Importance Of A Quick Fire Damage Assessment

Following a fire there are many things that must take place in order to begin the restoration process but one of the important first steps is to get a fast fire damage assessment. In order to minimize further damage, health hazards and the damage caused by smoke and soot residue, having an expert on site to guide you in the early stages is very important.

What a timely fire damage assessment can get for you is the security of the safety of you and your family. Very often the urge is almost overwhelming to enter the fire damaged premises to see if there is anything you can salvage or even just to gauge for yourself how extensive the damage is.

The problem is that the house is at its most unstable immediately following the fire, there will be some smoldering embers lying around and live electrical wires could still be present. The assessment is not the home owners to make and a professional fire assessor will make it their business to keep people away from the damage.

Part of the assessment of the property will include ways in which the home can be secured against unwanted guests. For some reason a burnt out home is a target for looters, lowlifes who think nothing of walking into the property with an aim of taking anything that has survived the fire as if the presence of a fire automatically removes ownership of the belongings.

Soot damage is a real problem after a fire of any size and the sooner the fire assessment has been made, the sooner the restoration can get under way. This is relevant to soot damage because soot can continue to damage whatever it is sitting on and the longer it sits there the more significant the damage becomes. Moving quick over the first few hours can save a lot of permanent furniture damage.

A successful fire damage assessment will not be limited to either only inside the house or outside the house, it should involve all aspects of the property. Before going near the structure a complete examination of the state of the walls, chimneys, surrounding trees should be made and a decision be made on whether it is safe to approach them.

The first action you should be taking in response to a house fire is to get in touch with a fire damage assessment expert to guide you through the stages of the restoration. Getting this part right will ensure that later steps will also be done right and it could also ensure the continued health of you and your family.

After The Fire: Seal Fire Damaged Wood

Following a fire there is a lingering odor that serves as a constant reminder of the disaster. It is an unpleasant smell that sits in every pore of the hard surfaces of the house. A complete fire restoration operation can only remove a certain amount of the smoke and soot odor but there is inevitably a residual smell remaining.

Paint products are available for the walls that will seal fire damaged wood that has maintained a strong odor even after the most rigorous treatment. These products are sealers and primers that contain the smell and also covers stains too.

A fast dry alkyd is an oil based sealer that can be used as part of a fire damage restoration. It is an oil-based product that can be applied using a roller or sprayer. It is an inexpensive option but it comes with a few problems such as its smell which, while it replaces the smell of the smoke, can be unpleasant in its own right. It also isn’t particularly effective and can require multiple coats before the smoke odor is removed.

Another option when looking to seal fire damaged wood is to use shellac which is an alcohol-based resin product and comes in either a clear or pigmented version. It can be brushed on or applied with a roller and, through the small particle size of the grains within the liquid, gives good coverage that effectively seals the odors. Once it dries the odor of the shellac dissipates quickly leaving it virtually odorless. This is the more expensive option but it will give you a better result and the application time will be shorter.

Before you use a product like shellac you should first prime it with an oil-based primer. Following that you can use the shellac to seal in the smoke odor.

This type of treatment should only be considered for fire damage that is not of a significant nature. If there is structural damage to the wood surfaces after a fire a fire restoration expert will be able to help you with advice on whether or not the surface can be saved or whether it should be replaced.

The primary aim of the work done following the fire is to make the building safe again, then it must be fit for human habitation. All safety aspects should be followed and that includes the dangers of introducing new chemicals and their accompanying smells. When performing a fire damage restoration, you want to be sure that you are improving the situation and not introducing new and unexpected dangers.

Is An Ozone Air Purifier Effective For Cleaning Smoke Odor?

The question about whether ozone air purifiers are effective against contaminants in the air has been challenged by bodies such as the EPA. The claims that are often seen around the traps is that if you have a smoke damaged home following a fire one of the ways to remove the smoke odor is to use an ozone air purifier and the smoke odor would soon be cleared away.

