A fire can be a traumatic experience, and the prospect of repairing fire-damaged property can be daunting.
Every 24 seconds, a fire department somewhere in the United States attends to a fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Moreover, it is projected that fires cost over $25.5 billion in direct property damage each year.
Yet, once the fire service has doused the fire, restoration experts are primarily responsible for restoring impacted homes and businesses to the pre-loss situation.
Table of Contents
What Does A Fire Restoration Business Do?
A fire damage restoration business can respond to fire damage crises 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Fire damage restoration businesses with a good reputation are always available.
Prepared to respond to a property disaster the same day to assess the destruction, guard the premises, and start water mitigation services.
A natural project collaborator.
They will communicate with you frequently to keep you updated on the status of the project.
The top restoration experts are trained to do more than just repair fire damage.
What To Look For When Hiring A Fire And Water Damage Restoration Business
Referrals
Inquire about the names of commercial or governmental entities with whom the firm has worked, and search for recommendations.
- Limitations of referrals: Don’t dismiss a company just because its referrals aren’t perfect. Some objects are just unsalvageable, which leads to frustration.
- Proficiency vs. reputation: Balance the importance of the company’s reputation with the company’s established skill in installing new technologies.
- Additional guidance: Ask your insurance company or leaseholder if they have any special instructions or criteria for disaster-recovery providers.
Facilities for Storing Items
Some fire damage restoration services provide storage. Determine how much room the firm has for your undamaged goods and what their storage fees are.
- Keeping documents: Before putting your thing into storage, take photographs of its state.
- Services for packing: Ask whether they give packing services, which means they can properly clean the property before really packing it up and storing it in the company’s facilities.
- Storage conditions: Ensure that storage facilities are close by and suitable for security and temperature control.
Time to Recovery
Hours, and even minutes, might be the difference between what is recovered and what is not. Ascertain that the fire and smoke damage restoration firm will be prepared in the event of a calamity.
- Variable expenses: Expect costs to vary significantly dependent on elements that aren’t immediately apparent, like structural damage and the degree of smoke damage.
- Schedules: Look for a firm that can provide a complete, thorough plan of the tasks that must be completed before the projected completion date.
- Rapid response: The initial few hours following a tragedy may make or break what is recovered. Seek out quick reaction times. Guidance on what to do right away and what must be addressed within the first 24 hours is also essential.
Asset Safeguarding
Different materials, like furniture, computers, and flooring, need other treatments with extremely particular schedules.
- Pre-inspection reports: To determine insurability levels, certain leases demand a pre-inspection report by trained restoration workers.
- Practicality: The cost of replacing the property or generating data may be cheaper than that of restoration.
- High-priority assets: Determine which assets are the most important, and then seek a business specializing in that field.
Experience
Every tragedy is unique and necessitates extreme caution. If an emergency fire and water restoration firm begins with the wrong assumptions, it might needlessly extend or even derail the repair process.
- Complete evaluations: Don’t withhold any information. Even little information might significantly influence the company’s expert appraisal of the repair requirements or the amount of structural damage.
- Relevant experience: Confirm that the repair business has dealt with numerous past scenarios comparable to the present work at hand. Standing water from a flood, for instance, might become polluted with chemicals or compounds that render it a biohazard. To avoid further uncertainty that slows down the transaction, make sure the firm knows what they are dealing with before they come out.
Experts Who are Certified
It is critical to ensure that the firm has all of the necessary state and municipal certifications to conduct the restoration work. These certificates must also be current.
- Certification: For well-trained fire and water damage professionals, look for credentials from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification, often known as the IICRC.
- Sub-certifications: The IICRC offers sub-certifications in areas like mold remediation as well as structural and commercial drying. Please inquire with the firm about their sub-certifications.
- Restoration vs. reconstruction: It is important to note that the IICRC refers to repair rather than reconstruction. If the damage is severe enough, contractors must partially or fully reconstruct/rebuild properties and ensure they have appropriate local licenses and certificates.
It is a vast choice to hire a restoration professional to clean up and repair your property after a tragedy. These projects are complex and need expertise in various construction areas, including complex project management, insurance help, ground-up construction, renovation, roofing, plumbing, electrical, and damage remediation.
Look for fire and water damage restoration companies that meet the following requirements:
- Worked with insurance companies on damage claims in the past.
- Working knowledge of mold, fire, and water damage repairs and restoration
- Experience coordinating phased restoration projects that may need simultaneous demolition and installation
- Experience working on complicated projects that need cooperation with various parties
- Are they insured, bonded, and licensed?
A skillful fire restoration professional can assist you in restoring your assets as if the fire had never happened.