Business Interruption when facing Smoke Damage

2/15/2023 (Permalink)

Business interruption insurance can help cover cost after a disaster in the workplace.

Smoke damage can wreak havoc on your business. It involves more than just the fire itself, with the full scope of damage often only becoming apparent after the smoke has cleared. That's why it's so important to act immediately after a fire occurs in order to prevent further damage to your building and contents. Doing so will limit business interruption and save you time and money in the long run.

Smoke damage can be a real challenge

Smoke damage is serious, but it can be hard to detect and even harder to clean up.

Smoke damage can cause serious fire damage, which will require removal of the drywall and installation of new drywall or other materials by a contractor that specializes in fire remediation and reconstruction. The cost of repairing smoke-damaged areas is often high—hiring an experienced contractor who specializes in this type of work is important because they will know what materials are needed and how best to use them as they work on each area that has been damaged by smoke residue buildup.

Structure Damage

Smoke from a fire can cause serious damage to the structure of your business and critical equipment. Structural damage can be minimized by limiting or eliminating exposure to smoke, heat, or water. Critical equipment should be evaluated and repaired/replaced as necessary after being exposed to high temperatures and smoke. The contents of the building should also be evaluated for damaged items that may require replacement or repair.

The structural integrity of your building may be compromised by smoke damage, making it unsafe for business operations. Smoke damage also causes electrical, plumbing, fire and water damage that can lead to mold growth on your property. These problems could delay your return to business if left unaddressed.

To prevent further loss of income and productivity during this time, you should hire a professional restoration service to clean up the mess as soon as possible. A restoration company will assess the situation within 24 hours after initial contact with you so that they can start work right away with minimal interruption to your daily routine.

Permanent Stains on Content and Equipment

It's important to note that smoke contains acidic particles that can leave permanent stains on your goods and equipment. Smoke damage is also responsible for corrosion, which can cause metal surfaces to rust or corrode. This includes metals like copper and steel, both of which are commonly used in the construction of electronics. Smoke damage can also corrode batteries, which may lead to an explosion if not addressed quickly enough.

In addition, plastics will melt when exposed to high temperatures from firefighting efforts or just from proximity to a blaze itself. In some cases, plastic objects have melted entirely into one another as a result of intense heat exposure, this happens most often with PVC pipes (which contain chlorine). When a pipe melts or collapses during firefighting efforts it can lead to flooding in nearby areas where there is water pressure already present due to water lines connected directly below ground level somewhere else on property grounds (like inside your building).

Act Immediately

That's why it's so important to act immediately after a fire occurs in order to prevent further damage to your building and contents. The sooner you act, the less damage there will be. The longer you wait, the more damage there will be. The longer you wait, the more expensive it will be to fix. And finally: the longer you wait, the more business interruption you will suffer

Business Interruption Insurance

Business interruption insurance is a type of coverage that can help you recover from the financial impact of a fire. It can help pay for temporary space, equipment and supplies while your business is being repaired. It can also help you pay for lost income while your business is being repaired.

Business interruption insurance covers some or all losses caused by property damage caused by a fire or vandalism, but not necessarily theft or other criminal acts.

Smoke damage can cause significant business interruption if left untreated. If you suspect your business has been affected by smoke and fire damage, it is important to act quickly. This will help ensure that your company can continue operating until repairs are made.

Who Pays for Fire Damage in a Rental Property?

10/7/2022 (Permalink)

If you experience damage in your rental home, give SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch.

Fire Damage and Rental Properties

Whether you're a landlord or tenant, a fire can be devastating. But even more so if it happens in your rental property. A fast response and working with the right company to fix the damage are key to minimizing costs and getting back on track quickly.

Structural Damage Is Covered by the Renter

Structural damage is any damage that occurs to the building’s structure and framework. This can be caused by fire, smoke, water, mold, and wind. Damage from these sources can include cracks in walls and ceilings; broken floors or foundations; plumbing leaks; electrical short circuits; buckled walls or ceilings; collapsed plaster or drywall. Structural damage is always covered by the property owner.

Content Damage vs. Structure Damage

The primary difference between content damage and structural damage is that the former is limited to personal belongings, while the latter includes structural components of a building.

Content damage typically refers to damage caused by fire or water, such as smoke-stained walls or ruined clothing. In cases of extreme fire damage where the structure itself can no longer be used for its intended purpose (e.g., if all electrical outlets are destroyed), this type of loss will be considered an example of structural damage.

