4 Ways a Board Up Secures Your Home After a Fire

8/29/2022 (Permalink)

Secure your home after a fire

Four Techniques for Securing Your Home After a Fire

Your home in Monticello, LA, is particularly vulnerable right after a fire. The flames have likely caused structural damage to your home, and fire fighting efforts often bust down doors, crash in windows and even blast holes into your roof. Once the fire crew has departed, you are left with a home that is exposed to the elements, leaving open the possibility of further damage. A board up might be your best option to secure your home. It protects the house from multiple dangers.

1. The weather - An emergency board up makes sure a sudden rainstorm doesn't soak your home. The boards will cover openings and prevent water from entering. In some cases, the restoration crew will put a tarp over a roof to give better weather protection.

2. Criminals - A damaged home can be seen by some people as an invitation to take a look inside. They are more likely to enter a house that has easy access. A professional board up will makes things more difficult for thieves and vandals to get into your home after a fire.

3. Animals - Animals seek out shelter in homes even in the best of times. The damage from a fire allows animals such as squirrels, bats, rats and birds to take up residence in your home. These critters can even cause additional damage to your property if you do not take appropriate action after fire damage.

4. The curious - Children and even curious adults sometimes see a vacant home after a fire as a place to explore. This could create liability issues for your property. Since a home after a fire is likely to be full of hazards, you definitely do not want people roaming around inside it.
A professional fire restoration company will be experienced in securing your home after a fire. The workers will be able to install a board up safely. This will keep your home secure until the damage is fixed and your home is restored.

3 Tips for Fire Hazard Mitigation While Cooking

5/30/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke detectors can alert you to the danger so you can evacuate in time.

Three Tips for Preventing Fires While Cooking

According to the National Fire Protection Association, from 2014 to 2018 U.S. fire departments were called to approximately 172,900 home fires connected to cooking activities. Kitchen fires are the leading cause of residential fires in the nation and can result in serious fire damage that may require the services of a professional restoration business in Baker, LA, to deal with. It is important to take safety precautions to lower the likelihood of a devastating event like a grease fire occurring. Here are three tips for doing so.

1. Keep Flammable Items/Substances Away From the Cooking Area While Cooking
If you have your stove or oven on, combustible things like wooden utensils, oven mitts, oil-coated spatulas and food wrappers can easily go up in flames, so it is important to move them out of the danger zone. Grease splatters, puddles and buildup also easily catch fire, so it is important to keep your work area clean.

2. Install the Appropriate Equipment
There are some things your home needs in case of a fire:

• Carbon monoxide monitors
  
• Smoke detectors
  
• Fire extinguishers
  
  

Having these valuable tools can help you identify and handle such situations before they become too severe, or at least alert you to the danger so you can evacuate in time.

3. Don't Leave Fires Unattended
This is one of the most important tips. You do not ever want to walk away from cooking food. If you need to take a phone call, go to the bathroom for a prolonged period of time or leave the proximity for some other reason for longer than a couple of minutes, you should turn the range or stovetop off.
These are not the only fire safety tips you should heed. However, they are important ones. Fire, and by extension cooking, is not something to be taken lightly. Because of this, it is best not to cook while tired or distracted, particularly if you are frying something or using grease.

3 Fire Extinguisher Facts Every Business Should Know

3/25/2022 (Permalink)

A fire extinguisher is designed to battle specific types of infernos.

3 Fire Extinguisher Facts

A fire extinguisher is a crucial piece of safety equipment that can save lives and spare commercial properties from extensive damage mandating professional cleanup and restoration. Because of this, every business in Monticello, LA, should maintain at least one functional device. To ensure it’s readily available in an emergency, every owner and manager should also recognize three key facts about this vital fire suppression tool.

1. Device Doesn’t Last Forever

Extinguishers do not have an indefinite shelf life. Unfortunately, they also do not typically come with an expiration date sticker.
To determine the viability of your device, you should complete annual inspections and check for compromised components. Specific defects that may make it unusable include a broken handle, missing locking pin or a cracked nozzle. The gauge should also be in green. If it’s not, replace the device.

