Addressing Dangers in Dunkirk Properties after Fire Damage

4/11/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO safely cleans and restores your fire damaged home in Dunkirk.

SERVPRO Safeguards Dunkirk Homes with Fire Damage

The hazardous nature of fire is not debatable since the heat and smoke it emits cause immediate harm to anyone in the vicinity. What might not be clear is the risk level after extinguishing the fire in your Dunkirk home. For most people, the deterioration of valuables from fire damage is the primary concern since it limits the usage of the property. However, paying attention to the safety risks posed by the incident is essential for a convenient recovery.

Several changes develop in your Dunkirk home after fire damage, and some might extend the risk after the fire department deals with the flames. The extreme heat creates extreme pressure that shatters glass. The flames might also consume building materials such as frames, causing cave-ins when a material cannot sustain the weight of overlying materials. Before embarking on restoration, our SERVPRO technicians first evaluate the property to establish whether there are any risks.

Hazards Developing from Fire

• Sharp objects
• Falling objects
• Corrosion and staining
• Particulate matter in the air

Sharp objects can range from shattered glass, dangling nails, or broken structural materials. The danger from these materials is compounded by minimal light in the property, where lighting fixtures are turned off, and soot-darkened surfaces do not reflect natural light well enough. Our SERVPRO crews set up portable lights in the damaged areas providing sufficient light to identify hazardous materials. Wobble or stand lights are suitable since they are readily deployable. The wobble light provides a flood of lighting from a single point. On the other hand, stand lights provide directional lighting. We also wear personal protective equipment like rubber boots and heavy-duty gloves to safely reach and remove sharp objects.

Changed Materials

As the fire interacts with the materials and contents in your house, it causes changes in physical form. The most notable difference is when combustion consumes materials releasing fine particles like soot and ash or aerosols. Some materials may escape from the structure as smoke billows out. Others settle on vertical and horizontal surfaces. However, a significant percentage remain suspended in the air posing risks if inhaled.

Managing the particulate matter in the air is a challenging prospect. Simple methods such as pushing the polluted air out of the property through ventilation may be counterproductive. The force of moving air would collect the residues settled on surfaces distributing them around the property and the air. A better alternative is air purification after cleaning all the soiled contents and surface materials in the house. Purification requires an air filtration device that moves and filters air simultaneously.

Crucial Parts of an Air Filtration Device

• Primary filter
• Pleated filters
• HEPA filters

During air filtration, proper management is crucial to remove all the targeted residues and achieve the desired goals. For instance, the filters require close monitoring to ensure you know when to replace them. Some devices have an onboard device that checks the filter condition automatically and produces a warning sign when change is necessary. Our SERVPRO technicians can do such monitoring manually using an anemometer. We also take precautions such as sealing the machine's intake before turning off the device to prevent spreading the captured residues.

SERVPRO of Dunkirk, Fredonia, can help you overcome any challenges from fire damage. Call us at (716) 952-6401. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.