According to the EPA the scientific evidence that is available at the moment shows that ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants. In fact, the scientific evidence has indicated that for many of the chemicals that are commonly found indoors it will take months or years for an ozone reaction to clear the air.

A further warning about using ozone air purifiers is that when the ozone comes in contact with certain chemicals there is the possibility of a chemical reaction that can be harmful to the health, possibly triggering allergies. Ozone air purifiers that contain an ionizer in the same unit are often said to be most effective for the clearing of smoke particles. Experiments have shown that ionizers were found to be less effective in removing particles of dust, tobacco smoke, pollen or fungal spores than either high efficiency particle filters or electrostatic precipitators.

Given that the main reason you would want to use an ozone air purifier as part of a fire damage restoration process is to remove odors from the house it is a little concerning to read that ozone is not effective at removing many odors.

There is data available that demonstrates that low levels of ozone may reduce levels of airborne concentrations and inhibit the growth of some biological organisms. The downside to this finding is that the level of ozone would have to be 5-10 times higher than public health standards allow before the ozone could decontaminate the air.

So if ozone air purifiers aren’t the answer for removing smoke odor from a smoke damaged home one wonders what methods of air pollution control are we left with?

There are three common ways that you can approach reducing air pollution and odor from an affected room:

1. Source Control: Remove the source of the pollution.
2. Ventilation: get as much air into the room from the outside as possible, and
3. Air Cleaning: remove the pollutants from the room using proven air cleaning methods.

This leaves the way open to wonder what the proven air cleaning methods are. Three types of air cleaner is currently on the market: mechanical filters, electronic air cleaners and ion generators.

Mechanical filters can be installed in the ducting of homes with central heating or air-conditioning or, if they are not available, as stand alone devices containing a fan to force the air through the filter. Electronic air cleaners use an electrical field to trap charged particles and ion generators use static charges to remove particles from indoor air.

All of these devices are effective for removing airborne particles from the air but they can only work as quickly as they can push air through the system. Unless the devices are particularly strong they will only move around 10 cubic feet per minute which means that it will take a long time to process the air in a room of around 1000 cubic feet.

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.

Dealing With Soot Damage Removal

Restoring a home from fire damage is a difficult task and soot damage is one of the hardest problems to have to deal with. However it is a crucial part of the fire damage clean up process and it is necessary to begin the process of soot removal as soon as you can. Soot residue is an oily substance that can ingrain itself into every surface that it comes in contact with. The worst part of trying to clean it up if you don’t know what you’re doing is that rather than removing it, touching the soot will simply push it further into the surface it is sitting on making the clean up even more difficult.

There are some basic tips that you should keep in mind when attempting to tackle any soot damage restoration. The first step to consider is to find a good soot and smoke damage restoration service to come out and provide their expert assistance. A good fire damage contractor can save further heartache later.

There will have to be an initial inspection to decide what pieces are worth restoring and what has sustained little enough damage to be able to be restored. Taking photos of the damage is a necessary step in the process to document for insurance purposes what the state of the home was immediately following the fire.

Soot damage comes from more than simply the blackness of the material that gives everything a dirty appearance. The fine particles of acidic soot and smoke that have fanned out from the fire can penetrate even the tightest windows and doors to coat walls, carpets, curtains and all the home's contents. Damage can be from the insulation in the attic to the inside of a computer.

Soot damage begins its degradation of surfaces almost immediately. Studies have shown that soot begins to discolor materials such as plastics, marble surfaces, appliances and furniture within hours. The longer the soot is allowed to sit in place the more damage that can be done with walls and carpets stained yellow permanently.

Light layers of soot can be vacuumed up by the home owner, making sure not to drag the vacuum nozzle over the surface but to hover it above the soot to suck it up. An oil-based detergent may be used to wipe surfaces although this should be done with great care. Anything more heavily coated with soot should be left for the experts to deal with. While waiting for the experts to arrive, take a further added precautionary step of closing the doors on affected areas to localize the smoke odor as much as possible to a single room.