2. Multiple Types Exist

A fire extinguisher is designed to battle specific types of infernos. Class K units, for example, can douse a kitchen fire sparked by grease while a Class A device is designated for use with blazes involving ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. Additional distinctions include Class C for electrical fires and Class B for flammable liquids.
Attempting to smother flames with the wrong type of device can be ineffective. To combat this potential dilemma, evaluate your company’s specific fire risks and purchase your extinguisher accordingly. Check the canister’s label to confirm the class. You can also purchase a multipurpose device, which can be used against a variety of blazes.

3. Should Be Accessible and Visible
Minimizing fire damage requires prompt action. To ensure an expedited response, mount your extinguisher in a safe, accessible place and post signage to identify its location. You should also ensure staff recognize this area and refrain from blocking the site.
Because an inferno can erupt suddenly, having a functioning fire extinguisher easily accessible is a crucial safety strategy. Understanding key aspects of the device can ensure it’s in prime operating condition and ready to perform in an emergency.

When Can You Enter Your Home After a Fire?

2/23/2022 (Permalink)

Did you know that SERVPRO offers fire damage cleanup and restoration services? Our crew is faster to any size fire damage disaster that might occur.

When Is It Safe To Return Home After A Fire?

If a fire started unexpectedly in your home and you were able to successfully escape, you are likely thankful for your safety but eager to try and rescue your belongings. Even if the fire has stopped burning or your home appears safe to enter, it is important you wait until a fire damage cleanup team can come to the site and assess the situation. Continue reading to learn when you can safely enter your home in Baker, LA, again after a house fire.

Steps To Take As Soon You Evacuate Your Home

As soon as you and all your family members escape your home, follow these steps:

1. Call 9-1-1
   
2. Get in contact with your insurance agent
   
3. Call a fire restoration company to board up your home

What Is Emergency Board Up?

After fire damage has affected your home, there’s no way to know for sure if the structure is safe enough for you to enter. You will be able to enter home after it has been assessed and safely secured with board ups and tarp overs wherever necessary. This process involves boarding up broken windows and doors and placing tarps over a broken roof and areas with stability or leakage issues. This prevents further damage to your home, someone getting hurt, or someone easily gaining access to your home.

Who Can Perform an Emergency Board Up?

You should never perform a board up on your own. While you might want to reduce costs by doing the process yourself, you can create extensive damage to your home and put yourself at risk. It is in your best interest to wait until the fire restoration team can come and determine what action needs to be taken.

It is important to take all the necessary steps after a fire occurs in your home before you trying entering your home. Once you get into contact with the restoration company and they board up your home, you’ll be able to safely enter the house.

Top 3 Reasons To Board Your Home After a Fire

12/16/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Baton Rouge, LA.

Reasons To Board Up Your Home After a Fire

No homeowner in Baton Rouge, LA, wants to watch a house go up in smoke. Still, even if you exercise caution, you cannot completely eliminate your risk of sustaining fire damage. If your home has been through a residential fire, you must act quickly to minimize ongoing harm. Here are the top three reasons to board up your home following a fire.

1. Keep Weather Out of Your House

As you probably know, water can destroy the inside of your home. Not only does moisture affect the quality of carpeting, drywall and fixtures, but it can also promote mold growth. By relying on an emergency board-up service to make your home weather-tight, you keep water from making fire damage worse.

2. Discourage Criminal Activity

Burned homes are easy targets for thieves, vandals and other criminals. To discourage looting following a fire, board up your home. Not only does placing boards over damaged windows and doors make illegal entry more difficult, but it also blocks the view of the inside of your home. Either way, if you want to keep criminals out of your house, attaching boards is an effective strategy.

3. Prevent Animals From Nesting

Birds, raccoons, snakes, mice and other critters love to live inside abandoned properties. While you are waiting to begin repairs on your damaged home, you must encourage animals to stay away from it. By boarding up your home, you tell animal invaders they are not welcome.

Unless a fire completely ruins your home, you probably want to repair it. As such, you must do what you can to limit ongoing damage following a fire. Since broken doors and missing windows encourage damage to continue, you probably want to place boards over the access points. With the right fire restoration service, you can be certain you are protecting your home from further damage.

3 Tips for Cleaning Your Home After a Fire

11/1/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Zachary, LA.

