Keeping Your Building Secure After a Fire

10/22/2022 (Permalink)

Board up windows and openings with plywood as soon as possible after the fire has been extinguished.

Keeping Your Building Secure After a Fire

A fire can be devastating for a business in San Antonio, TX. Not only does the building need to be repaired, but you also need to worry about looters who will try to steal anything of value in your building after an emergency response has passed. If you don't take action quickly, you could lose even more than just the contents of your store: lost revenue from looters can add up to billions of dollars each year. The good news is that there are simple things you can do during and after an emergency that will help prevent looting and protect your business.

Board Up Your Windows and Doors

How do you keep looters at bay? Board up windows and openings with plywood (or whatever suitable material is available) as soon as possible after the fire has been extinguished. The best way to prevent looting from happening on your property will be to keep your doors locked. Another thing that might help is making sure your home looks unoccupied; this means removing any valuables from view so that potential thieves will not target your place for the valuables they see. 

Looting is a Common Issue 

Looting is a common issue after fires in commercial buildings, especially if there are no security guards present. Looting is opportunistic and criminals look for easy targets to steal from. A fire can cause looting because the building will be full of merchandise and items that can be sold. There is also often very little security on-site during the cleanup process after a fire so it's prime for criminals looking for easy targets.

Looting Makes Getting Back On Your Feet More Expensive

Looting is not just an issue in the aftermath of a natural disaster but also after fires. Looting occurs when people take advantage of an emergency situation to steal property or money. It's a crime that can carry serious penalties if you're caught and convicted. For victims of looting, it’s more than just an inconvenience; lost revenue from looting adds to the costs of recovering from a fire.

To prevent looting, make sure your building has adequate security measures in place throughout its lifespan—not just after it's been damaged by fire.

Call the Fire Damage Experts in San Antonio

Fire damage cleanup is a specialized service, and it's important to find the right company to help you. Fire damage restoration companies have the tools, training, and experience needed to board up buildings after a fire. These experts can get your business back on its feet much faster than you could do it yourself.

It's also important to note that many post-fire cleaning companies will not take down building coverings or boards because of liability issues. They mostly just clean up after fires, so this may be something you should consider when deciding which company you want on the job.

The obvious answer is that you want to board up your building as soon as possible after a fire.

Fire damage is not the only thing that can happen after a fire. Looters can cause damage, steal your property and even harm your employees if they discover them before the police get there.

If you don't take action immediately, you could be liable for any injuries sustained by looters who break in through windows or doors on the front of your property. If they're caught inside doing so, they could also sue for damages caused by their own actions in stealing from or vandalizing a business location.

The best way to protect your building after a fire is to board it up quickly and securely. A fire cleanup company, like SERVPRO, can help you do this.

How To Restore Water-Damaged Documents in 3 Steps

8/15/2022 (Permalink)

Protect your information in these documents from future damage by either digitization or storing physical copies in a secure location.

Restoring Water Damaged Documents

If water damage occurs at your San Antonio, TX, business, you are likely wondering whether or not you can restore wet documents. Fortunately, the answer is often yes. The following outlines the three-step recovery and protection process.

1. Document Drying

When it comes to drying documents, you have a few options. If the documents are only slightly damp, you may be able to let them air dry. Avoid laying them flat to prevent smudging. For more severely damaged documents, a certified restoration service can use more sophisticated techniques. Freeze drying involves freezing the document and then using a high-pressure vacuum to turn the liquid into a vapor. This removes the moisture from the papers without exposing them to liquid again.

2. Document Sanitizing

Wet documents have often been exposed to bacteria and other contaminants through the water they came in contact with. They can be sanitized through a process known as gamma irradiation. This technique exposes the material to Cobalt-60 radiation, which kills the offending microbes without further damaging the documents.

3. Document Digitizing

Unfortunately, not all flooding can be prevented in the future. Despite today’s sophisticated restoration techniques, not all documents are salvageable. This means that your important documents should be protected from future water damage. You could make copies and store the originals off-site in a secure location. However, it is often simpler to digitize the documents. There are scanners and software available that make this process easier, or you can hire professionals to do it for you.  

When a business incurs water damage, many owners worry about wet documents. In many instances, these can be restored and cleaned so they are safe to use. It is also important to protect the information in these documents from future damage by either digitization or storing physical copies in a secure location.

Does Your Team Know How To Use a Fire Extinguisher?

5/23/2022 (Permalink)

Selecting an appropriate fire extinguisher and training your employees on how to use it can help you avoid extensive fire damage at your business.

Does Your Team Know How To Use A Fire Extinguisher?

A fire can negatively impact your business's daily operations in San Antonio, TX. Equipping your space with fire extinguishers and training your employees to operate them can prevent fires from spreading and devastating your business.

Which Extinguisher Should You Choose?

A fire can potentially break out anywhere in your business, but having multiple extinguishers throughout your premises can provide significant protection. Also, you must know which types of extinguishers can effectively address different fire causes.

• Class A extinguishers contain pressurized water that puts out fires involving solid combustibles, including paper, wood, cloth and plastic. They can help prevent fire damage in office settings containing documents, furnishing and electronics.
  
• Class B units can extinguish fires in industrial settings. They contain CO2 or dry foam to combat oil, petroleum, gasoline, paint, propane solvents-related fires.
• Class C units address fires due to faulty wiring or electrical malfunctions and are helpful near a fuse box or office equipment. However, they rob these fires of the oxygen that sustains them.
• The powdery agent in Class D extinguishers puts out fires involving metal substances at businesses dealing with biotech materials.

You may need to consult with a fire restoration and cleaning service to address the extensive damage resulting from a kitchen fire. However, a nearby Class K fire extinguisher can minimize flames involving fat, grease and oil. Dry and wet chemicals in these units can keep these fires from spreading by lowering the high temperatures that cause combustion.

