Recent Fire Damage Posts

Fire Damage in Long Beach & Oceanside.

4/10/2024 (Permalink)

SERVPRO® has been servicing the United States for more than 50 years and has more than 2,000 franchises. What started out as originally a painting company has transitioned into the largest and most trusted damage restoration clean-up company across the country. There has been nothing this team of professionals haven't seen. SERVPRO uses specialized equipment to clean up after a fire has occurred. This is how the project team faces a fire restoration job:

First, we tarp off the contaminated area to ensure that nothing spreads to the non-affected areas. Next, we set up temporary electricity (if needed) to power our equipment. Typically after a fire, the area is left with smoke damage, soot, and water damage from fire fighting efforts. The first step of the remediation process is the water removal. The longer it sits the more damage it causes. We use high grade extractors to remove the water then we place high grade drying equipment to dry out the area. After everything is dry, we evaluate what needs to be removed and replaced and what can stay. Then our reconstruction team will come in and renovate the damaged area.

SERVPRO’s ability to handle even the most challenging situations is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence. With SERVPRO, clients can trust that their properties are in capable hands, backed by decades of expertise and a dedication to delivering exceptional results.

Fire Damage

1/12/2022 (Permalink)

If your house happens to catch fire, it could ruin many valuable items. The fire is not the only threat to your home either, the smoke can leave damage as well. After a fire happens in your home, you want to call the leader in the restoration business to come and assess the damage. SERVPRO uses special equipment and materials to restore your damaged home back to its original state. A project manager will come to your home, draw a sketch and scope and come up with a plan of attack. Then, he will relay the information to our crew chiefs who will begin to restore your home. Fire damage sometimes leaves behind a smokey smell, in this instance SERVPRO would use a fog machine known as thermal fogging with special ingredients to eliminate the smell. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at (516) 536-1801.

Fire (ERP)

1/6/2022 (Permalink)

We of SERVPRO understand the feeling of what it's like to have your house or office building and all of your belongings be damaged due to a house fire. We have certain tools that will help you in the event there is a fire, but you need to act before it's too late. We offer what is called an Emergency Ready Profile also known as a (ERP). What an ERP does is minimizes business interruption by having an immediate plan of action. Some other benefits include that there is no cost to have an ERP done for you, a concise document of only what is needed in the event of an emergency, a guide to help you get back into your building following a disaster, establishes your local SERVPRO franchise as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider, identification of the line of command for authorizing work to begin, and last but not least, it provides facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information. We want to ensure that you are ready for any situation you may encounter and ensure that we will be there for you! If you have any questions or want to set up an ERP, please contact us at (516) 536-1801.

Fire

1/3/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damage can be detrimental to your home, if not taken care of properly. Fire damage usually goes hand and hand with water damage due to the sprinkler system extinguishing the fire. We of SERVPRO, will do everything necessary to restore your home back to its original condition. First, we will clean up the mess left behind from the fire and water damage. Next we will get rid of all the non salvageable items, such as burnt structure beams or floorboards. After all the damaged material is removed, we will place high grade drying equipment to prevent any forms of growth, which is caused by dark moist places. After everything has dried out, we will begin to repair your home to make it look “Like it never even happened.” SERVPRO's job is to make a stressful situation as least stressful as possible for you. If you ever experience and damage to your home please contact us at (516) 536-1801

FIRE TIPS

10/20/2021 (Permalink)

Below are some tips for you to stay safe in the event a fire occurs:

  • Call 911
  • Have a fire extinguisher handy and know how to use it 
  • Leave your valuables 
  • Cover your face 
  • Stay outside 

Make sure your and your family members have a plan for when a fire occurs. Planning is the most crucial step to safety 

Using A Fire Extinguisher 

A good way to remember how to properly use a fire extinguisher is the PASS acronym

P- Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher

A- Aim the nozzle

S- Squeeze the nozzle aimed at the base of the fire 

S- Sweep the fire extinguisher  back and forth until the fire is completely out

Which Cleaning Methods Remove Odors after Fire Damage in Long Beach Properties?

