When your business property is damaged by a fire, the smoke and soot created can be devastating and the impact is often overwhelming. If your property’s sprinkler system was deployed, or if firefighters used water to put the fire out, there is also the potential for water damage to your building’s structure and contents. This includes the entirety of your facility, any paperwork or files, machinery, and technology. Creating a recovery plan after fire damage is critical to getting your business back to normal operations with minimal downtime.
Restore your property from smoke and soot damage
The physical damage that occurs after a fire can range from minor damage to total loss. No matter how large the fire, it is a traumatic situation to find yourself in.
There is often no way of predicting the extent of the damage until a property restoration company can assess your property. After a fire, do not re-enter your business; there is always the potential of structural damage and re-entering poses great risk to yourself or your staff. Once you contact local professionals to assess the damage, request that they record the scope of the damage with extensive photo documentation. Proper documentation allows you to thoroughly communicate with your insurance company and begin restoration services necessary to reopening and resuming business operations.
Fire damage restoration requires professionals with HEPA-certified equipment and protective gear. The services you may need include smoke and soot removal, stain removal from walls and carpets, chemical sponges, and dry-cleaning. It is best to allow professionals to provide these services, as most individuals outside of the disaster solutions industry will not have access to the appropriate protection or equipment.
After a fire occurs, smoke and soot damage are a threat to anyone occupying your facilities due to air quality hazards. If there was any water left after firefighting efforts, you may also develop mold issues in the future, which would contaminate the air quality and pose a threat to the health of your employees and clients.
Remove odors to prohibit long-lasting damage
The odors after a fire can linger far longer than any visible damage to your structure. Odor removal services are just as necessary as ash residue and soot removal services for your business property. Deodorization and remediation allow for stabilizing the environment, promoting the physical and mental well-being of your employees, clients, or tenants.
The sooner you have disaster remediation professionals assess and perform restorative services for your business, the earlier you can resume normal business operations and profitability. The use of HEPA-certified vacuum filters, air scrubbers, and cleaning chemicals are recommended to achieve full deodorization. Odor removal will effectively disinfect all areas of your property and prevent further contamination that could result in health and safety hazards.
Utilize pack-out services to recover salvageable aspects of your property
When it comes to restoring contents that are critical for your business operations, such as merchandise, electronics, files, and documents, pack-out services should be conducted by certified professionals. This is one of the most time-consuming processes of post-fire remediation. There are teams of skilled technicians that can provide a tracking system for the contents that you choose to have packed-out and restored. Remember to always thoroughly document all contents before and after restoration services for your insurance claim.
The sooner you have all contents packed and removed from the damaged site, the higher your odds are of achieving full restoration. Partnering with a company that provides timely support with sorting, removal, packing, storing, and restoration of contents is a critical part of the post-fire restoration process.
Save fire-damaged electronics and data from destruction
Whether there is damage to your paper documents, vital records, books, electronic office equipment, or data, you will need remediation services that are available on a 24/7 basis. With the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies and innovative techniques, there is a chance that pre-fire conditions can be achieved for your damaged electronics and data, including microbial disinfecting and digital converting services available to salvage your contents. Certified professionals will assess the damage to your electronics, determine which operating system (OS) is being used, and run diagnostics within your OS. The restoration solutions provided will be determined by the type of failure that your technology is experiencing, whether that be motor, electrical, head, firmware, or logical.
If there is extensive soot, smoke, or water damage to your contents, there are freeze-drying, irradiation, ultrasonic separation, and conversion technologies that can be utilized to restore materials quickly and effectively. Contact your commercial disaster solutions company to see which services will be the best for your post-fire recovery needs.
Implement demolition and debris removal for revitalization of business
When the extent of fire damage to your business is expansive, you will likely require demolition and debris removal services in order to revitalize and restore your business facility and operations. Both fire and water can create unstable environments such as collapsing roofs, cracked foundations, and damaged walls and flooring. Having professionals evaluate your structural framing post-fire is highly recommended, as it ensures that your structure will not experience future stability issues that would lead to safety liabilities. Structural repairs and reconstruction are necessary to limit downtime and deficit of revenue.
In order to resume business, your needs may include demolition of structures, carports, footings, infrastructure, driveways, hardscape, and landscape, as well as electrical, mechanical, and plumbing reconstruction. Consider the time that the demolition and reconstruction processes may take and choose a disaster solutions company that provides services around the clock. With adequate support, your business property can resume function and profitability as soon as possible. With the current restoration technologies offered by Cotton GDS, even severe damage to your valuables or property can be restored to pre-fire condition.
Contact Cotton for all your fire and smoke damage restoration needs.
Call 877-900-0493 or contact our customer service team.