Cleaning Your Home After a Fire

Experiencing a home fire in Zachary, LA, can be devastating and cause tremendous stress on you and your family. After overcoming the initial shock and ensuring everyone is safe, you can shift your focus to cleaning and restoring your property. Removing the smoke odor from your home is an important first step, but don’t forget about content cleaning as many of your personal items can be saved from fire and smoke damage.

1. Dry Clean Your Clothes

Much of the smoke odor and residual soot can be removed from your clothes by dry-cleaning. Other fabrics can benefit from dry-cleaning as well, such as drapes and furniture covers. Be thorough — smoke and soot can travel thorough your whole house and are not confined to rooms directly affected by the fire.

2. Don’t Forget Surfaces

Cleaning your carpets might seem like an obvious step in the restoration process, but other non-porous areas also need to be cleaned thoroughly. Ultrasonic cleaners use a cleaning solution in conjunction with pressurized waves to effectively cleanse metal, rubber, plastic, glass and ceramics. Investigate renting one of these machines as opposed to buying, or contact a restoration specialist and have your hard surfaces professionally cleaned.

3. Store Your Belongings and Relax

If this all seems too overwhelming to accomplish by yourself, you may want to investigate content storage, a service offered by many restoration specialists. The company will pack and move all of your stuff to its own facility where its technicians can more efficiently clean and deodorize your possessions, then store them until your home is safe and spotless. This is a great option if your fire damage is extensive, as it allows the contractor in your home more room to work and takes away some of the stress of tackling a huge project like cleaning everything in your home yourself.

Fires can leave a lasting mark on you and your property. Safety is always the most important thing after a fire, and luckily, cleanup can be made easy and stress-free through a combination of dry-cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning.

How Can Renters Insurance Help With Fire Damage?

11/1/2021 (Permalink)

Own property insurance is required to secure your personal things.

How Do Renters Insurance Can Protect You From a Fire

You probably know someone who has been through a home fire in Spindale, NC. They are eager to share lessons learned the hard way. One of those lessons is that insurance can help protect your family financially if a fire should affect your home. Here are a few ways renters insurance can help protect you from fire:

1. Protect personal property. Your landlord’s insurance will cover the building and items that belong to the landlord, but your items are not included in that coverage. As a renter, you need a policy to provide replacement value of personal property loss from fire damage.

2. Prevent financial destruction from liability. Most renter's insurance policies include protection in case you accidentally start the fire. Of course, this doesn’t cover intentional or criminal conduct.

3. Provide money for accommodations. Make sure your policy includes this coverage, which provides for hotel fees or the expense of relocation. A loss of use can help pay for you to live somewhere else if your current space becomes uninhabitable from a disaster, like fire.

Renters insurance is affordable, costing around $30 per month. It provides coverage of your belongings no matter where they are damaged or stolen, and it covers a variety of different types of disasters. Be sure to remember that flood damage still requires separate coverage, but fire and other disasters, such as wind, lightning, theft and vandalism, are usually covered. Coverage may have some limits, so consider getting a rider for special items that may be very valuable.

You need insurance to protect your personal belongings. It’s up to the landlord to have adequate coverage for the building and any furnishings that are included. Fire restoration can encompass many different types of damage including water, smoke and soot. A good restoration company will be able to handle all types of damage, working with you to minimize loss and clean your belongings when it is possible to do so.

What To Throw Out After a Fire

7/15/2021 (Permalink)

A home in Zachary, LA suffered fire damage.

What To Throw Away After a Fire

When your home in Zachary, LA suffers fire damage, the aftermath can be devastating. Your primary concerns may be family heirlooms or expensive items. Many of these items can be restored by fire restoration specialists. It is better to throw away other items, though. Cosmetics, medicine and food are often rendered unsalvageable by a fire in your home.

Cosmetics

If cosmetics have been open or used, they probably need to be tossed in the trash. Products in this category include:

• Makeup
• Soap or body wash
• Deodorant
• Lotion
• Toothpaste
• Sunscreen

The high heat from the fire likely changed the chemical structure of the ingredients. They may not apply as well as they used to, or they may even be unsafe to use. If you have not opened the package or if the packaging is not charred or damaged in any way, the product may be safe. When in doubt, however, dump it.