4/23/2021 (Permalink)

Fire Illustration Call our experts after you experience a fire disaster, we have the training your home needs after a fire occurs.

SERVPRO Performs Separate Deodorization during House Fire Clean Up Exercises in Long Beach

Fire incidents in properties lead to different offending odors. The odors are emitted by the residues left over from the combustion process. Since residues are deposited on surfaces and embedded in between or within materials, each loss site has several odor sources. The cleanup alone rarely takes care of the offending smells.

SERVPRO seeks to remove all offending odors during fire damage restoration in Long Beach properties. Combining different deodorization techniques is one of the effective ways we use to defeat odors. In most cases, we use a multi-phased odor control process to improve efficiency and avoid using some processes if the initial ones are effective.  The phased process involves:

  • Chemical containment 
  • Vapor odor control
  • Thermal fogging

The phased approach helps in many ways. For instance, chemical containment prevents odor molecules from vaporizing into the air. Vapor odor control neutralizes molecules that are already airborne. Fogging spreads counteractants everywhere, including deep within materials, thus pairing with malodor particles, thus neutralizing them. The processes are helpful in different situations, including:

  • Fire damage restoration
  • Smoke remediation
  • House fire clean up

SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside uses various approaches to ensure conclusive restoration of fire damage. Call us at (516) 536-1801 when you need help.

Can Fire Restoration Services Correct Odor Issues?

3/28/2021 (Permalink)

a fire damaged bedroom with soot covering everything Odors related to a fire can remain in your home for a long time. Contact SERVPRO for fire damage remediation services.

SERVPRO Odor Control Technicians (OCT) Can Control and Reduce Persistent Burnt Odors

A property fire can lead to numerous types of damage in the home. Among the hardest to remove without an expert equipment is odor. The odor is a volatile particle that materials release during combustion. The particles can often become embedded in surfaces leading to persistent odors. 

Our fire damage restoration services in Long Beach include the removal of unpleasant odors. We use a variety of methods to find and counteract odors. Usually, SERVPRO production technicians identify various sources of odor and remove them from the property. These may be charred items or other types of fire debris. Once odor-causing items are removed, we can thoroughly fumigate the area. 

  • Ultra-low volume (ULV) misting equipment can be effective in localized spaces and remain safe for property inhabitants.
  • Air fresheners and other masking agents can often cover an odor until it naturally disperses in two or three weeks.
  • Performing an air exchange can help to ventilate a property with odor issues thoroughly. We can deploy box fans to achieve high-efficiency air exchange.

Get rid of burnt odors in your home. Contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside for fire damage odor control at (516) 536-1801.

Are You Looking for Help with Fire Damage in Oceanside?

2/14/2021 (Permalink)

a fire damaged bookshelf covered with soot Affected by a fire? Our certified SERVPRO team is ready with fire damage remediation services.

SERVPRO is Here To Help After Fire

Oceanside is a delightful hamlet in the state of New York. With a population of just 32,109, it is small enough to explore easily while still being convenient for the larger city of Hempstead.

Despite its name, Oceanside does not directly face the Atlantic. Long Beach Barrier Island and the strait of Reynolds Channel separate the hamlet from the sea. You might wonder why it is called Oceanside in that case. When settlers came to the area in 1674, they named their settlement “Christian Hook” to honor the predominant religion among the settlers. However, residents decided in the early nineteenth century that the town needed a more attractive name, and in 1864, they agreed on Oceanville. After the name became official, residents realized there was already an Oceanville in New York and re-named their town to Ocean Side in 1890. In 1918, townspeople condensed the name to Oceanside, and so it has remained.

