Water Heater Safety

6/17/2019 (Permalink)

Hot water can scald you in just a few seconds. The safest hot water heater temperatures are 120 degrees or lower. Clutter creates a fire risk. Move items at least 18 inches away from your water heater. Test the safety valve and run hot water through the drain valve once a year. Check your owner's manual for complete maintenance instructions and how to guides. If you can't find your manual? Try http://www.manualsonline.com/ There you can search for a manual or upload yours. 

Whether it's your water heater or your smoke alarm it's always good to keep those items up to date and check on them occasionally. You never know when something unexpected will happen to your home or business. We want to make sure they your safety is first! 

Fire Safety

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

In a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy.

That’s why this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme was: “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” is so important. It reinforces why everyone needs to have an escape plan. Here’s this year’s key campaign message:

• Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
• Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
• Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

via http://www.nfpa.org/

We care about your safety and hope that you never have to deal with one in your home or business. If you do, we would love to be here to assist you, making it "Like It Never Even Happened." Give us a call today if you need assistance and we will be happy to come out and assess the damage. We care about our customers at Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa & Chambers Counties!

Alabama Fire Departments

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa & Chambers Counties respond to many residential and commercial fire damages, which means we tend to stay in close contact with local fire departments. 

Alabama Fire Department Data:

In Alabama there are 796 fire departments registered with the National Fire Department Registry.

Most fires are structure/residential and vehicles. 

Fires only make up about 6% of calls in Alabama, others include: service calls (7.8%), false alarms (8.4%), good intent (9.1%), and EMS (65.9%). For the National average, fires make up around 4.7%. Surprising!

In 2016, 82 home fire fatalities were reported by the news media.

Fire prevention is important, we want to make sure your home or business stays safe. Make sure you replace batteries in your smoke detectors and keep a fire extinguisher close. If you don’t know what to do and need some helpful tips call your local fire department. Sometimes it's best to have their phone number on your refrigerator or even stored in your cell phone, and always remember to call 911!

Contents Restoration

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

CONTENTS RESTORATION

From furniture to antiques to artwork and appliances, we'll treat your treasures with the care they deserve. While some items can be cleaned on-site, in many cases we'll need to inventory, pack out and transport the contents of your property to our state-of-the-art facility to ensure the best care possible.

Key Issues

• Contents may need to be cleaned off-site
• Contents inventory
• Determine replacement and restoration
• Pack
• Ozone treatment
• Cleaning
• Odor removal
• Secure
• Return

Contents Inventory

• We arrive on-site and inventory all of your personal belongings.
• We carefully pack all salvable items to transport to our secure warehouse and cleaning facility.
• Unsalvageable contents are inventoried and discarded.

Contents Valuation

We have trained professionals to help you establish replacement values versus restoration costs. We are also available for pricing of non-salvable inventory items.

Restoration

• Thorough cleaning
• Proper handling of all electronics
• Photographs and artwork
• Fabrics
• Clothes
• Memorabilia
• Antiques
• Soft goods
• Dry Cleaning
• Appliances
• Surfaces
• Odor Removal

American Red Cross Fire Safety

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

American Red Cross Tips For Fire Safety:

1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

2. Test smoke alarms every month. If they’re not working, change the batteries.

3. Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.

4. If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL FOR HELP. Never go back inside for anything or anyone.

   We partner with the American Red Cross and also our local fire departments so fire prevention is VERY important to us! These tips are from REDCROSS.ORG

Here are some tips on WHAT TO DO AFTER A FIRE:

1. Call 9-1-1. Give first aid where needed; cool and cover burns to reduce the chance of further injury or infection.

2. 
   

   Let friends and family know you’re safe.

3. 
   

   People and animals that are seriously injured or burned should be transported to professional medical or veterinary help immediately.

4. 
   

   Stay out of fire-damaged homes until local fire authorities say it is safe to re-enter.

Caring for Yourself & Loved Ones

• Pay attention to how you and your loved ones are experiencing and handling stress. Promote emotional recovery by following these tips. Discard any food that has been exposed to heat, smoke or soot.
• Watch pets closely and keep them under your direct control.
• Help people who require additional assistance- infants, elderly people, those without transportation, large families who may need additional help in an emergency situation, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.

Also from REDCROSS.ORG, check it out for more information and make sure you are prepared in case an emergency happens in your home or business.

Fire Facts

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

Smoke and soot is very invasive and can penetrate various cavities within your home, causing hidden damage and odor. Our smoke damage expertise and experience allows us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.  

Smoke and soot facts:

• Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.
• Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.
• The type of smoke may greatly affect the restoration process.

Different Types of Smoke

There are two different types of smoke–wet and dry. As a result, there are different types of soot residue after a fire. Before restoration begins, SERVPRO of Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa & Chambers Counties will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Here is some additional information:

Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber

• Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.

Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood

• Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore smoke rises.

Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire

• Virtually invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor. 

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions.  We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage.  We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage? Give us a call!