What Are the Steps for Operating an Extinguisher?

Keeping extinguishers on your business premises is not enough to prevent fire damage. You must ensure that everyone on your staff knows how to use them by following the PASS steps as follows:

• P: Pull the unit's pin
  
• A: Aim the unit nozzle toward the bottom of the flames
  
• S: Squeeze the handle while the extinguishing agent discharge
• S: Sweep the extinguishing from side to side while it emits the extinguishing agent

Choosing an appropriate fire extinguisher and training your staff to use it can prevent help you avoid extensive fire damage at your business in San Antonio, TX.

Creating a Fire Escape Plan for Your Office

5/10/2022 (Permalink)

For any business, the top priority should be employee safety. Office safety guidelines should include a thorough fire escape plan.

Developing An Office Fire Escape Plan

Unfortunately, office buildings can catch fire with little warning. Constructing and practicing a fire escape plan will effectively keep your employees protected in emergencies. Ultimately, being prepared contributes to the safe guidance of occupants out of the building. Consider the following elements when building your escape plan.

Properly Prepare a Fire Escape Plan

Planning for the unexpected is essential to avoid panic when a fire breaks out. Ensuring everyone's safety is a vital part of the plan. To give employees the confidence necessary to remain calm should an emergency arise, proceed with these steps:

• Train employees on building alarm systems
  
• Clearly label exit routes
  
• Practice fire drills four times a year
• Create a chain of command for effective evacuation from the premises

Following these procedures will elicit a more favorable outcome during an emergency.

Keep Your Escape Plan Uncomplicated

It is crucial to make your emergency escape plan as straightforward as possible. Add evacuation maps near building exits with easy-to-read instructions to avoid future disarray. Taking this step provides occupants with a concrete path for a safe escape. Hang signs next to the elevators that stress the importance of taking the stairs during a fire. Keeping elevator doors closed holds oxygen away from the fire, limiting its expansion ability and giving people more time to get out.

Find a Reliable Recovery Team

Dealing with the fallout of an office fire can be devastating, both for the business and the individuals involved. When choosing a fire recovery service in San Antonio, TX, do your research. A disaster recovery team will play a vital role in promptly getting your property up and running. Your team should identify the business's priorities, establish a plan of action and work closely with insurance companies.

For any business, the top priority should be employee safety. Office safety guidelines should include a thorough fire escape plan. With the help of these safety protocols, you can offer your employees the comfort of knowing you have their well-being in mind.

3 Ways to Prepare Your Business for a Storm

2/8/2022 (Permalink)

When you know a storm is coming toward your business, you should take time to prepare your business against the probable effects.

Three Steps To Storm-Proofing Your Business

A winter storm can cause a devastating amount of damage to your business in San Antonio, TX. However, there are steps you can take to protect your business before a storm occurs.

1. Fix Small Issues Quickly

When you know a storm is coming toward your business, you may not think that it’s important to take the time to look at minor issues that are affecting your business. However, strong winds and heavy rain can turn a small issue into a major problem; a leaky pipe can result in a pipe break, for example, which could result in major water damage. If you notice minor issues before a storm, it’s often best to have these issues fixed as soon as possible to ensure these little problems don’t create disasters.

2. Assess the Landscape

Structural damage is often an unfortunate result of a winter storm. However, taking a look at the environment around your business can be an essential step in preventing structural damage. If you notice any large limbs or debris on the ground, it’s best to remove these items prior to a storm. Additionally, you may need to trim or cut any limbs that hang close to or over your business to ensure they don’t fall and damage your building during the storm.

3. Protect Important Belongings and Documents

Recovering valuable and important items after a storm can be difficult, especially if you need access to documents or other items that have been damaged. In general, it’s wise to keep important documents and items in waterproof, fire-resistant containers. Additionally, it can be helpful to make copies of these documents, both online and on paper, just in case you aren’t able to recover them after a storm.

By fixing minor issues, assessing your landscape and ensuring important items are protected, you can decrease the likelihood of a winter storm causing major damage to your business. However, if your business has already sustained damage, you may want to consider contacting storm damage restoration professionals.

What You Need To Know About Smoke Damage Affecting Your Business

1/17/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damaged a five-store business in San Antonio, TX.

The Importance Of Smoke Cleaning

When a fire occurs in your business in San Antonio, TX, you likely will want to begin the cleanup and restoration process as soon as possible. However, many business owners do not realize the impact smoke can have on a business and the importance of smoke cleaning.

1. Damage Smoke Can Cause

Though smoke does not cause structural damage to a building, can still have a drastic impact on a business. Soot and smoke damage can cause the odor of smoke to linger, and items in your building may be covered in a layer of soot as a result of the fire. In addition to the smell of smoke that can affect the building and items inside the building, some items may also be discolored.

2. How Smoke Is Removed from a Building

Even if a fire starts in a nearby building, insurance will generally cover the cost of cleaning smoke and soot. Smoke cleaning involves using different methods to clean and sanitize all surfaces, including everything from the ceiling to the floor, that have been affected by smoke. Often, air scrubbers and other devices are also used to ensure the air quality is returned to normal.

3. Time Matters

It’s often important to get rid of smoke odor and soot damage in your business as quickly as possible. The odor of smoke can permeate into walls, furniture and other items in the building, and soot can cause some items to deteriorate over time. As a result of this damage, some structures or items in your building may need to be replaced entirely. Generally, the longer soot and the odor of smoke remain in a building, the more damage is likely to occur.

Knowing how a fire can drastically affect your business and understanding why smoke cleaning is important can help you better prepare for the cleanup and restoration process. Consider working with fire cleanup professionals if your business has been affected by a fire.