Fun for all the family in Oceanside

Oceanside is famous for many things, including fresh oysters and nearby nature walks. One of the most attractive things about the town is how well it caters to families. If you are on a family vacation, you will not be bored. Some of the best attractions in and near Oceanside include:

  • Just Escape offers fun, creative escape room events for all the family. You might find yourself trying to escape the mob or get out of an illusionist’s trap. Just Escape offers games for both kids and adults, and you can even book it as a party venue.
  • Fun Station USA is perfect if the weather is terrible. This indoor attraction features bumper cars, a multi-level maze, laser tag, and arcade games. Kids of all ages can while away many happy hours here.
  • Long Island Children’s Museum offers hands-on learning for kids. There are several permanent exhibits, including the ever-popular soap room filled with bubbles and a place to build sandcastles.

If you are craving some fresh air, take a trip to nearby Hempstead Lake State Park. You can bike or hike the trails or go for a more leisurely walk along the lakeshore. There is also a playground and a wooden carousel to amuse the children.

When it is time to stop for a snack, Oceanside does not disappoint. You can find everything from locally caught seafood to authentic Italian food and a wealth of adorable tea shops to satisfy your appetite.

SERVPRO helps Oceanside homes smell fresh after fire damage

One of the most upsetting parts of fire damage to your home is the lingering smoke smell. Fire odors can be tough to get rid of, and catching a whiff of smoke is an unpleasant reminder of what happened.

SERVPRO understands that your home simply does not feel like your own while it still stinks of smoke. That is why deodorization is a crucial part of our fire damage remediation process. Some of the options are:

  • Odor fighting pellets, granules, or beads, which can mask or absorb odors.
  • Water-based ULV misters to spread odor-fighting agents into every nook and cranny.
  • Thermal fogging distributes a solvent-based agent, which we then leave for several hours or even overnight to do its job.

To get your home smelling fresh after a fire, call SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801.

Sapphire Yacht Charters let you Cruise your Way into the New Year!

12/15/2020 (Permalink)

two champagne glasses surrounded by New Year's decorations Make it your New Year's Resolution to Call SERVPRO for all of your Fire Damage Restoration Needs.

Have a Luxurious New Year's Eve in Oceanside 

While most of us in Oceanside probably plan to spend New Year's Eve with family and friends at home (or at someone else's), there are plenty of fun things to go out and do if you wish to spice the night up a little. One of the best opportunities can be found on the water, on a luxury party cruise run by Sapphire Yacht Charters. 

Although the cruise has a steep entry price at just under $200 per person, Sapphire provides plenty of amenities to make it worth your while. A gourmet buffet dinner awaits every guest, along with various appetizers brought around the yacht. An open bar provides many mid-range and premium options for any taste, and a few rare bottles may be available for purchase if they strike your fancy. And, throughout the night, a professional DJ will liven the boat and take requests. 

If this sounds like the perfect night for you, make sure to reserve your spot soon. Currently, some tickets are still available but in short supply. 

SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside is a locally owned and operated company specializing in fire odor removal from Oceanside homes. Call us as soon as possible after a disaster at (516) 536-1801.

Long Beach's Nagahama Receives #1 Rating for Long island Sushi Restaurants.

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

van in front of building We hope to see you at Nagahama!

Residents of Long Beach Can Enjoy Sushi by the Boardwalk This Winter or Stay at Home and Order In.

Nagahami, which means "long beach" in Japanese, is situated just off East Park Avenue's boardwalk. The diverse menu provides a wide variety of hand-made entrees, fresh tempuras, and traditional teriyaki dishes. Opening hours range from 4 pm to 10 pm and 11 pm on weekends. While the takeout options are excellent, you should reserve ahead if you intend to dine-in as this place fills up quickly with local Long Beach residents. The sushi and sashimi dishes can be upgraded as part of the dinner special to include appetizers, miso soup, salad, dessert, and green tea for just an extra $8.00.

    •    Nagahami Restaurant has been voted as the number one Japanese in Long Beach for three years running.
    •    The open kitchen allows guests to sit at the bar and watch as the experienced chefs' slice and dice delicate fish.
    •    The Chirashi Sushi is a blend of spicy wasabi, fresh lemon wedges, ginger, micro-herbs, and a freshly sliced piece of fish.

Property fires can lead to unpleasant burnt odors pervading your home. Contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801.

Who fixes a property after a fire in Oceanside?

