Unfortunately, fires ravage homes and business throughout our communities. They occur far too often and destroy property, disrupt lives and business and unfortunately, can result in injury or loss of life. It is extremely important to have an escape plan for your family or employees. This plan should involve prevention, first and foremost and then a plan to save yourself and others around you. This includes animals.
The most important step in prevention is to have smoke detectors in all living rooms, hallways and bedrooms. The best detectors are dual smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you use any type of gas or oil to heat your building or water, the dual detector is a must. In newer buildings fire suppression systems may be required by the city. These include sprinkler systems and in some businesses, a non-water based fire suppression system, especially when dealing with commercial kitchens or other flammable materials. For most homeowners and business owners, having fire extinguishers handy and in the right places can help prevent a fire from spreading throughout the building. A fire extinguisher should be located in any room where a fire is most likely to occur and they should be recharged every so often. The extinguisher should have a date on it showing when it was last charged. It is important to keep you extinguishers properly maintained and charged or else when you go to grab them in an emergency, they may not work. In the average home, a fire extinguisher should be kept in the kitchen not too far from the stove; another should be kept close to the boiler or furnace and another in the garage. Believe it or not, kitchen fires are the most common type of fire year-round. If you have a fireplace, pellet stove or wood stove, you should also keep one handy near those areas. Chimney and flue fires are more common than most people thing. In addition, garage fires occur because people often keep flammable items in a garage, such as gasoline, paint and other chemicals. In addition, power equipment and vehicles can start on fire from heat or electrical issues. Other times, lithium batteries from battery powered tools will suddenly and violently turn into an unstoppable source of combustion, like a roman candle.
Another imports step in prevention is to ensure you have planned escape routes and that you practice this with fire drills. It may sound ridiculous to you, but when a fire does occur, people will be less confused and know where to go. Front door exits may not be possible, so alternative routes are a must. Make sure that you have multiple egresses. Your building should have at least 2 entries/exits. All living space, including apartments should have 2 emergency exits. A Front door and perhaps a rear door. Windows can also be emergency exits provided that the exit is not too high to jump out. If you have a 2nd or 3rd story, you should make sure to have fire escapes or window ladders. These window ladders are available at some hardware stores and can be found online.
If your have children, many fire departments can give you window stickers that identify which areas of the home have children in them so if needed, they can go right to the child’s bedroom window to save them. These were often given out in schools years ago, but this is no longer an option in most communities any longer.
In addition to the above, it is always a good idea to take a walk around your building to identify areas of concern, especially electrical. Are there areas where several devices or appliances are plugged into 1 circuit? Are there the use of extension cords and power strips? Another leading cause of fires is electrical issues. All too often someone will have several items plugged into one outlet or into one circuit or into power strips. This overloads the system. Most typical homes are wired with either 15 or 20 amp wiring and circuits. A circuit is a typical run from the electrical circuit breaker panel box to a room or multiple rooms. The run may have several outlets and switches as well as lights using the same circuit. If the circuit is a 15 amp circuit as is common in most older homes, the maximum load it can carry is 15 amps without issue. However, if you plug in a TV, DVD player, Cable Box, Playstation, 2 or 3 lights, charging ports for your devices and computer equipment, you are probably already exceeding the 15 amp load which results in the wires overheating. This can melt the sheathing on the wire and result in arching, which in turn, can result in an electrical fire.
It is important to be cognizant of the number of amps you are forcing through the circuit. All of your devices and electrical appliances tell you the amperage needed for it to work. It doesn’t matter if you have 1 device in each outlet or 10 devices on a power strip; It all counts in the circuit. Take a look and count the number of amps you are drawing in any given circuit. Bear in mind that not all devices may be on at the same time and if they never do, they won’t generally count. However, if there are several devices being used at one, it most certainly does count. Furthermore, devices not being used still draw minimal power. If you are not using your iPhone cord, unplug it, it could save you a little on your electric bill over time. This goes the same with all devices and appliances, if you rarely use them, unplug them.
Another common type of fire is a fire caused by candles or incense. Candles and incense are frequently used to freshen the air or for religious purposes such as Hanukkah. I have been adjusting fire claims a long time and I can’t count the number of times someone burns a candle and walks away and a fire ensues. Candles and incense often fall over due to an uneven burn. Sometimes animals or people bump into them. Sometimes they are placed in areas where the flame or smoldering head is too close to something that is somewhat flammable. In almost every case, the candle or incense is left unattended and it catches something on fire. If you must use candles or incense, do not leave the unattended. Furthermore. Place them in areas where there is nothing that is flammable around them. I am not a fan fan of candles or incense because they have been proven throughout history to be devastating to property and life when left unattended. I would say the same about oil lamps as well. However they are not as frequently used as candles.