A thorough fire damage restoration can set you back at least $5,000 with larger jobs costing significantly more. The majority of this cost will be picked up by your insurance company but expect a process that will take a long time before all trace of sight and smell is removed. Some homeowners may also qualify to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency funding so as well as contacting your insurance company you will also need to contact a FEMA representative.

Remember that it won’t just be the surfaces that you can see that will be affected by soot damage. Soot is a fine particulate and it can penetrate into the smallest surfaces before settling. The components inside televisions, computers and sound systems can be coated with the stuff as can air ducts and all of them will have to be professionally restored.

Soot removal is a process that should be carried out quickly, carefully and efficiently. The sooner you get it done the more chance you will save your valuables from permanent damage.

Soot Removal From Brick

You will want to avoid removing soot residue from bricks with a liquid based cleaning agent for as long into the process as possible. This means that you should use dry methods to clean away as much of the soot as you possibly can. As with cleaning other surfaces the first stage should begin with the vacuum cleaner, sucking away as much of the surface soot as possible. After this you can use a wire brush to dislodge any soot that is further embedded into the brick. The brushing should be done in short, quick flicks.

Next, you can use a product that is known as a soot sponge. This is a sponge that has been designed to be used dry. It has been chemically treated so that it absorbs soot and other dirt into its pores. It can be cleaned, once it is completely dirty, by shaving off the outer layer of the sponge revealing a clean surface to continue the soot removal. The sponge is meant to be used by blotting at the soot. Remember, never rub the soot as it will only spread it and make things worse.

When the soot removal has cleaned up all of the loose soot and it is no longer possible to continue effectively with the dry methods, it is time to move to a liquid cleaning method. An effective way to complete the soot removal from bricks is to make up a weak solution of citrus cleaner mixed with water and scrub with a stiff scrubbing brush. The bricks should be scrubbed vigorously to remove all of the residual soot. When this scrubbing is completed the bricks should then be wiped dry with a clean cloth.

All of the soot removal should be done after laying down some newspaper or drop cloths to protect the floor.

Fire Damage Cleanup Tips

During bushfire season the risk of fire damage is great in some areas which has prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to issue recommendations to local residents about how they might conduct a fire damage cleanup. These tips are to help to remove smoke and fire damage in and around the house.

• Launder or dry clean all clothing.

• Pressure wash, scrub or disinfect all exterior surfaces including walls, walks, drives, decks, window and deck screens, etc.

• Wash and disinfect all interior walls and hard surfaces with mild soap or other appropriate cleaning solutions or products, and rinse thoroughly. Don't forget inside cabinets, drawers and closets.

• Wash, dust or otherwise clean all household items, including knick-knacks.

• Disinfect and deodorize all carpets, window coverings, upholstered furniture and mattresses with steam or other appropriate equipment.

• Upholstery, fabric window treatments, etc. can be spray-treated with deodorizing products available at most supermarkets, but do not use odor-masking sprays.

• Have heating, ventilating and air-conditioning units and all ductwork professionally cleaned to remove soot, ash and smoke residue. Change filters when you first return to the premises and at least once a month for the first year.

• If aerial fire retardant or firefighting foam residue is present on the house and/or automobiles, use a mild detergent and brushes to scrub and dilute the dried residue and flush it from the surfaces; rinse with clean water. A follow-up with pressure washing may be beneficial but will not replace scrubbing to remove the residue.

• Ash and soot on the ground and vegetation in the vicinity will continue to generate smoke odors and airborne particles when disturbed by air movement. Until the ash and soot are diluted and absorbed by the environment, indoor mechanical air filtration may help minimize the uncomfortable and potentially health-threatening impact of these pollutants.

With a house fire cleanup the steps you take will have to be carefully considered so that further damage is not inflicted upon your possessions. On a similar note, take extra care when moving around the damaged property to ensure that you don't misstep and go through a weakened part of the floor or cause the collapse of unstable structures.

