in, burned its way through the drywall and caused damage to the frame of the house—then it’s likely we’ll need to cut away the damaged areas and replace them. The same is true of carpeting, wood floors, and ceilings.
The fire may also have destroyed parts of the home’s electrical grid or plumbing—either by burning through the drywall, or by pressurizing into the substructure—leaving wires, pipes, and more melted and nonfunctional. If that’s the case, our fire damage restoration experts work with a dedicated team of licensed electricians and plumbers. These pros will not only repair damaged lines but also restore power and water services to the property safely so that our workers can begin cleaning and repairing their home.
Finishing Up
It’s important for both safety and peace of mind to return your home to its pre-damaged state, a task we take seriously during the renovation process. That’s why we work closely with you to ensure that you are happy with the final results, and it’s why we use extensive photographic documentation to keep track of the process.
A fire in the home is always an unpleasant experience, and it can be life-altering in many ways. It’s critical that the restoration process is as smooth and easy as possible, so we always recommend using a single provider for the entire project. If you are put in a position where you are forced to hire separate contractors for cleaning, inventory, and repair, this vastly complicates the already arduous task of organizing renovations and navigating the complex insurance situation.
Biodynamic offers full rebuild services in order to streamline the repairs and renovation and provide the highest quality restoration service available. The combined use of dry ice blasting and BioSweep means less material needs to be removed from the home. This means mitigation and rebuilding go much more quickly. Plus, BioSweep guarantees there is no lingering odor, which can allow things to get back to normal faster.
Above all, Biodynamic’s communication platform and protocols are second to none. We will keep you informed of progress every step of the way. Contact us today so you can once again focus on the things that really matter in life.