10/18/2020 (Permalink)

Fire flames isolated on black background Contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801 for assistance.

SERVPRO Provides Qualified Restoration Technicians to Oceanside Residents with Property Fire Damage.

Are property fires common?
Many residents of Oceanside experience a property fire at some point during their ownership. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recorded 1,348,500 fires in the single year of 2009. Over a third of these fires were structural, which can require extensive repair and reconstruction. Our team of qualified technicians is here to help you overcome the damage implications of a fire quickly and hassle-free. Using our industry-leading training and cutting-edge equipment, we can often save the structure and build assembly elements without removing and replacing items. We can work closely with your insurance adjuster to produce an accurate estimate and provide an initial inspection of damages within just four hours from notification of loss.

What are the common causes of property fires?
Housefires are mainly caused by cigarettes, heating equipment malfunctions, electrical systems, and cooking. It can be easy to leave stove or fan heater unattended, but items can combust in a matter of minutes. Depending on your Oceanside home's decor, these flames can quickly catch onto structural elements that are primarily made from woods. Plywood or gypsum board, in particular, can ignite rapidly, leading to a property fire. SERVPRO recommends practicing fire safety at all times when in the home to ensure a reduction in property fires. However, when these do occur, you can contact us throughout the day and night to arrange a restoration service. Many properties that suffer from the fire have cosmetic damages rather than permanent ones, which means, provided the fire is contained, that the chances of a successful restoration are high.

Who is involved in fire damage restoration?
    •    A professional restoration technician that can put in place a cleaning and repair plan for your home by examining the site
    •    An insurance company that issued you a home policy for fire-related damages and foots the bill for fire restoration
    •    An insurance adjuster who works as a go-between for production technicians and insurance companies to produce an accurate estimate and guidance for restoration

Why are professional restoration technicians useful?
A fire damage restoration technician's role in your Oceanside home is to provide advice to insurance adjusters regarding claims and deals directly with you during the service.  We understand that house fires are traumatic, and, as a homeowner, you need the situation resolved as quickly as possible. Our restoration technicians are here to provide you with the assistance you need to get your home back to its preloss condition.  By doing so, you can return to your personal and professional lives. We believe a satisfactory restoration service requires empathetic, compassionate, and expert communication between the three parties involved with clearing and restoring a home.

Is fire damage restoration difficult?
Working as a professional production technician or crew chief can be challenging. Every property fire we face presents different challenges and requires other methods or equipment to overcome. We want to get your home back to a normal condition, which can mean working through evenings, on weekends, and through long shifts. In the immediate aftermath of a fire, a tremendous amount of work must be undertaken to mitigate potential losses in a small space of time. Removing smoke residues and bringing malodors under control can be a grueling task, but getting customers home back to preloss condition is fulfilling once the hard work is complete.

What does fire restoration aim to achieve?
    •    A report on the extent of losses in the home and efficient interactions with an insurance adjuster to produce an accurate estimate
    •    Quickly separating what can and cannot be restored at a property and minimizing losses through effective mitigation.
    •    Producing high quality of restoration to provide lasting satisfaction for homeowners undergoing the process of fire losses

How does a fire restoration technician approach fire damage?
Producing high quality of restoration requires a versatile approach to deal with the variables of fire losses. Variable factors in restoration can include the type of building, its assembly, and the severity of the fire losses. To tackle these issues, technicians need a solid grasp of how fires spread damages, the process of restoration, inspecting various losses, the deodorization of smoke odors. We use descriptive details from your initial notification of loss to pack our trucks with the required equipment from industrial foggers to cleaning agents and mechanical tools. We may also provide expert advice on moving out contents, restoring contents, and coordinating with subcontractors to return your home to preloss conditions.

What training and qualifications do fire restoration technicians need?
    •    Employee Certification Training Program (ECTP)which is based on our extensive fire restoration manual
    •    Industry certifications such as those issued by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certifications body
    •    Practical experience working under the guidance of senior crew chiefs

Getting back to your everyday life after a fire can be challenging. Contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801 for assistance.

