Fire and smoke damage is considered one of the filthiest and most dangerous hazards ever for a property. The house gets destroyed from its structure while also putting the residents’ health and life at stake.
Prevention from such a disaster is the key to safety.
Thus, to get you aware of this damage and its possibilities, here are some important facts regarding fire and smoke damage restoration that you should know to better protect yourself and your homes.
Fact 1: Smoke Damage can be more Damaging than Fire.
The smoke produced from fire hazards contains highly dangerous fumes. The dust, soot, and all the residues quickly spread in the air and make the house highly polluted with toxicity. Inhaling smoke can cause burns in the respiratory system and is one of the biggest causes of death in house fires.
Even when the fire gets extinguished, the remnants of the damage remain unaffected in the air and also in all the nooks and corners of the affected property. This poisonous air and smoke odor can cause breathing problems, skin infections, irritation in the eyes, and many other harmful respiratory diseases.
Thus, it is recommended to leave the fire-damaged property as soon as possible, irrespective of the extent of the fire.
Fact 2: Properly Installed and Maintained Smoke and Fire Alarms can Reduce almost half The Risk of Dying from a Fire.
Around ⅔ rd of all deaths due to house fires happen because of the absence of working fire alarms.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends that your home should have more than one type of fire detector for the best all-around fire protection. Heat detectors ring the alarm upon sensing an increase in temperatures.
Photoelectric sensors can help detect fire burning with no flame and little smoke. And ionization smoke detectors are quicker to sense fast-burning fires.
Detectors should be installed on the ceilings of every level of the home close to the sleeping areas. Also, place the alarms alongside the escape route for limited visibility situations. Don’t place ionization smoke alarms in or near the kitchen as it will nuisance alarm during cooking. Photoelectric alarms are less affected by the smaller particles of combustion emitted during household cooking.
Combining them, preferably interconnected, while installing them at different and suitable places will significantly reduce dangerous situations by providing prior notification and an easy escape possibility.
Test your smoke alarms at least once a month, keeping a check on their batteries from time to time. Seek professional help in properly installing and maintaining smoke alarms.
Fact 3: Cooking is The Primary cause of most House Fires.
The kitchen is where the majority of fire hazards take place in the U.S. The cooking fire, grease, electricity, and water are all potential causes that combine to be a danger of fire damage. Grease fires are the most dangerous ones.
Leaving the cooking unattended at the cooktop can make the oil catch fire and that spreads rapidly from the counters into the whole kitchen and even into the rooms.
Also, if the kitchen’s range hood is not deep cleaned periodically, the grease may build up and catch fire, resulting in extremely serious injury and heavy property damage.
The kitchen appliances, when not maintained properly, can also cause a fire hazard in the house.
Fact 4: Professionals can Best Manage Fire and Smoke Damage.
Many homeowners think of dealing with minor fire damage on their own. But they are unaware of the harmful consequences of doing so. Firstly, the fire may have caused imperceptible damage to your property’s structure, and you’ll miss that just because the damage is not visible.
Further, the smoke and soot produced are not at all easy to handle and are highly toxic to inhale. You may also spoil the unspoiled areas of your home and spread the damage more.
Professional smoke and fire damage restoration have experience in dealing with such dangerous conditions. With their swift and emergency availability, they inspect your property thoroughly, detecting all the internal and external damages, and estimating the overall recovery.
They come prepared with safety precautions and effectively clear up the standing water, remove the debris and all the smoke residue, disinfect and deodorize and restore the property’s structure and its valuables, restoring it to its pre-loss state.
