Fire Damage Restoration
House and vehicle fires are some of the most devastating disasters a homeowner can experience, and some of the few it’s difficult to prepare for. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 11 deaths occur and 56.2 people are injured in fires every year out of every million people in the general population.
Modern building codes and code enforcement has made the United States one of the safest countries in the world for building construction and disaster prevention. Fire suppression and life safety systems have made modern building extremely fire resistant using a variety of contemporary fire suppression technologies ranging from sophisticated sprinkler systems to fire-resistant materials to fire safety material coatings and others. In addition, fire codes require the presence of appropriate hazard notifications, safe passing for those in the path of the fire, and other life-saving procedures. Despite the innovations of this industry, fire departments respond to a fire every 30 seconds in the United States.
- Fires on a structure occur every 63 seconds
- Home fires every 87 seconds
- Outside property fires every 52 seconds
By comparison, nonbuilding fires often occur much less frequently, such as highway vehicle fires occurring every 3 minutes. These fires result in thousands of deaths each year, and those numbers have actually increased in recent years.
Fire Damage
When fires start, they spread, and they spread quickly, which is why they are so dangerous and can be so costly physically as well as financially. Many of the modern technologies we have in place are safety oriented and do not in fact stop the fire at all, but only slow them down. Slowing down the fire allows people more time to escape and fire departments more time to react. Not including wildfires, structural fires alone cause more than 10 Billion (yes Billion) dollars in property damage every year. In fact, in recent years, the average cost of a fire loss has increased. When these fires occur, their costs are devastatingly expensive. If you are fortunate to have a “small” incident of fire damage, your cost is still tens of thousands of dollars. Imagine if a fire breaks out in the kitchen of your home. That fire will often quickly spread to appliances, cabinets, countertops, drywall, carpets, and other personal items you have in the area. You may get lucky and stop that fire in its tracks, but its damage will have been done to the area, costing you tens of thousands. If you live in a location with sprinklers, the sprinklers may save your life and salvage much of what can be salvaged while also stopping the fire spread. Still, this fire safety technique will cost its damage – with water running belongings in the room, flooring, furniture, drywall, and other items.
Typically when these incidents occur, they are in areas of significance to an occupant – such as a kitchen area used every day for basic food storage and cooking. Having these parts of a home shut down is extremely interrupting to one’s life, not to mention the overall inconvenience. Having a group with the ability to quickly assess the damage, work with insurance claims agents, and repair the area in a swift, professional manner is extremely valuable. You might be asking how to clean up after disaster strikes. Our team will help repair the damage in the event of a worst-case scenario, but we can also prevent it. Our team’s expertise will allow you to design your property or suite to prevent and limit fire damage. We will assess details as large as sprinkler suppression down to details as small as outlet location. All of these planned items will save you time, money, and possibly your life then leave the fire damage restoration to us.
Sometimes despite the best of efforts, some level of damage is usually inevitable. In times when fire mitigation is effective and fire departments are responsive, there will still be extensive damage to clean up, even if the fire department reacts as they should. Your property may experience not only fire damage, but also smoke damage, water damage, and oftentimes even flooding from an outpouring of water to fight the fire. Where do you start with picking apart the pieces of your fire damaged property? You start with a call to us, Florida Engineering Solutions. We are your solutions option to get you back on your feet as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once we receive your call, we immediately jump into action with our team and outside resources.
How We Can Help You Repair
If you’ve been through a house or vehicle fire, contact Florida Engineering Solutions for help. Our experts regularly perform post-fire inspections; we can also help you protect your home from possible fire hazards and restoring smoke detectors. We recommend taking precautions that include:
- Keeping matches, lighters, and candles secure and in high places, especially if you have children.
- Keeping at least one fire extinguisher in an easily accessible room, and teaching everyone to use it.
- Disposing of cigarettes properly and never leaving ashtrays on furniture.
- Making sure outlets have only one plug apiece in them and contacting us or an electrician if you encounter frayed cords. Always replace your old cables.
- Unplugging electric blankets before bed, and never leaving them folded.
- Keeping all appliances away from water.
- When possible, staying in the kitchen while cooking.
- Keeping garages, attics, and basements clean; never leave gas cans or oily rags out.
Our first step will be containment. We cannot repair a train that is still rolling down the track uncontrollably, we first need to slow down that train and stop it to begin the repair. Containment efforts will involve local health care professionals and local municipal fire department professionals to be sure the property as well as those impacted by the incident are safe. Medical care for those affected will be at the top of the list and will be the only priority until the entire situation is stable.