The landlord is ultimately responsible for paying for any repair costs related to structural damages that occur in their rental property—but this does not extend to tenants' personal belongings: renters are still responsible for replacing items damaged or destroyed by fires or floods even if it results from negligence on their part (for example, leaving candles burning unattended).

Time Is of the Essence After a Fire

The most important thing to remember about fire damage is that time is of the essence. The longer you wait before contacting a restoration company, the more damage your property will sustain and the more expensive it will be for you to get it repaired. It’s always best to call your insurance company as soon as possible after discovering that you have been affected by fire—even if you aren’t sure exactly what happened yet or how bad things are going to get. You should also expect your insurance provider to ask lots of questions about what happened so they can determine whether or not they need additional information from you before they start paying out on claims related to any damages sustained by your rental property due to this incident.

If you do have any doubts about whether or not something qualifies as accidental damage caused by fire, then make sure these doubts are addressed immediately so there isn’t an unnecessary delay between finding out about them and reporting them when talking with your insurer or other relevant parties involved in helping resolve claims relating specifically with these kinds of situations (such as real estate agents).

Call the Professionals

If you are renting a home, your landlord is responsible for the property. If fire or smoke damage occurs in a rental property, it is important to contact a trusted restoration company as soon as possible. This will help to reduce the cost and time to repair.

In addition to personal property losses, rental properties can also experience structural damage from fires. As with most insurance policies, there may be exclusions pertaining to certain types of structures or materials used in building them—and this could lead some landlords into an unfair situation if they were not aware of such exclusions before purchasing their policy. It is critical that landlords make themselves aware of what type of coverage will exist for their tenants after purchasing an insurance policy so that they know how much protection they have when one of their tenants experiences fire damage at home!

As you can see, a fire can cause serious damage to your San Antonio property and belongings. If you experience damage in your rental home, give SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch a call, and we will be happy to help! We work closely with your insurance too, so you don’t have to worry about it.

How do I create an office emergency escape plan?

7/28/2022 (Permalink)

An Emergency Action Plan can help protect you, your employees, and your business.

Emergency Escape Plans for Business

Although an emergency escape plan is not required for all businesses, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends building an emergency action plan to protect yourself, your employees, and your business during an emergency situation.  OSHA suggests the following steps when developing such a plan.

ORGANIZE AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROCEDURES REVIEW WITH EMPLOYEES TO REVIEW YOUR COMPANY'S EMERGENCY PLANS.  You may wish to select an individual or team of individuals to lead and coordinate your emergency plan.

ONCE A PLAN IS DEVELOPED, POST EVACUATION PROCEDURES, INCLUDING ROUTES AND EXITS, WHERE THEY ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL EMPLOYEES.  Ensure all exits and routes are clearly marked and well lit, wide enough to accommodate the number of evacuating personnel, and unobstructed and clear of debris at all times.

CONDUCT OFFICE EVACUATION EXERCISES AND DRILLS.  Designate a safe spot outside of the facility where employees can regroup, recover, and conduct a head count.  Once completed, evaluate how well the plan worked and if additional training or exercises are needed. 

Tips provided by the National Fire Protection Association.

Commercial Fire Damage - Essentials

5/17/2022 (Permalink)

What You Should Know About Commercial Fire Damage

An individual who loses their fortune through an electrical fire can be starting one of the worst times of their life. Fire is a disastrous event that could destroy the whole business. Not only do you suffer the fire damage to the structure itself, but you can also lose crucial business assets, such as office furniture or electronics. When a company could stand to lose a large amount of goods due to soot damage and smoke smell, it is good to stop heavy losses before they become too severe.

Emergency Contact

Having an emergency fire restoration contact is crucial when you’re facing a fire damage situation. SERVPRO is always here to help when you need them most. Consider adding us to your list of emergency contacts. This can be advantageous, because we can reduce the risk of ongoing rooftop damage. Damaged rooftops can lead to rainwater entering the business, or possible electrical fires. It is always best to aim to reduce the losses your company might suffer as much as possible. That’s our goal too! The faster we can get out to you, the less likely it is that you will suffer massive damage from a disaster.

Assessment

After you schedule an appointment with SERVPRO a restoration technician will check on the extent of soot damage, and to what extent the fire spread. The amount of smoke damage on the property is directly proportional to the amount of fire that was in the business. Most fire damage and smoke damage destroys cabinets and interior walls of the business premises, the technician will check all of this to further reduce the spread of the fire damage, therefore minimizing the cost of redecoration and reconstruction.

