There are many factors to consider when considering whether or not to call in a professional for fire and smoke damage restoration jobs or tackle the work on your own. One such factor is the fire damage mitigation plan. Having a perfect understanding of the task and what it entails puts you in a better position to make an informed decision.
What is Fire Damage Mitigation?
A fire damage mitigation plan involves preventive steps targeted at reducing losses and damages, both property and life, after a fire outbreak. Mitigation steps must be taken as quickly as possible to help minimize financial and physical losses. Leaving your property unattended after a disaster such as a major fire can jeopardize your safety and financial security.
Elements of Fire Damage Mitigation
Fire damage mitigation is in four different stages
Identifying Potential Hazards
After a fire outbreak, the affected area has potential hazard risks. These include exposure to soot. Soot can be dangerous to our health especially when inhaled. Smoke from the fire spread even beyond the affected area, so soot contamination could exist in a much wider area. Other sources of potential risks include structural weakness, exposure to new fires, contaminated water, and electrocution. Prior to entering your property, be sure to protect yourself
Assess Vulnerable Areas
Firefighters can’t fight and suppress a raging fire without at least creating holes in the walls or roofs to provide ventilation. After the fire, these holes can affect the structural integrity of the building. Hence, it is important to take extreme caution when approaching your building.
Rooms filled with smoke and blackened surfaces will not only affect your visibility but also limit your ability to recognize vulnerable areas. This is where professional fire and smoke damage restoration experts come in. They will assess and test the structure to check for potentially hazardous areas.
Fire Mitigation Plan
Now that the fire is out, what should you do: shut off electricity or remove excessive water in the surrounding? Professional fire repair experts put many factors into consideration before deciding on the best line of action to take. The mitigation plan will be largely influenced by the number of possible cleanup scenarios
Restoration Work
Fire damage can be a difficult task to accomplish without professional help. These experts can easily tell which items are salvageable and what needs to be replaced. Fire and smoke damage restoration experts will restore your property to its original state. Nothing will be left to chance as the entire property will be overturned to guarantee deep cleaning.
What To Do Before Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Experts Arrive
While waiting for restoration experts to arrive, there are a couple of things to do
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Ensure injured persons receive necessary medical attention
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Keep away from the building to prevent any form of hazards like electrocution
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Restrict access to the property. No unauthorized personnel should be allowed into the building
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Keep away from water-logged areas including the pools.
Now isn’t the time to worry about your valuables. Instead, secure the safety and well-being of everyone affected first. Lost valuables can be recovered or replaced.