Commercial Insurance Coverage Limits Determine If the Fire Loss Is Partial

1/17/2022 (Permalink)

When extinguishing the fire, water was a friend. Now, it is an enemy.

If The Fire Loss Is Partial, The Commercial Insurance Coverage Limits Determine This.

Simply put, the insurer will determine the loss to be partial if the policy limits are high enough to pay the cost of restoration. Damage inflicted by partial loss fires generally fall into three categories:

• Fire
• Water
  
• Smoke

Water Cleanup Is the Top Priority After a Fire

When extinguishing the fire, water was a friend. Now, it is an enemy. It seeps into every porous material it encounters and continues inflicting damage in your building.

After the fire, aggressively remove the water as quickly as possible to minimize the fire loss. Any delay would be like sending mold an invitation to dinner. Water removal will require:

• Elimination of standing water using pumps and wet-vacs
  
• Removal of restorable wet fabrics, carpets and furniture
  
• Disposal of unrestorable wet fabrics and carpets
  
• Removal of everything not damaged by water
  
• Removal and disposal of damaged wallboard and other construction materials
  
• Deployment of high-volume fans to help dry out everything that remains

Smoke Damage Mitigation Is A Complex Process

While the water cleanup is underway, it would be a good idea to begin treating the damage caused by smoke. Smoke cleanup is usually a three-step process:

1. Install air filtration equipment to remove residual smoke residue from the air
   
2. Use ozone machines to neutralize smoke residue that has settled on surfaces everywhere
3. Deodorize your building by thermal fogging
   Ozone and thermal fog are both dangerous to humans. Therefore, the structure should be unoccupied while those tasks are taking place.
   

Fire Damage Is Often the Simplest Cleanup of All

Damage caused by flames is easily identifiable. Anything touched by fire needs to be removed, painted or sent out for restoration. Complete the treatment of fire damage before completing the air filtration step.

All the tasks associated with fire loss and cleanup require specialized skills and equipment. A team of fire restoration specialists is in the Hingham, MA, area. They are ready to get started and are waiting for the call.