How Do Content Management Technicians Protect My Belongings After a Fire?

6/11/2020 (Permalink)

stack of cardboard boxes SERVPRO Provides Oceanside Property Owners with Fire Loss Cleanup and Restoration--Even Pack-Out Services

Our restoration professionals can clean and restore damaged items on-site and in our Oceanside SERVPRO facility

Many actions must get taken to recover an Oceanside home after a fire loss incident, but our SERVPRO professionals have gotten trained to provide a fast and confident response. Fire & Smoke Restoration Technicians (FSRT) accredited through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) can provide a wide range of corrective actions as soon as we arrive at a fire-damaged property.

Recovering fire damage in Oceanside homes and businesses can mean several different individual tasks. While homeowners might consider the most vital efforts to be approached like fire debris removal and clearing harmful soot from surfaces, it is equally important to consider what can and should happen to the contents of your home. Protecting your belongings involves careful assessments and choosing the ideal restoration approach based on affected materials, the damaged area, and the personnel involved. 

What Items Require Restoration and Recovery?

A thorough inspection and assessment can determine whether or not specific contents within your home require more concentrated cleaning and restoration. In many situations, outer lying personal belongings in less affected areas of the residence can be relocated elsewhere on the property to prevent damages. There are some specific conditions following fire losses that can require on-site restoration or more direct off-site recovery solutions at our SERVPRO facility. Some of these conditions include:

  • Residue/Soot Damage – Residues from wet smoke or soot can adhere to the surfaces of your belongings and become a threatening presence. With the acidic composition of soot, prolonged exposure can stain or destroy surfaces beneath the residue without prompt action. 
  • Odor Damages – Smoke odors can penetrate multiple areas of the damaged house after a fire loss. They can also become embedded and trapped in fabrics, textiles, carpeting, and specific contents of your home. 
  • Water Damage – Extinguishment is a valuable phase during a fire emergency, but it can leave many areas of the house contending with water damage. Saturated personal belongings require advanced drying efforts to return to their original conditions. 

Can You Help Protect Damaged Belongings?

Before our professionals arrive, depending on the potential hazards in the property, it is possible to relocate some of your possessions to safer areas of the house. If environmental or structural hazards exist, it is not advisable for you or other members of your family to remain on the property. Most fire recovery situations require our experienced professionals to don complete personal protective equipment from Tyvek coverall suits and gloves to respirators and boots.

What On-Site Recovery Options Exist?

It is always the objective of our technicians to restore your possessions on-site. We can appreciate how unnerving and overwhelming it can be to entrust your belongings to our team for off-site restoration, so we work to limit the number of items that meet these criteria when possible. Several direct strategies can prevent your belongings from being relocated by our pack-out procedure, including the following:

  • Surface Cleaning – Light soiling can often be wiped clean with our potent cleaning products. Assessments into the thickness and severity of residues and soiling must happen to ensure that smearing and staining do not occur.
  • Deodorization – Smoke and burning odors are not uncommon for the belongings in your house after a fire. With multiple restoration tools, including thermal foggers and hydroxyl generators, we can work to neutralize and eliminate these foul odors in the environment and the affected items. 
  • Drying – Because water damage can be a common threatening condition for your possessions after a fire loss, drying these belongings on-site can save time and money on more direct restoration efforts at our SERVPRO facility. 

Is Pack-Out the Best Approach for Content Restoration?

While it is not always the most sought-out approach in our restoration arsenal, pack-out focuses on the efforts necessary to overcome substantial losses to the contents in your home. With soot and odor threats, especially, there are advantages to the advanced stationary tools and areas of our warehouse for fire-damaged items. Some of the benefits of off-site recovery include:

  • Ultrasonic Tank (Soot Cleaning)
  • Ozone Chamber (Odor Removal)
  • Safe, Climate-Controlled Storage

Fire losses can be widespread threats in your property, which can quickly impact many of the belongings and possessions throughout the house. With experienced content management professionals, we can offer both on-site and off-site restoration solutions to help. Give our SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside team a call 24/7 at (516) 536-1801.