Please visit www.SERVPROalamoranch.com, or give us a call at (210)-670-9591 for more information on fire damage.

Act Fast Post-Flood To Prevent Excessive Mold Damage

2/7/2022 (Permalink)

If your building was recently involved in a flood, it is imperative that you implement cleanup measures with 24 to 48 hours after the incident; otherwise, you risk mold growth and bacteria buildup. The storm damage restoration team in Alamo Ranch, TX, has tips to help you make the flood cleanup process as easy and as effective as possible. Those tips are as follows:

• Inspect the building’s contents
• Extract standing water
• Remove the building’s contents
• Clean up
• Dry out the building

Inspection Is Key

First and foremost, inspect your building and its contents for signs of moisture. Anywhere there is moisture, there is a risk for mold. Take inventory of all contents that are damaged, a task that will assist with the cleanup process and help with your insurance claim later on.

Extract Water

Once you’ve inspected your building, begin to extract any sitting water. This may require the help of a professional water restoration company. The professionals use commercial pumps and dehumidifiers to rid your building of standing water and any moisture that remains in the air or the walls. This step is especially important to preventing mold growth.

Remove Contents

Once your building no longer has any water in it, go in (upon receiving the go-ahead from a professional) and begin to clear out the contents. Unfortunately, you may have to toss unsalvageable items such as carpet, wood furniture, couches and chairs, but many of your contents may be savable. You may have to remove drywall and insulation as well.

Clean Up

Once the contents are out, it’s time to clean up. If your carpet is savable, use a wet/dry vacuum to clean up debris and possible bacteria. Clean the walls, frames, salvable furniture and any visible signs of mold with sanitizers and heavy-duty cleaners.

Dry It Out

Once everything has been cleaned, dry out your building with dehumidifiers and fans to kill mold spores. This last step is important to preventing future mold damage.

Mold growth can happen quickly. To prevent mold damage from wreaking havoc on your building, take the above steps immediately after a flood.

Visit us at http://www.SERVPROalamoranch.com for more information. 

Advantages of Having an Emergency Ready Profile Application

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Most every business worth their salt has an emergency plan. But how readily available is it for all those who need to know the most important aspects of their buildings?

SERVPRO is collaborating with the Red Cross to make sure the most basic and important emergency aspects of every building are readily available for all those who might need it. Namely:

• -- A concise profile document containing only the critical information needed in case of an emergency.
• A guide to help you get back into your building following a disaster.
• Establishes your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider.
• Identification of the line of command for authorizing work to begin.
• Provides facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.

The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile (or ERP) is a fantastic tool that your business can use that can be accessed via hard copy, desktop, tablet, or phone application.

There is immense value in constructing an ERP for your business.  Contact SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch today to get your ERP started today at no cost to you.

What you Should Know About Commercial Fire Damage

2/3/2022 (Permalink)

What You Should Know About Commercial Fire Damage

An individual who loses their fortunes through electrical fire can be among the worst times of their life. Fire is among the reasons one can expend the whole business. An individual suffers the loss many business assets including the office furniture and other crucial assets. When a company loses a high amount of goods due to soot damage and smoke smell it is good to stop heavy losses shortly. To prevent the massive soot damage, follow the basic guidelines on how to go about the fire damage restoration process.

Emergency contact

The emergency fire restoration contact is the most critical things when one faces fire damage situation. Commercial fire damage can be of help in times when one needs them most. When hiring the electrical fire restoration company, consider getting its emergency contacts from the documentation they provide.

Why do you need the emergency fire restoration contact? Once one acquires the connection, they can reduce the possibility of the fire spreading to other parts of the business building. Soot damage and commercial fire damage becomes negligible.

Failing to get hold of the emergency fire restoration services makes an individual one face high risk of loss. The utility room fire restoration company helps to evict further complications such as rooftop damage. The impediment results to damage the rooftop that leads to rainwater tripping damaging the ceiling, electrical fire as well as smoke smell goes to the top of the roof through convection. One should always aim to reduce massive losses as a result of the fire in business. Commercial fire damage is hefty. One should avoid electrical fire at all cost or else they may embark on board up when there is the fire in business.

