What Does A Fire Damage Restoration Company Do

Fire damage restoration can be defined as the process of reinstating a property to its pre-loss state that may have been damaged by smoke and fire. Fire damage restoration work can sometimes take weeks or even months, depending on the extent of the damage. If it is something minor, things can be restored by mitigating water and drying out the property. It is a task that can often be completed in just a few days.

Fire damage restoration may include demolition or reconstruction activities apart from tasks such as demolition or reconstruction. For example, these may be done in addition to activities such as odor, debris, content cleaning, removal of hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead, and soot elimination. Also, in some cases, fire and water damage can happen at the same time.

First, the property is drenched with water while fire fighting experts work to prevent the fire from spreading and extinguish it. At times, pipes can burst or melt during a fire, and water may seep inside the structure. While fire can lead to much damage, water damage can render a structure useless. Therefore, the first job post securing the property is water mitigation so that excess water is removed before it can cause further damage.

Damage Assessment

Once it has been confirmed that the property is safe to enter, the first thing that a fire damage contractor does is to access the damage caused by the fire. The second step is to ensure that there is adequate water intrusion. It involves assessing how far the smoke and flames may have penetrated the structure and how extensive the cleanup process will be. It also involves an assessment of the contents inside the affected property to find out what needs to be removed and what can still be restored.

After a thorough assessment, the restoration company will better understand what needs to be done and how long it will take. These are necessary for calculating a cost estimate.

Property Securing Debris Removal

Once the assessment is over, it is time to secure the property and remove the debris from the perimeter. The next step is to board up structure openings and seal off parts of the roof to protect what is left of the property from the environment. In case certain areas of the property are not impacted by the fire, it is important to ensure that the other area is sealed off to prevent or minimize cross-contamination.

Demolition, Water Relief And Dry Out

The objective of this phase is to restrict further damage caused by corrosion and mold. It is done by removing water and drying out the property. First, personal property must be removed from the interior regions of the property, followed by the removal of damaged drywall, flooring, and other materials. In fact, the removal will be done down to the studs if required so. Water extraction personnel may use commercial equipment to dry out the structure. Roof tarps would be maintained during this phase to restrict any water intrusion. 

Smoke Removal And Clean Up

This is the most intensive part of the fire damage restoration activity. It typically involves a lot of manual work to properly clean sot and smoke from exterior and interior surfaces. Every inch of the affected area must be cleaned in many cases.

Therefore, the job of a fire damage restoration company is to respond 24 x 7 whenever there is any fire emergency. Those who are the best go beyond just restoring fire damage.