Medicine

Your medicines are affected by high temperatures in much the same way that cosmetics are. Throw away any medicines when the instructions on the bottle specifically state they must be kept in a cool, dry place. Heat can alter the medicines at the molecular level, rendering it ineffective at best and possibly even unsafe to consume. Water or chemicals used to put out the fire may also have contaminated your medication.

Food

The water used to put out the fire should be considered contaminated, and so should anything the water came into contact with. You can't always tell if food has gone bad by how it looks or smells. Whether your food seems to have been spoiled by the high heat or not, it is best to throw it out. Give your pets' food the same consideration so that you don't make them sick when you feed them.

While you may be concerned with expensive items in your home, the greater expense may come from having to replace all your food, medicine and cosmetics. It is an expense worth paying to keep you and your family safe.

The Most Common Causes of Home Fires

7/5/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in a kitchen

Leading Causes of Home Fires

• Cooking Equipment - 46% of all fires
• Heating Equipment - 16%
• Electrical Equipment - 9%
• Intentional - 8%
• Smoking Materials - 5%

Almost half of all home fires result from cooking. While that number is concerning, many cooking fires can be prevented through general awareness and by following proper procedures. This is particularly important with the holidays coming up. Here are some tips to help you prevent fire damage from occurring in your kitchen:

• Never leave your cooking food unattended, especially if you are broiling, frying, or grilling. Use a timer to remind you when you are using a stove or an oven.
• Avoid leaving anything flammable – such as oven mitts, plastic bags, paper towels, or pot holders - close to your stove or oven. You should also not cook when you are wearing loose clothing.
• Install a fire alarm close to your kitchen, and be sure to test it each month.
• Avoid a flammable grease buildup by cleaning regularly, particularly in the oven and on the stove.
• Turn off all cooking appliances when you are not using them, and double-check the kitchen prior to going to bed to make sure everything is off.
• To be prepared for any cooking-related fires, buy a Class K fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.

Call SERVPRO of Central East Baton Rouge Parish for additional information.

What Items Can You Salvage After a Fire?

6/22/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Monticello, LA.

What Items Can You Salvage After a Fire?

Fires leave behind many different types of damage. From smoke to soot, there are a variety of substances that can damage items in the vicinity of the flames. Homeowners in Monticello, LA, need to pursue content cleaning immediately following a fire to attempt to salvage as much as possible. A professional dry-cleaning service can salvage clothes, while other professionals who specialize in fire damage restoration may be able to help you with family heirlooms. Either way, you do not want to automatically throw out precious items.

1. Clothing

You want to be careful you do not do the wrong thing when trying to salvage clothes. Attempting to wash the soot out of clothes on your own may only end up driving the soot further into the fabric. Take your clothes to professionals who know how to treat clothes exposed to smoke and flames. This will be your best bet to save them.

2. Family Albums and Books

Similar to how you need to take clothing to a professional dry-cleaning service, you need to take photo albums and books to a professional conservator. Exposure to soot can cause pages to stick together. If you attempt to pry the pages open yourself, you may end up damaging the books beyond repair.

3. Furniture

You do not want to get any water on furniture that still has soot on it. Instead, you can try to remove the soot yourself with a strong vacuum. However, you do not want to place the nozzle of the vacuum directly on the upholstery as this will only drive the soot further into the material. With nonporous surfaces, you can use an ultrasonic cleaner.

There are plenty of other items that can be salvaged following a fire. You may need to utilize content storage in Monticello, LA, for the time being until a professional can look at your belongings. Although you should still take pictures of your damaged items for insurance purposes, dry-cleaning and vacuuming services can be highly beneficial.

Tips for Using a Home Fire Extinguisher

3/24/2021 (Permalink)

The acronym P.A.S.S. can help you remember how to use an extinguisher.

Tips For Utilizing Extinguishers Correctly

Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher. This tool can help you put out a kitchen fire before it spreads. Here are some tips for utilizing extinguishers correctly.

1. Make an Evacuation Plan
Before you get too close to the fire, determine exactly how you will escape the room if the blaze becomes too big for you to handle. Make sure that no heat, smoke or fire comes between you and your chosen evacuation path.

