What Can I Expect from Professional Fire Damage Restoration Efforts in My St. James Home?

6/9/2020 (Permalink)

We're Always Faster To Any Size Disaster.

SERVPRO Follows Proven, Research-Based Mitigation, Remediation, and Restoration Protocols to Return Fire Damaged Residences in St. James to Pre-Loss Condition

When a fire disaster strikes in St. James, you likely have little or no experience as a homeowner with the shock and fear experienced during the aftermath. The damage overwhelms your senses, and you and your family are understandably on a roller coaster of emotions. The stress and confusion are substantial, and you need expert help from a reliable and capable company to get you through the recovery process.  

Do I Need One or Many Contractors to Bring Life Back to Normal After Fire Damage?

Finding one company with comprehensive training, licensing, certification, and experience to deliver wrap-around fire damage restoration in St. James is preferable. A full-service firm provides a streamlined approach, one phase of recovery following another in an efficient and effective order. Needed permits, appropriate containment, lawful disposal of hazardous residues and damaged materials, and attention to restoration of both structure and contents are all available from one source.

What Are the First Steps Fire Damage Restorers Take When Arriving at My Home?

Although we receive some details from you when you make the call, the bulk of the fire damage assessment occurs when our project manager inspects your home. After this initial safety review, the SERVPRO crews arrive with fully-stocked service vehicles ready to respond with emergency services. What does our crew chief look for during the safety evaluation? 

• The amount and location of water and chemical damage and residue from firefighting efforts require extraction and structural drying before we begin aggressive soot and other residue removals
• Evidence that the firefighting water collected in building cavities, including over ceilings and between walls, increasing the potential for collapse of these structures, necessitating controlled demolition to release the water for extraction
• Signs of ongoing mold growth and damage, which adds mold remediation to our overall plan
• Heat or burning and charring damage that weakened or destroyed load-bearing structural components including ceilings, walls, stairs, and floors, resulting in referral to our in-house construction experts or engineers in extreme cases
• Evidence that hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, or a wide range of chemicals were exposed during the fire, causing inclusion of a biohazard remediation phase to the overall project

After We Control for the Safety Issues, How Do Our Fire and Smoke Restoration Technicians (FSRT) Attack Smoke and Soot Residues?

The ignition and combustion of building materials and contents create smoke, an airborne mixture of volatile gasses, water vapor, and other components, most of which are corrosive and many of which are toxic. The smoke usually has a “hue,” which reflects the incompletely combusted particles that eventually settle on surfaces as soot. After a home fire that does not involve furnace puff-back, our experts assign soot residues and typical cleanup methods into three broad categories:

Dry Soot 

This loose, ashy material is the result of a hot, fast paper or wood fire. Our Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained managers and technicians use gentle agitation, not wet strategies that smear this type of soot, for removal:

• Dusting
• Brushing
• Pressurized air
• Vacuuming
• Dry (chemical) sponging

Wet Soot

After an electrical fire or a slow smolder of plastic, rubber, or damp fabrics, a thick sticky coating covers surfaces. We pretest products on the soot and surfaces to determine whether to choose water or oil-based cleaner for best results Detergents can bridge the gap and help loosen the bond for both types of soiling.  Methods include:

• Foam cleaning of padded surfaces
• Spray and wipe
• Flooding with rinsing
• Immersion cleaning  

The strategies above ultimately used depends on the porosity of the affected materials. Adjusting dwell time and gradually increasing degrees of agitation and abrasive tools or additives are common adaptations to improve results.

Protein-Based Soots

A typical yet challenging type of residue is the coating deposited after a kitchen fire. The food, oils, and greases responsible for the soot dehydrate rather than burn, leaving behind an intensely malodorous and tenaciously adhered varnish-like residue. Our technicians use various options to loosen and remove the coating, including:

• Solvents
• Solvents plus abrasive tools (professional care needed to protect surfaces)
• Ultrasonic cleaning by certified operators for loose and detailed items 

Can SERVPRO Help with Rebuilding?

Our wide-ranging services include repairs and build-back opportunities for severe damage. Our general contractors and mold remediation licenses give us the flexibility to meet your needs without resorting to hiring additional contractors. 

SERVPRO of Greater Smithtown delivers not only superior fire damage mitigation and remediation, but also helps with any required repairs, reconstruction, and build-back. For turn-key restoration services after a fire loss, call us at (631) 265-9200.

Contractor Licenses:

General: 51995-H

Mold Remediation: 0060