Fire Check List

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Fire Fighters may save your property during a fire but what happens after they leave?

Fires can happen quickly and ferociously and leave a devastating wake of damage to your home or business. Of course, always call 911 and emergency services if you suspect a fire but call SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann after to help with the aftermath.

After a fire this following checklist serves as a quick reference and guide for what to do next:

• Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the red cross, if you need temporary housing, food, sundries and medicine. 
• If you are insured, contact your insurance company for detailed instructions on protecting the property. Create an inventory and contact "Fire Restoration Services." If you are not insured, try contacting private organizations for aid and assistance (United Way www.unitedway.org) 
• Check with the fire department to make sure your residence is safe to enter. Be watchful of any structural damage caused by the fire.
• The fire department should see that utilities are either safe to use or are disconnected before they leave the site. Do not attempt to reconnect the utilities yourself, call the gas and or electric company to do so. 
• Conduct an inventory of damaged property and items. Do not throw away any damaged goods until after an inventory is made and try to take pictures of everything. Try to locate valuable documents and records. Refer to information on contacts and the replacement. 
• If you leave your home, contact your local police department to let them know your home will be unoccupied.
• Begin saving receipts for any money spend related to the fire/loss. The receipts may be needed later by the insurance company and for verifying losses claimed on the income tax.
• Notify your mortgage company about the fire. 

When you are ready to restore what once was and try to get back to normal: SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 978-927-8665. We specialize in these types of restoration services and want to make it “Like it never even happened.”