The next step involves the actual fire suppression. If someone suddenly realizes that a fire has started and it is small enough to suppress the fire, you may be able to utilize strategies you implemented prior to a fire such as grabbing the fire extinguisher and putting out the fire. A fire extinguisher should be readily available (easy to locate for anyone in the building) and fully charged
If a fire appears to be more than a few square feet of area and there is a lot of smoke, DO NOT attempt to put out the fire yourself. The number one killer in a fire is not the fire itself, but the inhalation of smoke. Furthermore, what may appear to be a small fire can be a quick spreader and it is more important to save yourself and others in the building than it is to attempt to put out the fire. In many devastating circumstances, a homeowner notices the fire and their first reaction is to try an put out the fire. Meanwhile others in the home are completely unaware what is going on. If the fire suddenly burst out and becomes raging and out of control, it may be too late to save the others in the building.
Misjudging a fire can be deadly so if you are not a skilled fireman do not attempt to put out a fire yourself, especially a fast spreading or larger fire. Make sure others in the building are safely out of the building first. After everyone is safe outside of the building, call 911 or the fire department, even if you can put out the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have a professional fireman make sure that there is no migratory fire in the wall or ceiling cavities. Believe it or not, fires do rekindle do to smoldering materials.
From my experience in the industry, it is always better to let the professional extinguish the fire. People are sometimes injured or killed when they attempt to extinguish a fire themselves. Leave the fire suppression and rescue to the professionals. Do not rush into a burning building to try and save Trixie the cat. Pets will more often be so scared that they will hide and you may not be able to find them and in you effort to locate them, you may be overcome by the smoke. Your life is more important than attempting to save pets. Do not rush into a burning building to try and save your photographs or your computer. Your life is more important than your personal property and certainly more important than the building. That is what we have insurance for.
In the event of a fire, first and foremost, make sure everyone is ok. After the fire has been extinguished, you may feel the need to go in and assess the damage and see what you can save. A fire damaged building can be very dangerous to enter. The fire and water create a toxic environment that could be dangerous to your health. If you must enter, wear a full faced respirator. Do not let children enter the fire damaged area. If you have an older home, there may be friable asbestos floating around the air. Fire makes asbestos friable and as such, can enter your lungs and cause serious life-threatening health issues. In addition, there are often wood framing and trim with nails in it that you can step on and these nails are covered in toxic materials. Floors could easily collapse with the extra weight of people walking around. If you can avoid entering a badly burned building, do so. Let the professional retrieve your sentimental items or salvageable items.
With fires, it is very confusing and stressful to deal with because there is so much going on at the same time. You are not only left trying to figure out what you lost, but you have to deal with numerous parties, set up numerous meetings, find emergency response board up contractors, find suitable emergency housing, shop for personal articles that you will need immediately if you lost most of your personal property, line up fire/water/smoke/demolition/mitigation and hazardous material abatement contractors in order to begin preparing your property for reconstruction and then find contractors, architects and others to rebuild your property.
In instances of fire losses, it is prudent to contact a public adjuster to handle the claim for you. If you choose to forgo a public adjuster, you will be forced to use the insurance company adjuster who is working for them and looking out for the interest of the insurance company. They are not likely to be there for you like your own personal public adjuster would be.
At Cornerstone Adjusting, LLC, we were insurances adjuster for the insurance companies for years and know that the insurance company adjusters are usually overwhelmed with other claims and in some cases, have very little experience handling fire losses. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good staff adjusters out there, but they are far and few between these days and they still have to follow the insurance company’s guidelines, which usually skirts the policy of insurance they are supposed to abide by. Our experience as insurance company staff adjusters is what sets us apart from our competition. We know the insurance company tactics and how they control their adjusters and we know very well how they will fight to minimize your claim in order to increase their profits.
When you call us, a public adjuster will usually respond immediately. At Cornerstone Adjusting, LLC, we will send out an adjuster to assist you within hours of your call. We will assist you in locating an emergency response mitigation team, who will board up your building if necessary. They will assist you in protecting your property from further damages and secure items from the building that you may need immediately. They will also, section off/ quarantine the area of the origin of the fire, so that the fire investigators from the insurance company can investigate the cause and origin of the fire.
Our adjusters will walk you through the claims process and will help you find a temporary residence as well. We will file the claim for you with your insurance company and request a cash advance if needed so that you can purchase items that you will need immediately, such as clothing and toiletries. We will then request a meeting with your insurance company adjuster and scope the damages with them. We will assist you in coordinating the the mitigation, demolition and temporary repairs necessary to protect your property from further damages and prepare your property for reconstruction.
We will also assist you in compiling a list of your damaged personal property. We will work diligently with the insurance company’s adjuster to find you a more suitable place to live if the loss is extensive and the length of repair will be significant. We will be with you every step of the way to take the stress of the claim off of your shoulders.
A fire loss is one of the most stressful events that someone can go through, and it helps significantly to have someone there to help you and guide you through the process. At Cornerstone Adjusting, LLC, we are with you every step of the way, from filing your claim to reviewing your completed repairs and getting you back to life as it was before.
Unlike the insurance company, at Cornerstone Adjusting, LLC, your really are in good hands because we really are on your side.
Don’t let the insurance company control the outcome of your claim.
Call Us Today For A Free Consultation at (845)541-5000.