2. Pick the Right Extinguisher
Different fires require different types of extinguishers. Water or class A extinguishers are designed for ordinary combustibles such as plastic, cloth, paper, rubber and wood. Class B extinguishers utilize carbon dioxide and work best on flammable liquids, including grease, gasoline and oil. Electrical fires require Class C extinguishers, which utilize dry chemicals.
Of course, when you spot flames in your home, you do not always have time to figure out the correct fire extinguisher to use. Ideally, you should keep a multipurpose extinguisher in your house, as it works on fires caused by combustibles, flammable liquids or electrical equipment.

3. Use the P.A.S.S. Technique
The acronym P.A.S.S. can help you remember how to use an extinguisher. You just Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle and Sweep the extinguisher from side to side.

4. Know When To Evacuate
Most importantly, do not be a hero when trying to put out the fire. If the flames take up more than 60 square feet, if you feel radiating heat on your exposed skin, or if you have trouble breathing due to excess smoke, evacuate the house immediately. Contact firefighters to extinguish the blaze and fire damage cleanup specialists to restore your Baker, LA, home.
You can try to suppress a blaze using a fire extinguisher. Make sure you pick an extinguisher designed for the type of fire in your home. If the flames get out of control, evacuate immediately and let the professionals handle the situation.

What Goes Into a Fire Damage Estimate?

11/4/2020 (Permalink)

Commercial fire in Baton Rouge, LA

Consider The Different Factors That Go Into A Restoration Estimate

Restarting your business in Baton Rouge, LA after fire damage can be stressful. To take some of your load off, you are going to want to know at least a little bit about what happens after a fire. Since the damage your business faces is going to be extensive, you are going to need qualified fire restoration professionals to help you with the cleanup process. The first step to choosing the right company for your project is to get an estimate. While insurance may cover some of the restoration process, you will likely have some out of pocket costs. Therefore, you need to know what factors affect the price of your cleanup.

Evaluation
A commercial fire is considered one of two types:

• Simple fire
  
• Complex fire
  
  

The cost of your restoration will often be based on what type of fire your business suffered. As far as price goes, simple fires are better because they only burn natural materials and produce less soot and damage.

Procedure
When you have a fire in your business, you need to act fast and get everyone out as quickly as possible before calling the fire department. How quickly you react can affect your estimate by lowering the amount of damage done to your building. Once the fire is put out, an insurance agent will come and document the damage. This documentation will be used to determine how much your insurance company will pay for. It is also the time when your response procedure and fire safety will be evaluated.
After your claim has been settled, you should begin work on getting the building restored. Remember to look for a reliable company. Someone from the company you choose will come out and decide how much you need to pay to have your business reopened.
Several different factors go into a restoration estimate. How you responded and the type of fire you had are some of the most common things that can impact your pricing.

How Often Should I Change Smoke Alarm Batteries?

9/25/2020 (Permalink)

If your smoke alarm starts chirping, it's time to change the batteries

There's no question that smoke alarms save lives; however, they must be working in order to do so. When the battery starts going low in a smoke alarm, it can be tempting to remove the battery and forget it. Statistics show that smoke alarms can decrease the risk of losing someone to a home fire by 50 percent. If everyone understood those odds, maybe everyone would make sure their smoke alarms were always be equipped with working batteries.

When to Change Smoke Alarm Batteries

In an older model smoke detector, it was recommended that the battery be replaced every six months. Technology has come a long way in the last decade, and newer models of smoke alarms come equipped with lithium batteries. For these models, the battery only needs to be replaced every 10 years.
If your smoke alarm starts chirping, it's time to change the batteries. It's a good idea to check your alarms every few months regardless.

Always Be Prepared
If a disaster was happening, would you know what to do? For many people, their natural instinct is to panic. However, if you had a pre-arranged plan, your focus on that plan and keeping everyone safe would lead to calmer and better decision making during the emergency.
Get your family together and develop a fire escape plan. Make sure there's a plan for the pets as well. Plan a meeting place once everyone is outside. It is important to have everyone agree that no one should re-enter the home.
Your home and your personal items can be replaced. After fire damage has occurred, it's important to let a professional restoration company enter the home first to begin the cleanup and repair. There could be dangers that they are equipped to handle.
Having a working smoke alarm in your home is critical to your family's safety. If you need to purchase a new smoke alarm, choose one of the models with the 10-year lithium battery.

