What to Expect from the Commercial Fire Restoration Process

3/26/2020 (Permalink)

What to expect from a fire restoration

A building fire can be a scary experience. Even after the flames are put out and the danger has passed, the aftermath can be a confusing time. You may not know what to do about your burned commercial property or what to expect during cleanup and restoration.

After the fire is put out by emergency responders, you should call a professional fire damage restoration company. These experts will walk you through the process of assessing damage and beginning the big task of restoring the site. Along the way you should feel free to ask questions, but here are the basic steps of the process so you know what to expect up front.

Step 1: Assessment

The restoration company you hire will first assess the extent of the fire damage your property has suffered. They’ll look at heat, soot, and smoke damage to all structures and furnishings to see how far the fire reached and how badly it affected all materials it touched. With this information, the company will devise a plan of action and be able to give you an accurate quote for how much the restoration job will cost as well as a reasonable timeline for getting the job done.

Step 2: Preventing further damage

Before cleanup and restoration can begin, the main priority will be to prevent further damage to your property. Damage from the fire might have exposed building interiors to the elements, putting you at risk for further damage from the weather or wildlife. The restoration company can put up tarps and other protective measures to keep the elements out for the most part.

Keeping vandals and looters out of the site might also be a concern. A professional restoration company should have methods for this, such as securing doors and windows or even hiring a security company to monitor the site.

Other safety measures might be shutting off all utilities to the site if that hasn’t been done already and disabling the possible cause of the fire. For instance, if faulty wiring is thought to be the cause of the fire, electricity should be shut off to prevent another fire from happening again before new wiring can be installed.

Step 3: Cleaning up

Finally cleanup can begin. This step may seem like a whole process in and of itself. Water from the fire department or damaged plumbing will be pumped away. Charred and broken debris will be removed. Soot will be washed away and surfaces scrubbed. Damaged furnishings will be disposed of for you. Interiors and undamaged surfaces and furnishings will be deodorized to get rid of the smell of smoke. Dirt and dust will be swept up. Soon your property will begin looking like itself again.

Step 4: Renovation

Once the site is cleaned up, repairs can begin. If there was structural damage done to your building, it will need to be renovated to be functional again. Interior surfaces and fixtures that were too damaged to be cleaned will be replaced. New furnishings will be bought. Utilities will be turned back on. You can choose to match the previous look of the property as much as possible or take this opportunity to make some updates and have a fresh start.

Step 5: Prevention

Finally, the nightmare is over! All repairs and cleanup are completed and your property is ready for business again. But not so fast. The final step may be a consultation with the restoration company to discuss how to prevent future fires. This kind of meeting might depend on the cause of the fire and the company you hired, but if the fire had been preventable they may offer some ideas for avoiding a repeat situation such as placing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in better places.

Your fire restoration team is here for you

You might be feeling overwhelmed after a commercial property fire, but hiring a great restoration company will set you on the right track. At SERVPRO of Rutherford County, our trained fire restoration technicians have you covered. With our 24-hour emergency service, we can get to your business quickly and begin immediate cleanup and restoration. No matter the size of your disaster, our goal is to restore your property and get your business back to functioning as quickly as possible.