Safety After Fire Damage

After a fire the dangers to your safety have not necessarily passed with numerous hazards still present in a structure which will have been weakened by the fire. If you have to enter a fire zone, there are a number of precautions that must be taken to avoid while beginning your own fire damage restoration.

Assess The Structural Damage

Before you even think about stepping inside your house you must get a determination that the property is structurally safe to enter. This should be done by the local fire department who will confirm it for you. There may be puddles of water on the floor and ground left over from the extinguishing process. If this is the case, check that the electrical power to the house has been turned off.

On the ground outside the home on your property there may be damaged or fallen power poles or lines and should be kept clear at all times. These electric wires can potentially start a new fire or can be the cause of electrocution. Similarly, damaged power poles may be extremely unstable and ready to fall with at slightest touch.

Even if the building is determined safe by a professional, take care when re-entering the building and carefully inspect the indoor stability.

Food

Food, beverages and medicines that were in the house during the fire will have become affected by the smoke, heat, soot and the water used to extinguish the fire. None of them will be fit for human consumption and should be discarded.

Safety Clothes

Basic safety clothes should be worn to protect you skin and clothes. In some cases it may also be necessary to wear a breathing mask with a particulate filter. Disposable plastic gloves are a good idea if you are going to be touching anything when there is likely to be plenty of toxic residues lying around.

Soot Removal

One of the substances that can get into airways as well as being particularly damaging to furniture and surfaces after a fire is soot residue. If it is left to sit for any length of time it will permanently discolor the surface. This process can start in as little as an hour. It is a good idea to vacuum up as much of the soot that is lying around the house as possible. Make sure you don't actually touch the soot, but hover the nozzle of the vacuum just above it as it sucks.

Secure the Site

Often times after a fire, it may not be easy to lock the house up or seal it against the weather. If you are going to be leaving the home unattended make sure you have protected the site from further damage from the weather, vandals or thieves. You might be able to get help from the fire brigade in securing the premises. Above all, remove anything of value that has survived the fire, particularly if the home has been ruled too unstable to inhabit.

The police are probably going to be aware of the fire but if you are going to leave the house unoccupied they should be notified. There are some heartless people out there and will see an unoccupied home as an easy target.

Often times when performing a fire damage clean up you are going to be faced with the possibility of having to walk on unstable surfaces. There may be piles of debris that will increase the chances of slipping resulting in traumatic injury, puncture wounds or causing the pile to collapse. For this reason extreme caution must be taken when working on a fire damage site and the necessary protective equipment should be used and worn.

The overwhelming urge will be to return to your damaged home as quickly as possible to assess the damage and to start to get your life back into order. Sometimes it is a wiser and safer move to be patient, wait until the professionals have done their job and have given the all clear.