My Floors Sustained Damage in A Fire, How Do I Fix Them?

5/22/2020 (Permalink)

A fire burning on hardwood floors. SERVPRO can help you through every step of your Oceanside fire damage.

SERVPRO Uses a Variety of Techniques, Equipment, and Products to Repair Your Oceanside Floors

Fires can cause damage throughout your Oceanside home. Unfortunately, damage often appears from the ceiling to the floors after a fire. Smoke residue manages to work its way into even the smallest nooks and crannies. Recovering after a fire can be complicated, requiring multiple restorations and deodorization methods. 

Will I Have to Rip Out My Floors? 

SERVPRO Technicians Make Every Attempt to Fix Your Flooring After a Fire

Dealing with fire damage throughout your Oceanside home can be completely overwhelming, especially when it is widespread. Restoration after a fire is multifaceted in that you need to remove and clean smoke residue, deodorize, and repair structural damage. Your flooring may be one of the last things that you notice if there is more widespread damage. If you have vinyl or wood flooring, smoke residue can settle into the porous surfaces and become almost impossible to remove through vacuuming, scrubbing, or other conventional methods. Our technicians may use rotary floor machines to strip damaged finish or deep clean carpets. 

 How Do Rotary Floor Machines Work? 

  • Brushes and drive blocks attached to the bottom of the machine agitate the flooring to clean the surface.
  • The strong movement of the brushes strips the flooring, removing any stubborn residue.
  • If cleaning carpet, there is a solution tank to aid in ease of cleaning carpets.
  • When needed, they apply the solution, release the solution, and move the roto machine in circles to work it into the carpet. 

Since there are different types of residue depending on the kind of smoke created by specific burning substances, various methods are employed to best clean and bring the home back to preloss status. In addition to cleaning your flooring, technicians use deodorization methods such as fogging to eliminate the evidence of a fire.

For assistance, contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside 24/7 at (516) 536-1801.

To find out more about Oceanside, click here.

Why Does My Oceanside Home Smell So Bad After the Fire?

4/13/2020 (Permalink)

fire yellow tape--do not cross SERVPRO Enters as the Firemen Leave to Start the Cleanup and Recovery for a Home in Oceanside

Our SERVPRO Team Can Help to Clean and Deodorize Your Damaged Home After a Fire Loss.

It is often not hard to understand that when there is a fire, many compromising effects can damage your Oceanside home. While structural concerns remain one of your top priorities, other conditions can get addressed during the mitigation phase. Our SERVPRO team has extensive experience and the use of sophisticated tools and potent deodorization products to maximize our efficiency in the recovery of your property.

Many people do not consider odors to be the most pressing fire damage in Oceanside homes, but it can be more of a challenge than you might want to believe. Combustion and burning during a fire can often generate smoke and other odors that could be difficult to overcome without industrial-grade deodorization products and delivery systems. Even with our experienced restoration technicians, we have multiple tools and devices that cater to specific situations, parts of your home, and affected materials. Every burning material can generate its foul odor for our technicians to need to overcome when we arrive, including:

Wood
Plastics
Fibers
Chemicals
Drywall

What Should Happen Immediately to Reduce Odors?

There are steps that you can take right away to help reduce the severity of odors in your homes after a fire, but many of these are not solutions that the average homeowner can provide on their own. Instead, many people have trusted the experience and fast response of our SERVPRO team to help. By arriving quickly to your emergency, we can focus our efforts on specific tasks that can lessen the severity of harsh odors that we encounter when we get there. Some of these initial actions might include:

Debris Removal - By using shovels and other methods of discarding our mitigation technicians and in-house contractors can work to remove charred remnants of structural elements and compromised contents. This action can reduce the concentration of both harsh odors and soot threats.
 
Soot Surface Cleaning - Cleaning surfaces that could be affected by soot is also one of the ways that we could reduce potential harsh odors present in your home. Also, this action can help to provide a safer environment for responding personnel.  
 
