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During a Fire

Credit : Sean Ryan, The Flint Journal

 

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.

Check-list

Contact your family, friends, church and anyone else in your support network.

Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army. They can help you find shelter,food, replacement medicines etc.

Contact a rē:network partner to begin the process of restoration of your home.

If you have insurance, contact your insurance company. Ask what you should do to keep your home safe until it is repaired. If you leave your home, call the local police department to let them know the site will be vacant.

The fire department will tell you if your home is safe to enter and if utilities (water, electricity and gas etc) are safe to use.

Locate your home inventory list.

 

 

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During a Fire-Who Should I contact?

Contact your family, friends, church and anyone else in your support network.

Contact a rē:network partner to help you navigate the next phase of finding a place to stay, keeping your home safe and restoring your home.

Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army. They can help you find shelter,food and replacement medicines etc.

If you have insurance, contact them and ask what you should do to keep your home safe until it is repaired. If you leave your home, call the local police department to let them know the site will be vacant.

 

 

 

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Storm Damage Restoration-Evaluating the Damage

The Process of Storm Damage Restoration 

No one likes to imagine destruction to their home or belongings. However, disaster can strike at any moment and knowing the process will help you during this time.

Rather than despairing over how you can pick up all the pieces, you need to look for a company that provides complete water damage restoration. A qualified, reputable restoration team from rē:network will return your home and life back to normal.  Contact one of our rē:network partners and allow the professionals to handle everything for you.

Step 1 -Evaluate the Damage

When you first hire a company for water damage repair, they will send qualified inspectors to your home to survey the damage. They will not only look for visible damage to your home and belongings, but will also closely and thoroughly inspect the structure to determine its stability and safety. A quick run-through will never be sufficient, so don’t trust a company that recommends extensive repairs without a thorough inspection.

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Preventing Water Damage

Nobody wants water damage to their home, but it happens very frequently. Follow these tips to prevent damage and spending thousands of dollars in repairs. If you have any questions about these please contact one of our partners.

 

Know where the main water shutoffs are located and how to use them in an emergency or when leaving the home for an extended period of time.

Monitor your water bill- If you see it starting to increase or one that’s suddenly high, you may have a leak.

Repair small leaks- Check refrigerators, dishwashers and other appliances before they become a problem.

Monitor the water heater-Over time they begin to rust and eventually leak. Life expectancy of a water heater is around 8-10 years.

Ensure proper water drainage- Clean your gutters. Direct downspouts 5-10’ away from the house.

Be careful where you plant–some trees and plants have invasive roots. Plan well in order to keep roots away from any water lines.

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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-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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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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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 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