Getting Your Business Back on Track After a Fire

10/29/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Stillwater, OK area.

Returning Your Business to Normalcy After a Fire

When you’re dealing with fire damage to your Stillwater, OK, business, you should get back up and running as soon as possible. Completing the maze of paperwork, meeting with an insurance adjuster, and getting estimates on repairs can consume all of your time when all you really want to do is get back to work. Once the flames are out, take these steps to make your way through the process as efficiently as possible.

1. Call your insurance company as soon as possible. It should open a claim and send out an adjuster to evaluate the fire damage. Depending on your policy, it may also provide an up-front cash payment so you can hire a cleaning crew and/or restoration service to start making repairs.

2. Take pictures and document all the damage you can. Do this only after the fire department says it’s safe for you to go back onto the property. Wear gloves and a breathing mask while you’re doing this.

3. Contact a professional company to help you start on the road to reopening. Often referred to as disaster restoration providers, these are specially trained teams that know how to put things back together structurally and cosmetically. They can even remove smoke odor, which is bad for your health and continues to damage surfaces if not cleaned properly right away.

4. Consider hiring a fire mitigation company once you’re up and running again. This is strongly recommended, especially if you’re in an industry with an above-average risk of fire, like handling flammable chemicals or working with materials at high temperatures. These consultants can evaluate your workflow and space and give you tips on how to avoid future fires. If you can find one company to do the cleanup, restoration, and mitigation, you can speed up the recovery process considerably.

Fire damage doesn’t have to be catastrophic to your Stillwater, OK, business. Now you know the right steps to take once the flames are out.