Assessment

At this utility room fire stage one checks on the extent of soot damage and to what extent is the electrical fire spreading. The amount of smoke damage in the room is somehow proportional to the amount of fire in business. Mostly fire damage and smoke damage destroys cabinets and the walls of the business premise. The fire truck restoration company should check all this to reduce further spread of fire, therefore, minimize the cost of redesigning and fire suppression.

Responding to Commercial Fires in Alamo Ranch

1/12/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial Fire Response

A property owner experiences a flood of emotion when a fire ravages their business.  Fear, uncertainty, stress and doubt about the future of the property can be overwhelming to the property owner long after the flames have been extinguished and the smoke cleared.

After the first wave of heroes have rescued the property, let the professionals of SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch help restore the property. Combining rapid response, the utmost in professionalism, and open communication we strive to restore the business to bring peace of mind to the owner.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers the following eye-opening statistics on fire:

-- 487,500 structure fires were reported in the United States in 2013.

--  These fires caused $9.5 billion in property damage.

--  One structure fire was reported every 65 seconds.

If the unthinkable happens and fire strikes, give the experts at your local SERVPRO Franchise a call.  We'll help make it "Like it never even happened."

Call us for your fire or water emergency at 210-670-9591.

SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch

Considering Professional Commercial Fire Damage Restoration Services

1/11/2022 (Permalink)

Considering Professional Commercial Fire Damage Restoration Services

Fire damage is something that no business owner would want to imagine. However, it happens to any commercial property leaving the owner with major losses through commercial fire damage. Fire outbreak cannot be predicted; it just occurs when you are not aware.

It could start as a utility room fire or electrical fire, which spread to other parts of the business. Utility room has most of the appliances such as the air conditioner among other. Slight malfunctioning could potentially lead to utility room fire or electrical fire. Fire from whichever source can have a devastating effect on the property if not attended to immediately.

What happens in the event of fire outbreak?

Immediately someone notes utility room fire or electrical fire, and the first action is usually to call the local firefighter company. Before they can arrive, there are other mitigation measures put by the engineers to control the incidents of fire, which include the fire sprinkler system. The fire sprinkler system is fitted with highly thermal sensitive sensors that detect changes in the room temperature. Once the fire has caused a rise in the room temperature, the fire sprinkler system is triggered, and it sprays gallons of water to the burning site.

The fire sprinkler system plays an important role in fire suppression before the firefighter, and the fire truck arrives. Without it, utility room fire or electrical fire could destroy everything to ashes. The arrival of a fire hose and fire truck signals the start of a fire suppression battle. The scene can be termed as organized chaos as the firefighter rush with the fire hose towards the area under fire.

The fire truck is also brought closer to the building to ensure that the length of fire hose is sufficient for the firefighters to fight the inferno. Hundreds of gallons of water are sprayed under high pressure from the fire truck to the burning sight by the firefighter using the fire hose. This result in damage of things including doors, which are forced open, and glass could also be broken to give access.

Commercial fire damage restoration

After hours of fighting with the inferno, the firefighter can bring it under control and there is complete fire suppression. However, the mess that is left in the building is unimaginable as water is sprayed without mercy to anything that is in sight. The room’s floods and things are swirled from their position by the water pressure.

All these damages have to be restored to enable to owner continue with business. The amount of work required for fire restoration is complex hence you must be a professional to attempt it. Fire suppression leads to a lot of damage in addition to the soot damage, smoke damage, and fire damage.

Importance of professional fire restoration

To bring business back on its feet, fire restoration is the important things that need to be done immediately. Water must be removed from the rooms. Smoke damage and soot damage have to be cleaned thoroughly. A list of items salvaged for repair should be prepared and other mess cleaned up. This can only be done by a professional because they begin with a comprehensive inspection. It helps to determine the extent of fire damage, soot damage, smoke damage and lay down a plan for fire restoration.

Soot damage causes discoloration of the paint, which means it has to be vacuumed to remove dirt, then repainting of the walls affected by the commercial fire damage. Smoke damage results from the strong smell that is absorbed by upholstery and other porous things in the room. It is clean through deodorization. The furniture that can be repaired is taken to their facility, cleaned and repaired. All water is removed from the rooms and drying is done.

Fire damage restoration is not an easy thing as some people may think, as it requires a professional approach. Dealing with soot damage, fire damage and smoke damage requires a method that could guarantee effective restoration. Finding the right commercial fire damage restoration company is crucial because this would make your life much easier as you try to get your business back running.
Visit http://www.SERVPROalamoranch.com for more information on fire damage.