Controlled Demolition - Our in-house contractors can perform material removal based on structural damage attributed to the fire and migrating effects. Damaged structural elements can be a concentrated point for odors.
 
Ventilation - circulating air can help to reduce the immediate severity of odor concerns but might not do much to neutralize smoke scents lingering behind.

What Special Equipment Gets Used to Neutralize Odors?

Much of our success and the deodorization of a fire-damaged home gets attributed to the right tool getting used at the right time. When removing odors, our technicians must carefully decide which of our capable machines and devices is best suited for the current loss effects to maximize our productiveness. Some of our options include:

Thermal Foggers / Vaporizers
Hydroxyl Generators
Ozone Machines
Air Scrubbers with HEPA Filtration

The choice in what devices get used over other options is a determination of our project manager and crew chief scoping the work to get done in the property before mitigation begins. The choices can get narrowed based on the types of materials affected, the size of the damaged area, and if occupants from the house are still living inside.

Can Odors Go Away on Their Own?

After almost every loss incident from destructive floods to housefires, homeowners believe that some degree of damage will naturally correct itself. When it comes to odors, the production and the severity of harsh scents can mislead property owners to a belief that these effects are waning. In gaseous states, smoke odors can penetrate porous materials and become trapped when these pores shrink after temperatures return to normal after fires get extinguished.

Because odors do not go away on their own, our SERVPRO team needs to implement the right deodorization practices that affect both the open air and trapped odors in structural elements like wood framing, drywall, and ceiling materials. Powerful tools to accomplish trapped odor neutralization are the thermal foggers in our inventory. By heating deodorization compounds to a vapor, it can penetrate porous materials to eliminate odors on contact. Even when residual odors have been neutralized, as indicated by data-driven evidence, phantosmia can still mislead occupants into sensing that malodors remain.

While multiple damaging effects can result from housefires, often odors are among the least concerning of these for customers. In truth, this can be one of the most challenging hurdles to overcome in the recovery of your home. Give our SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside team call today at (516) 536-1801.

Could You be Making This Mistake When Dealing with Commercial Fire Damage in Oceanside?

2/24/2020 (Permalink)

fire damaged office area Don't let a fire in your shop close your doors for good. Contact SERVPRO immediately for effective fire damage remediation services.

Textile Cleaning for Oceanside Clothing Stores with Commercial Fire Damage

A high street retail clothes store is full of potentially flammable materials. A short-fusing circuit can be all it takes to trigger a property emergency. Electrical fires are reasonably common among commercial clients because stores typically run power through lighting, air-conditioning, or technology both day and, frequently, at night as well. A shop fire can leave behind smoke or soot damage on both the interior and the exterior of the structure. The transference of cold and hot air that occurs when materials combust creates pressure, which can force a trail of smoke out of the building and onto the exterior walls. 

Our team holds substantial experience in commercial fire damage restoration here in Oceanside. We believe that communication is vital throughout the service as well as working on-time and on-budget. SERVPRO crew chiefs have training from the Institute of inspection, cleaning, and restoration certifications (IICRC) in ultra-specific aspects of fire restoration. These may include fire and smoke damage restoration technicians (FRST) as well as odor control technicians (OCT.) 

There may be large amounts of clothing from your store that catches fire and is therefore non-salvageable. SERVPRO technicians can collect any debris from a fire site, seal it up and transport it to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered waste facility. While clothes close to the fire may be materially damaged, many other fabrics or items of clothing sustain smoke, soot, and odor damage, which is often restorable. SERVPRO technicians can inventory clothing before sending them to our textile cleaning warehouse. 

Textiles are porous by nature and can, therefore, take on massive amounts of soot or smoke damages during a fire. However, by using mechanical cleaning methods, SERVPRO can restore up to 99% of soils. Esporta washings work by suspending a fabric in place while powerful rotary jet washers clean it with water pressure, water-based solvents as well as deodorants. We often find that mechanical cleaning methods can be far more valuable to our clients than a single replacement payout. 