What To Look for in a Fire Restoration Company

7/5/2020 (Permalink)

Fire restoration in Monticello, LA

What To Look for in a Fire Restoration Company

When choosing a fire damage restoration specialist to restore your business after a fire, you will want to make sure you choose the best company available. Many types of damage can occur after a fire, including smoke, heat, and water. Making sure the company you choose offers everything you need will simplify and streamline your experience. Knowing the general services you need will help you choose a company that offers them all.

1. Emergency Services
The best fire damage restoration companies offer emergency services, meaning you don't have to wait days or weeks for help. Instead, they usually arrive on site within 24 hours and begin steps to avoid further damage. They will assess the damage, develop a plan, and apply emergency methods until official work can begin. For example, a commercial fire can leave open access to the outside. A tarp or board may be applied over the area to safeguard the interior from the elements or looters.

2. Clean Up
After a fire, you may have so much damage that you hardly recognize your property. Items might be covered in soot and ashes, things may have fallen to the ground, and carpeting could be ruined. During the cleanup process, professionals will salvage what they can and remove what cannot be restored. Some belongings may be taken offsite to undergo specialized cleaning processes.

3. Restoration
During this stage, your building will start to look like its old self. Carpets will be cleaned or replaced, walls rebuilt and painted, and damaged cabinets will be repaired or replaced. Smoke cleanup may be done using ozone machines, air filtration devices, or thermal foggers.
Fire damage restoration involves more than just a cleanup crew. You need a team of experts to clean, disinfect, deodorize, and restore your building to its previous condition. By using a professional restoration company in Monticello, LA, you can have your business back to normal as quickly as possible.

What To Know About Home Fire Alarms

6/25/2020 (Permalink)

Installing a fire alarm can help protect your home and family by alerting you in time to leave the residence and call the fire department.

If a fire occurs at your Baton Rouge, LA, home a fire damage restoration service can help with cleanup, repairs, and smoke damage removal, but having an alarm can help mitigate the damage from the start. When you install a fire alarm in your home, it’s important to do so correctly, so that this tool can alert you in time to evacuate and call emergency personnel to put the flames out. Here are three things you should know to get the best use out of your alarm.

1. Where to Install Them

It’s recommended to install alarms in each bedroom, outside the bedrooms in spaces such as a shared hallway, and in the kitchen. You may also wish to place an alarm in work areas that use machinery such as the garage.

2. How Many To Have

You can calculate the number of alarms you need by counting the number of bedrooms and floors in your home. There should be a minimum of one fire alarm per floor. Add to that the other installation locations and you will know the recommended number of units for your home.

3. When To Replace Them

Many manufacturers recommend that the alarm unit be replaced every eight to ten years depending on the model. You should also replace the unit if you feel like it’s not functioning correctly. You can test the unit by pressing the test button and listening for the alarm sound.

Installing a fire alarm can help protect your home and family by alerting you in time to leave the residence and call the fire department. It’s best to install them in each bedroom and the kitchen and to have at least one per floor. Batteries should be replaced annually and the alarm should be replaced as indicated by the manufacturer. Remember, if your home does suffer fire damage, a restoration service can help.

Is Medicine and Food OK to Keep After a Fire?

6/23/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Central East Baton Rouge Parish is Faster to Any Size Disaster.

Once the house fire is over in Baton Rouge, LA, there’s a lot to do. You should make sure everyone’s safe, make arrangements for your pets (they’ll need a lot of comforts right now), and notify your insurance company. If the fire was structural, you may need a local fire restoration company to come in immediately and tarp up the exposed areas. Then you’ll have to sort out what you can keep and what must be discarded.

What Must You Throw Away?
The most important consideration is safety: is the item safe as is or can it be restored to pre-fire condition? Regardless, there are four categories that should always be discarded if exposed to smoke or heat greater than room temperature:

All perishable food
Some non-perishable food
Medicine
Cosmetics

So, Always Throw Away Food?
Most perishable food will readily absorb smoke and the toxic materials within, so go ahead and throw it all away. Non-perishable food, such as canned items, may be better able to withstand heat, depending on the packaging. If it’s sealed in non-porous material, such as metal or glass, and hasn’t been exposed to high heat, you may be able to keep it.