Recovery Method
Once the incident, property, and those involved are deemed stable, we will begin our steps to recovery and rebuilding. We will perform an inspection and assessment review of the incident damage. The entirety of the property will be reviewed top to bottom for smoke, fire, water, utility, and any other possible damages. The results of this review will find themselves in a detailed yet easy to digest report for you. This report will be used throughout the insurance process as well as with review by outside professionals for the cleanup and eventual restoration of the property. The report will allow a plan of action to be created to bring your property from its rock bottom state of damage back to a fully recovered property you can live in and enjoy.
Within this plan are other initial stabilizing steps such as tarping roofs, boarding up windows, plugging pipes, and other items to make sure the in-place condition of the site does nothing more to damage itself. From there, we will work on the next step of drying areas of water damage and removal of unsalvageable materials or those which need significant repair. Trash and debris will be removed along the way. From here, we will clean, sanitize, and place in measures to prevent the growth of any unwanted mold, weeds, or anything else. Animals will be uninvited from the property and met with resisting forces if they decided to encroach upon the premises.
In the parallel path to this cleanup and sanitization process, we will work with all insurance contacts to put your best foot forward with your policy, to allow processing to be completed as swiftly as possible in a professional manner. The insurance process can be long, however, it will be expedited with our team due to our willingness to begin the process as soon as possible. Along this same timeline, we will work with you on our rebuilding plan. While your insurance policies will allow for a re-build and restore within certain parameters, there will be an opportunity for you to rebuild some elements of the property in a more favorable manner than your previous layout. For example, there will be an opportunity to replace the tile you thought was dated or to select new furniture which will truly match the vision of your home. As we go through this rebuilding plan, you will become very educated on the process and walk into the situation’s eyes wide open. We expect that we will do most of the work for you, however, you will be involved enough to understand why processes are occurring as they are. Any potential point of frustration will have an opportunity to be addressed with our team in advance.
In the event of a major fire creating an unlivable or uninhabitable situation, we will work with you through our relocation services. From the time of the initial fire through the time of reopening your home, you will need a place to house yourself or your business. In the near term, you will need a replacement roof over your head. Relocation can mean a number of things – scheduling challenges, irreplaceable items lost, disruption, and frustration. We will make this process as smooth as possible. We will work with you to find you an adequate and comparable roof over your head. The replacement location will be provided to you in a quality condition in a quick manner. Removing every stress from the process as quickly as possible is critical.
Upon completion of all of these items, you will be in a position to begin your rebuild and restore process. Working with our company, this process will occur as fast as possible. All teams involved – our team, outside contractors, and the insurance agencies will all have their processes expedited. Getting to the final step is the most challenging part of the process and is critical in itself, especially from a timing perspective. Once you are here, you can watch your property physically come back to life. We use the best designers, planners, architects, engineers, and contractors – allowing surety of production so the final product is not only as quality as the pre-fire condition but above standard. Whether the restoration involves minor repair such as painting, new carpeting, drywall replacement, or major construction such as a complete teardown and rebuild, you will be sure to not only be happy that your home is back but in a condition exceeding what you recently lost.
Having a resource with the ability to assess the damage quickly, work with insurance claims agents, and repair the area in a swift professional manner is extremely valuable. We will be your go-to option who is on your side. We will not be focused on dragging out the process, chasing fees, or preventing your potential policy collection. Our focus will be on you and you recover. Our team will not only help repair the damage in the event of a worst-case scenario, but we can also prevent it. Our team’s expertise will allow you to design your property or your suite in a way to prevent and limit fire damage. We will assess details as large as sprinkler suppression down to details as small as outlet location. All of these planned items will save you time, money, and possibly your life.
Preparation is Key
Even the most careful homeowner may experience a fire at some point. If you do, you can rebuild with help from Florida Engineering Solutions when it comes to methods of prevention and post-cleaning. Our experts will inspect your home, first for superficial damage, and then using more detailed techniques. We will point you to reputable air quality testing sources, as well. Air quality testing can tell you if there is still smoke or other noxious gases in the air, which may cause respiratory, ocular, or other health problems.
Firefighters are our first line of defense concerning house fires, but their work often leaves extensive water damage and flooding. The Florida Engineering Solutions team checks every part of your house, including the exterior, for water damage. We keep in touch with sources who can assist you in recovering or replacing destroyed property and inspect your house for mold water damage can cause. Some of these molds are toxic, so if we find them, vacate your home until they can be thoroughly eradicated. Do not stay to gather valuables; take only what you immediately need. You can recover valuables once your home is safe again.
Once fire damage is completely eradicated, contact us about rebuilding or reinforcing your home. We perform personalized consultations for people rebuilding their homes – or building a dream home from what’s left of the old one. If your home withstood the fire but shows wear and tear, ask us about reinforcing foundations, walls, and other vulnerable areas.