Moving outside the house we come to a different kind of fire restoration consideration which comes in relation to the effects on the landscape around the home after a firestorm. In this case there may be considerable damage to the soil upon which the house sits making the landscape itself extremely unstable. Because there will be a lack of vegetation following a large fire there is a real chance of soil erosion which makes another potential hazard for the home. One of the tasks that should be undertaken is to select some fast growing plant species for the land around the house that will help to preserve the soil.

What is not mentioned by the FEMA guidelines is that the best plan for a fire damage cleanup is to contact a fire damage restoration firm. These professionals are equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to get the best fire damage cleanup results possible.

There is quite a lot of stress surrounding any kind of disaster, particularly when you home and loved ones are involved, Fire Water Damage Restoration attempts to explain some of the options that are open to you to make things a little easier.

Conducting Your Own Fire Damage Restoration

Although it is not advisable to enter your home after it has been ravaged by fire and, if you don't know what you're doing, you can cause more harm than good. Fire damage restoration is a specialist job and for the most part should be left to the experts to do. Soot is an amazingly stubborn substance to remove unless you are aware of the techniques that work and those that should be avoided.

That being said, the sooner a fire damage cleanup can be started the better the chance that objects can be saved. Even though the fire may be out, some materials continue to be affected if they are not treated promptly. While waiting for the experts to arrive there are a few simple tasks that can be carried out that may reduce some of the ongoing damage.

What to do if you have smoke/fire damage

* Blow off or brush-vacuum loose soot particles from upholstery, drapes, and carpets.
* Cover carpeted traffic areas with towels or old linens to prevent additional soiling.
* Discard open food packages. The food could be contaminated.
* If electrical service is off, clean out your freezer and refrigerator. Leave the doors propped open or place charcoal in the unit.
* Send clothing with heavy smoke damage to a qualified professional dry cleaner who specializes in smoke damage.
* Clean Formica and chrome fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom to prevent permanent tarnishing.
* Wipe residue from porcelain bath fixtures to prevent etching.
* Wipe the leaves of houseplants to remove smoke residue.
* Change the air filter on your furnace if it uses forced hot air.
* Tape cheesecloth over intake and outlet air registers to capture any loose soot in the air. This is even more effective if the cheesecloth is damp.
* If the outside temperature is above 60 degrees, air out the house to reduce smoke odor.

Important warnings on smoke and fire damage

* Do not attempt to wash any papered or flat painted walls without consulting your professional cleaner. Incorrect cleaning procedures could compound the soot residue problem.
* Do not attempt to clean carpets or upholstered furniture. Again, incorrect procedures could increase damage.
* Do not use electrical appliances that have been close to fire or water before having them checked. They could malfunction.
* Do not use ceiling fixtures if the ceiling is wet. A short circuit could result.
* Do not touch anything. Soot on your hands can permeate upholstery, walls, and woodwork, causing further damage.
* Do not eat food that has been exposed to fire or smoke.
* Do not wait to call for professional help.

Tips To Prevent Fire Damage

There are some valuable steps that you may think about taking before a fire ever has a chance to occur in your home. Rather than find yourself in the position where you have to get someone to come and perform fire damage restoration, you can fireproof your home.

Make sure your power points aren’t overloaded nor are the electrical circuits. Make sure that smoke detectors have been fitted throughout the house and that they are situated close enough to bedrooms that they will be heard and will wake a sleeping person. Clothes dryers can be the cause of a house fire if the lint tray isn’t regularly cleaned. Make sure that this becomes a regular task, particularly if you use your dryer a lot.

Generally, taking extra care when there is an open flame, such as from a fireplace fire or even the gas cooker, is essential. So many kitchen fires are started simply by not taking close enough care to the open flame and brushing clothes or a piece of material into the fire which catches alight.

Failing to extinguish a cigarette properly is also a recipe for a fire disaster, either by falling asleep while smoking or throwing it in a bin without ensuring that it is no longer alight. Taking an extra few seconds to finish the job will eliminate the possibility that you risk starting a house fire.

By following as many of the common sense tips for preventing fires as you can, you may just avoid having to call in a fire damage restoration professional after all.