Can Medicine Ever Be Salvaged?
Not if exposed to high heat or smoke. Even a brief excursion above 100 degrees can alter the complex chemical formula in medicines. Prolonged temperatures above 80 degrees will also degrade medicine, so unless the pills were far away from the action, toss them.

Why Must Cosmetics Be Discarded?
Just like medicine, most quality cosmetics are engineered to be healthier for the body and skin. They can have complex and harmful chemical changes when exposed to high heat. If they’re expensive, some homeowner’s insurance policies will cover them as personal property. Either way, they won’t look, smell or feel the same if they were significantly impacted by the fire.

Ideally, call a local fire damage restoration company as soon as possible. They can help with insurance information and start cleaning up the mess as soon as possible. SERVPRO is Faster to Any Size Disaster.

4 Ways to Include Pets in Fire Safety

6/5/2020 (Permalink)

Consider placing a pet fire safety sticker in a window

When a fire emergency happens in your Baker, LA, home, the safety everyone in the house is imperative. For people who have pets, they are also important family members but not always as easy to get out of a burning house. When it comes to pet safety, including them in the family’s evacuation plan increases the chances of everyone getting out safely. As you establish an evacuation plan, there are a number of things to consider. Along with the basics for the humans in the home, consider including these pet preparation tips as part of it.

Fire Prevention

Pets can be curious creatures, which can lead to them starting an accidental fire. If they love cozying up to the fireplace, place a gate around it to keep embers away. When burning candles, do it an area that a pet will not be able to knock over. The same goes for space heaters. Electrical cords should also be out of reach to avoid being mistaken as a chew toy.

Home Alone
People aren’t always home when a fire emergency breaks out. If a pet is home alone, you want fire responders to know that a loved family member is inside. Consider placing a pet fire safety sticker in a window.

Escape Route
This ties in with the human element of a fire safety plan. Identify potential exits, as well as a safe place to meet. Designate a person to be in charge of locating pets during an evacuation. Be sure to know your pet's favorite hiding spots.

The After Effects
Depending on the damage to your home, it could result in a long cleanup process with the help of fire and smoke remediation and restoration experts. During that time, it may be necessary to find somewhere else to stay. Establish a place to stay that allows pets before disaster strikes.
While hopefully, a fire emergency won’t be something you have to worry about, being prepared ahead of time can help keep all family members safe.

How Professional Content Cleaning Saves Items After a Fire

2/28/2020 (Permalink)

A house fire in Baker, LA, leaves a path of destruction

A house fire in Baker, LA, leaves a path of destruction. The flames burn just about everything in their path, from wood and furniture to clothing and artwork. Substances from fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems degrade and corrode personal belongings. Finally, the pervasiveness of smoke odors is a difficult smell to remove from the home. Fortunately, a trained and certified fire remediation company has tools such as dry-cleaning that can save many valuables from being a total loss. Some items are not salvageable after a fire, but a professional company will strive to save many possessions from being discarded.

The Importance of Training and Certification

After a fire, content cleaning can be a big job. Fire and water damage specialists should respond with a restore versus replace mentality. This limits losses and reduces expenses. Cleaning a variety of surfaces requires training and certification, allowing for the cleaning of the following items:

• Documents
  
• Upholstery
  
• Furniture
  
• Artwork
  
• Carpeting
  
• Drywall
  
  

Trained personnel know that dry-cleaning is the preferred method for clothes, while ultrasonic methods work best for non-porous objects. The right company has specialized equipment to restore a multitude of materials.

The Value of Experience
Just about every residential fire is unique and comes with its own set of challenges. Experience helps technicians understand the best methods to proceed. At times, family heirlooms and treasured photographs suffer damage from smoke or water. A company that is local can respond quickly to limit losses and begin to address the situation in a matter of hours. At the same time, a company that has corporate resources can capitalize upon its expertise and also provide space for content storage if needed.
While a fire is an unfortunate and emotional event for all, it's good to know help is nearby. Techniques such as dry-cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning improve the benefits of the recovery process and save valuable personal belongings.