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During a Fire-Safety

 

If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL for help.

Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke-stay low and crawl under it.

  • Check to see if there’s heat or smoke coming in the cracks around the door.
  • Do not open the door if you see smoke coming under the door or if the door/handle is warm or hot.
  • If you don’t see smoke and the door is not hot — lightly touch the handle.

Close the doors on your way to slow the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape to an outdoor meeting area.

 

 

 

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Before a Fire- How to Prepare

 

Have working Fire & Smoke detectors –Ionization smoke alarms are generally more responsive to flaming fires. Photoelectric smoke alarms are generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering.You can purchase an alarm that has both features included.

Replace batteries– change batteries twice a year when you reset your clock for daylight savings.

Create an Emergency Kit-Include Water, Non-perishable food, Flashlights and extra batteries, First aid kit, Whistle, Moist towelettes, Infant formula and diapers

Create a Home Inventory– Include important family documents (such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records) in a waterproof, portable container

Cash or traveler’s checks

Additional Clothing/Shoes

Warm Blanket

Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

 

 

 

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Before a Fire-Escape Plan

Create an Escape Plan –You typically have about 2 minutes to get out of a burning structure. Make a plan that includes 2 exits for each room including windows and doors. Households with children can encourage this by drawing and labeling a plan.

Check your windows–Make sure everyone can easily open windows to get out quickly in case of a fire. If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure that they have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened immediately in an emergency.

Practice your fire drill- -Every home fire escape plan needs an outside meeting place that is a safe distance from the home.

Choose an outside meeting place so everyone will be together and adults will know that everyone is safe. Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year and encourage learning with resources like an Activity Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Can documents be recovered after a fire?

Yes, document recovery is possible depending on the level of damage and other factors involved. Recovering your important papers and photos after fire, smoke or water damage requires specific techniques and expertise.

Many of your photos and documents can be saved from fire, smoke, water and moisture damage including:

Photos,legal documents and personal papers, books, CDs/DVDs and storage media

For the best results on restoring your home , call a rē:network  specialist and let them handle everything!

 

Photo Credit: Justin Ide

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Contents Restoration

Keys to a successful contents restoration process:

-Know what you own—have an accurate home inventory BEFORE you suffer damage

-Make wise choices—determine what to save and restore and what would be best to replace.

-Contact one of our rē:network partners and allow the professionals to handle everything for you.

-We can help you choose the right restoration company here

 

Steps of professional contents restoration:

-Complete an inventory of your items (a home inventory list you have previously completed makes this easier!)

-Pack up and storage of your items until your home is ready

-Restoration of items (electronics, textiles, book and documents etc)

-Return of the items to your home

 

Photo Credit: PLUS IM

 

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What documents will I need to find or replace?

Here is a list of important documents that you will need to have replaced or restored if they have been lost or damaged. It is best to keep copies of items like this in an off-site location (safe deposit box, lawyer’s office, etc.) to make that process easier.

Contact one of our partners and allow the professionals to help you with this list.

-Animal Registrations

-Auto Titles / Registrations

-Birth Certificates / Adoption Decrees

-Citizenship Papers

-Credit & Debit Card Copies (front and back)

-Death Certificates

-Deeds & Titles

-Divorce Decrees

-Drivers Licenses

-Income Tax Records

-Insurance Policies

-Marriage Licenses

-Medical Records

-Military Discharge Papers

-Passports

-School Records/Transcripts

-Social Security Cards

-Stocks & Bonds

-Warranties

-Wills

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What should you do with fire damaged items?

After a fire, the contents of your home may need to be repaired, restored or replaced. In addition to the ravages of fire, smoke and water may have damaged your possessions. Some items will require replacement. But many items just need the proper methods of restoration to return them to their former glory. It’s imperative that your items receive the appropriate treatment in a timely manner if they are to be saved.

Contact one of our partners and allow the professionals to handle everything for you.

Electronics and Appliances

The moving or removal of these items must be done by a professional, do not attempt to handle these on your own. Due to the delicate nature of electronic equipment and devices, cleaning and drying must be done under specific conditions and with care by a professional. Soot can infiltrate far beyond what is visible and cause damage at a microscopic level so any cleaning method must also reach those areas.

Fabrics

If items made of fabric (ex: clothes, bedding and other linens) have survived a fire, they may still be unusable because of smoke or water damage, but they might be salvageable. Some items just need to be professionally cleaned while others may require more intercession to return them to their pre-fire condition.

Hard surfaces

In the restoration industry, much of traditional restoration methods involved removing walls, ceilings and flooring surfaces and  replacing them. While this removed damaged surfaces, the process was costly, messy and time consuming.Technology allows many of these surfaces to be restored in place, saving time by eliminating the removal and replacement period as well as saving the cost of new materials.Many surfaces can be saved if cleaned and completely dried out with these methods. Example: Dry wall; plaster,hard wood floors; tile floors and countertops; cabinetry; doors and windows

A thorough inspection by a ReNetwork specialist can help determine which surfaces can be saved and which must be replaced.

 

Photo Credit:  Service Master of Salem

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Recovering from Water Damage

Your home may not be safe to enter so it is best to have professionals take a look at the area. Contact one of our partners and allow them to handle everything for you. A restoration team will come and dry the areas and remove contents during this time.

If your home is not livable at this time, your insurance may cover a hotel for you to stay at. Contact your support network to help you during this time as well. The resources here can help you with accommodations, food, clothing etc.

 

Red Cross 

Salvation Army of Texas 

 

 

Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

 

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Water Damage Restoration-Completing the Restoration

Step 3-Complete the Restoration

Our rē:network partners will complete the required water damage repair and restoration. This may be a long process depending on the extent of the damage, but a quality restoration company will give you an estimate for the length of the project. If a project exceeds the estimate, you will be informed of the change and the cause for delay so that you can make appropriate arrangements. Again, a qualified restoration team will keep you fully informed throughout the process, limiting the disruption to your life and the time required to get back to normal.

Dealing with water damage in your home can seem overwhelming and the idea that you might lose your home or belongings can be devastating. However, if you hire an experienced, reputable restoration company to complete the water damage repairs, you will increase both the amount of your possessions.

 

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Water Damage Restoration-Creating a Plan of Action

Step 2- Create a Plan of Action

Once the thorough survey and inspection is completed, a water damage restoration team will work with you to create a response plan. The team should go over all the damage uncovered in the inspection and give you all options regarding repairing the damage. Some repairs may be optional, but often you will need to decide whether to repair something or replace it. While disposing of any of your damaged belongings may be unthinkable, the effort and cost of restoration can be very high. Your restoration team will equip you to make those tough decisions and move ahead in your return to normalcy.