Fire Damage Emergency Tips

What you can do until help arrives

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Fire is obviously a very dangerous and powerful force. When you're in the midst of a fire emergency and struggling to keep it together, remember these tips:

• Implement your disaster preparedness plan if you have one. You should have an assigned meeting place outside of your home to meet your family at, and perhaps assign a few tasks to family members, such as calling emergency services and evacuating pets.
• Don't enter the burning building to retrieve personal belongings. Things can be replaced, but your life cannot be!
• Stay away from the fire and wait for emergency services to arrive.

Have Smoke or Fire Damage? Call (713) 965-4333

What To Do After A Fire

• Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery and carpets.
• Keep hands clean so as not to further soil upholstery, walls and woodwork.
• Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet traffic areas.
• If electricity is off, empty freezer and refrigerator and prop doors open.
• Clean and protect chrome with light coating of petroleum jelly or oil.
• Wash houseplants on both sides of leaves.
• Change HVAC filter.
• Tape double layers of cheesecloth over air registers.

What NOT To Do After A Fire

• Don't attempt to wash any walls or painted surfaces or shampoo carpet or upholstery without contacting us.
• Don't attempt to clean any electrical appliances that may have been close to fire, heat or water without consulting an authorized repair service.
• Don't use any canned or packaged food or beverages that may have been stored near the fire, heat or water.
• Don't turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet. The wiring may be damaged.
• Don't send garments to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set smoke odor.