In the United States, a fire department responds to a call every 24 seconds. 3400 civilians died in fires in 2017, with 77 percent of these occurring at home.
These terrifying stats demonstrate just how common, and how fatal, fires are. But while they pose a horrific danger to life, the impact on properties is devastating too.
Families can be rendered homeless, businesses may be disrupted for months (or forced to close down altogether) and treasured possessions could be lost forever. However, homes and workplaces can be salvaged with effective fire damage restoration — but it has to be performed as quickly as possible.
Why?
The Importance of Immediate Fire Damage Restoration
Tackling fire damage fast offers the following benefits:
- water used by the fire service to extinguish the blaze will be removed before it causes mold to form
- smoke and soot damage will be cleaned away before it can affect the property’s structural integrity
- the odor of smoke will be removed before it permeates surfaces within the interiors, causing it to linger and making purifying the air far harder
- cleaning any personal belongings affected by smoke or soot quickly means they stand a better chance of being salvaged
Your life is transformed in the days, weeks and months following a fire. Taking action to have your home or business restored by professionals may not seem an urgent priority, but as we’ve seen, leaving the damage to fester only poses further dangers.
What Does Fire Damage Restoration Involve?
Fire damage restoration is an in-depth process performed by only trained, qualified professionals.
Even if your home or workplace appears relatively unscathed by the blaze on the surface, the damage could be far worse (and run much deeper) than you realize. Structures might be weakened, leaving walls, ceilings and floors unsafe, while water build-up may create hazardous mold.
During fire damage restoration projects, experts will take multiple steps:
- evaluate the extent of the damage by visiting the property to explore how badly interiors are affected by flames, smoke and soot (including furnishings)
- stopping the damage from getting any worse, which may include filling dangerous holes or removing excess water left behind from putting the flames out
- clean soot, dust, smoke and ash from surfaces to leave them in better condition, preventing build-up
- ensure the property is in a safe, usable state for homeowners or workers
Fire damage restoration plays a pivotal role in helping people affected by a fire get their lives back on track.
Companies with years of experience undertaking fire damage restoration services tend to work quickly, safely and efficiently. They’ll be familiar with evaluating different property types and understanding which tools or pieces of equipment are most effective in each situation.
They’ll know how important a compassionate, professional attitude is to make this challenging period a little easier too.