Fire and Smoke Damage

 

Fire is one of the most devastating and dangerous disasters that can strike your business or home. Fires can occur at any time and the substantial fire damages sustained can bring your business to a stop causing massive financial losses. In Ontario there are on average 8000 structural fires each year. Restoration Aid highly recommends every business and home is properly insured against fire damages.

 

Fire causes damage to structures in two direct ways: flame destruction and smoke damage. Smoke travels through ventilation shafts, plumbing, and other openings in the building. As smoke naturally rises, the smoke ascends through the building causing damage to areas higher up, even if they are unaffected by the flame destruction. Smoke from fire causes two main problems: smell and stains. Any exposed materials such as walls, floors, furniture, and carpets can be ruined by the smell of smoke. Additionally, the soot in the smoke can stain the exposed materials.

 

Fires often leads to secondary damage in the form of water damage. Water damage is usually present after a fire has been contained.

 

Whenever a structural fire occurs, there is also a risk of toxic chemicals being present in the air as a by-product of the chemical reactions that occur during the fire when the building materials either combust or are exposed to the high temperatures of the fire.

 

Immediate professional response is needed in order to restore your commercial or residential property to its pre-loss conditions after a fire damage. The experts at Restoration Aid have vast experience restoring fire damaged properties. Restoration Aid understands that effective emergency measures that quickly stabilize the facility following a fire damage are important to ensure the recovery of as much property as possible.

 

Our fire restoration service team stands ready to deal with any type of structural fire damage. Our 24 hour emergency response team of certified technicians and project managers provides immediate response for fire damage cleanup and smoke removal. Our fire damage teams are all IICRC certified in dealing with any degree of fire and smoke damage. We highly recommend not delaying the fire damage restoration process following a fire. When the process of restoration of a property is prolonged following a fire, the detrimental effects of the smoke, water and fire damage to the property continue, thus escalating the scope and cost of the fire damage restoration process.

 

Remediation following a fire damage is complex; Restoration Aid’s Fire Restoration Services are state of the art and cover all areas of the restoration process as needed. Our services include:

 

Structure Stabilization – Before any work begins, Restoration Aid will ensure the structure is safe.  This includes having the structure examined professionally to determine if it is sound, and boarding it up if required.

 

Content Recovery – we work with our clients and insurance companies to consider restoration vs. replacement cost of contents damaged in the fire. If restoration is chosen Restoration Aid will pack out, restore and return the contents.

 

Smoke & Water Damage Mitigation – water damage restoration and smoke damage cleanup are done as quickly as possible.

 

Demolition – when necessary Restoration Aid will demolish unsalvageable materials and areas. In severe fire damage situations, a structural engineer may have to be consulted to ensure the integrity of the building.

 

Clean Up – Restoration Aid does a complete cleaning of the structure and contents.  This is especially important for removing the remnants of soot.  This smoke and soot clean up process can include thermal deodorization, HEPA Vacuuming, physical wipe down, and removal of residue.

 

Air Quality Control – throughout the fire restoration process, Restoration Aid tests for air quality using specialized third party experts including environmental hygienists and engineers. If necessary, an Air Filtration system with HEPA filtration and carbon pleated filters is used to ensure air quality within the structure is returned to pre-fire quality.

 

Complete Reconstruction – Restoration Aid will take care of the fire damage repair and reconstruction from top to bottom, returning your property to its pre-loss condition.

 

As an IICRC certified firm Restoration Aid’s fire damage team is knowledgeable and experienced with fire damage restoration. All members of the team have formal and up-to-date specialized training, health and safety certifications, experience in a wide range of fire damage restoration projects, and the necessary insurance and licenses.

 

We understand having a fire damage loss to your property is a devastating experience.  There are a few crucial steps that you can take to help minimize the risk of a fire damage loss.  First and foremost, if you have a commercial property make sure you are compliant with the regulations.  Ensure that you have a fire detection system, and test the system regularly.  Have working fire extinguishers in high risk areas of your property, such as the kitchen, and near exits.  If you have a commercial property consider a sprinkler system, or hoses within the building.  Make sure emergency exits are properly marked, accessible and there is a clear evacuation plan.  Do not hesitate to execute unplanned fire drills, both in your home and business.  This is the best way to confirm everyone knows how to respond should a real fire emergency arise.  Finally, many fire departments will provide fire prevention inspection visits to see if your property meets the prevention guidelines.  Restoration Aid strongly believes that fire prevention is the best thing you can do for the safety of your business or home.