If your clothing outlet suffers from an electrical fire, contact SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801.

Click here for more information about Oceanside.

What Items Commonly Get Disposed of After Fire Damage in Oceanside Homes?

2/16/2020 (Permalink)

A table in a kitchen with fire damage and soot all over the kitchen. SERVPRO will help you through every decision after your Oceanside fire damage.

Your Oceanside home will need more than a clean up after fire damage.

When a house fire occurs, even on a small scale, the potential for fire damage and long term effects on the structure and contents remains. One of the most painful decisions is deciding what items must go.

SERVPRO technicians clean up fire damage in Oceanside homes and know how to assess restoration potential. Although the goal is to save property owners from the cost of replacement, charred and soot-covered items often require disposal. When going through debris post-fire, SERVPRO technicians only dispose of things too damaged for restoration by cleaning with the approval of the adjuster or homeowner.

Items that Frequently are a Loss

Smoke damage and soot are an irritant to many people and can cause redness or itching on contact. It is almost impossible to clean and disinfect clothing, bedding, and other textiles for safe reuse in the home. Cosmetics and medications have the potential to change chemically after a fire and could be affected by contaminants and chemicals used to extinguish the fire. Drugs, in particular, can lose their potency and should be tossed. 

Food items exposed to soot in particular need disposal after a fire loss. Because soot particles can exist smaller than the human eye can see, they travel easily along screwtops of sealed foodstuffs contaminating them. The high heat can also cause the development of bacteria inside sealed food containers. 

Items that May Be Restorable

When SERVPRO techs mitigate fire loss, they look for things with restorability potential. Immersion cleaning works best on non-porous objects that can tolerate saturation in a liquid cleaning agent. This method thoroughly removes soot and smoke residues. Hardwood furniture without charring is not necessarily a loss. The techs have various cleaners to lift away the smoke damage from the wood. If necessary, the application of a sealant and restaining may get recommended to restore the furnishing fully. The techs wipe down surfaces using specifically chosen cleaning agents to ensure all traces of the fire get cleaned up. 

SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801 has certified technicians and equipment to handle any size fire damage and make the loss "Like it never even happened."

To learn more about Oceanside, click here.

Planning the Fire Restoration Work for Your Long Beach House

12/21/2019 (Permalink)

Fire and soot damage to the structure of a home. With smoke from the burning structure.  A fire damage can take over your Long Beach home in a heartbeat, let us be there to help you through the smoky burnt structure.

Your Long Beach home will need our help after a fire damage, we want to help.

When you consider the moving parts of a Long Beach home restoration project after a structure fire, it is easy to identify a need for careful planning. One of the steps in the overall organization of fire recovery is determining the scope. In plain words, the scope of a project is the work that must get performed. This determination includes all activities necessary to return home to a preloss condition.

The scope of a project begins with the determination of how severe fire damage in Long Beach properties is. The inspection of the house starts with the source of the disaster and works outward from room to room. During this assessment, our trained SERVPRO technicians can take stock of materials and items present in each area and which have already succumbed to the spreading fire effects. Noting current conditions can help our specialists to determine the necessary materials and personnel.

Depending on the work that needs to be done, our SERVPRO professionals must determine what areas we can accomplish on our own and which require subcontractors. As we have a full division of licensed general contractors with decades of experience, we can oversee nearly all of the stages of recovery your property needs, including repairs, drywall replacement, and debris removal.

Our scoping process is also vital to determining the coverage that your insurance offers the fire-damaged residence. To accomplish this, our SERVPRO team must compile accurate diagrams, photos, and even basic blueprints of the damaged areas. This accuracy can help us to make fire losses “Like it never even happened” despite catastrophic structural damages. We can develop the best repair plan by appealing to the wishes of our customers and the expectations of their insurance provider.

Planning and scoping are two vital areas of operation in the early stages of fire loss recovery for area homes. With decades of experience in helping homeowners after disasters, we have the equipment and expertise to address the situation confidently. Give our SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside team a call today at (516) 536-1801.

To learn more about Long Beach, click here.