Recovering from a fire can be a physically and mentally draining process. The road from disaster to recovery involves important decisions that can result in unfortunate and costly detours if not carefully planned and implemented. Understanding the unique requirements of fire disaster recovery is essential. At United Fire & Water, we are experts at restoring damaged property to a pre-loss condition. Once our emergency service crew has mitigated damage and diagnosed the situation, a qualified project manager, specialized in loss recovery, will develop a customized recovery plan to restore the property quickly, efficiently, and affordably.
Our dedicated project managers, working with qualified reconstruction specialists, evaluate structural damage to determine your reconstruction needs. Leveraging a comprehensive network of quality contractors, carpentry, drywall, flooring, and painting needs are coordinated and the property is returned to its pre-loss condition.
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Do you have a plan?
We do.
United Fire & Water Damage Restoration Inc specializes in the unexpected. Whether it is a natural disaster or a broken pipe, we offer comprehensive disaster recovery solutions to effectively restore any property to a pre loss condition.
We are experts in the field of water and fire damage restoration. We are a Louisiana State Licensed (#250237) Mold Remediation company, and we service the entire gulf coast region. United Fire & Water can be on scene in as little as one hour for Southern Louisiana locations.
Although your restoration contractors may take plenty of photographs and develop lists, work with them to develop your own sets of photos and lists of destroyed, damaged and unaffected items. Make sure that you record the rooms involved, the date and time and anything else that may be helpful in resolving disputes about what needs restoring or replacing. Assume that your restoration contractor wants to help but may be required to do only the work that insurance will cover. Be thorough.
Check out the fire damage project we have underway right now - when the new window opens, be sure to click on the “slideshow” button on the right side of the scree
Drying your house
In most fires, firefighters use at least some water to quench the flames. Water can also get in through holes in the roof or walls or through broken windows. Wet materials quickly grow mold, in most weather conditions, with some molds becoming visible within two days.
Preventing mold by drying wet building materials and contents is a high priority.
The first stage in drying is removing liquid water. The second is removing moisture from the air, to allow materials to dry through evaporation from the surface. Normal household dehumidifiers cannot do this job adequately. Restoration contractors have high-performance dehumidifiers that can dry very rapidly — so rapidly that surfaces are usually dry to the touch in less than two days.
Drying the contents
Drying consists of removing liquid water and then reducing the indoor relative humidity (RH) to the point where evaporation from the surface will draw the water out of items. The aim of drying is to get the moisture content down to what it is in materials in normal houses in your area. This requires special techniques and equipment, as well as judgment about what levels are appropriate for your climate and the season. Your contractor may also want to proceed slowly enough with the drying to avoid warping and cracking, so this is a job for an expert.
Preventing mold growth
The vital first step in preventing mold growth is getting relative humidity at the surface of materials below 65 per cent within two days. This is why it is important to start drying as soon as possible. It is important to keep relative humidity below 65 per cent until the interior of materials is dry enough for the relative humidity of the air at the surface of materials to stay at 65 per cent or lower when drying is discontinued. The temperature of
the air near the surface of materials can be colder than the room air, such as on an exterior wall in the winter or a basement floor in the summer. This affects the relative humidity at the surface of the material, and the relative humidity in the middle of a room will not be representative of the conditions on the material. Your contractor will likely dry well below that level.
United Fire & Water Damage Restoration Inc. is pleased to bring you a new photo and video journal detailing restoration jobs at our Baton Rouge LA and Colorado locations. The projects covered include Catastrophic Event Response, Hurricane Clean up, Mold Remediation Projects, Fire Damage Restoration and Water Damage Restoration for both Commercial & Residential Clients, and span the course of the last 4 years. We are in the process of uploading numerous past projects, and the site is updated regularly - So be sure to check in regularly for new postings and projects!
You have to call the financial institution that holds your mortgage. Fire lowers the value of your house and affects your mortgage. Properly restoring your house will restore its value, but the mortgage company must be involved until your house is restored.
Choose a contractor
Hopefully, the first-response contractor that you hire will also be the contractor who does the restoration work.But securing your home and property and getting the preliminary cleanout and drying done quickly are so important that you may have to settle for less than the best. You can change contractors once the immediate cleanup is done. For the work, insist on a firm whose workers are certified by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) or an equivalent industry organization. These personnel should be at least supervisors for your restoration. Get this guaranteed in writing. Poor restoration will leave you with a house that is not a healthy home for your family. Standards for fire restoration are constantly revised. You want work done to the most up-to-date standard. Ask what industry standards your contractor uses, including the edition of the standards and guides your contractor uses. If you have to switch restoration contractors, carefully set out the scope of work for each firm. You are responsible for ensuring that everything that must be done is included in the scope of work. Do not pay for, or authorize payment for, work that does not match that scope.
Personal protection
A fire-damaged house can be very dangerous. It may be structurally unsound. If it is, the fire department will not allow you on the site. Contact your fire department to learn about conditions of access. The fire department may allow a qualified restoration contractor into the house. You may have to contact the police as well, if they are involved. Your house may still have dangerous chemicals produced by the fire or from fighting the fire. The house will be dark, probably wet and likely already be growing mold. Floors can be slippery and there may be sharp and jagged items lying around. If you are allowed back in your house, wear safety boots, a hardhat, and protection for your lungs and eyes. Your fire department and restoration contractor can recommend proper safety gear. Don’t go into your house alone. Investigate in teams of at least two, one of whom is a professional.
Questions of sensitivity
If you or anyone in your family is sensitive to chemicals or mold, make sure that everyone involved in restoring your house knows that fact. You may have to insist that your contractor take special precautions. Your physician may be willing to write to your insurance professional, contractors or others if you have special needs.
Your insurance may only cover restoration to normal standards, but for an extra fee you should be able to negotiate the right to pre-approve chemicals, products and processes to deal with your sensitivities. If you need premium materials or processes you may have to pay any extra costs yourself.
United Fire & Water ● 7575 Jefferson Hwy #136 ● Baton Rouge, LA 70806 ● Phone 225.927.2088 or 888.657.7779 Louisiana State Commercial Builders License #50580 ● Louisiana State Mold Remediation License #250237
