What Steps Do I Take After a Fire at My Queens Apartment Complex?

8/7/2020 (Permalink)

We help your tenants get their homes back, and you get back to business.

If You Own a Queens Apartment Complex, You Need to Have A Plan In Case of a Fire

Over 2 million people live in Queens, with apartment complexes spread throughout the city. Harry Houdini is buried there, beautiful pianos get made in Queens, and it claims the world’s first road explicitly made for cars. The last thing anyone wants to experience there is an apartment fire.

What Do I Need to Do First?

Apartment complex owners have great responsibility. Not only do they have the running of the apartments and maintenance to worry about, but the lives of everyone in the apartments should something happen. There is nothing more devastating than fire damage in Queens. Apt owners should prepare in the event a fire does occur. The first thing you should do if a fire breaks out is to notify all the tenants. Have a plan in place that enables you to contact them immediately.

Steps to Take After an Apartment Fire

Once everyone has been notified, and the building gets cleared, you should take nine more steps. The fire department will help make sure the complex is entirely empty. Here is what else should take place:
    •    Find the source of the fire. The fire department and tenants help determine this. You will need to know this for insurance purposes.
    •    Contact your insurance company right away. They will send adjusters and investigators to the location immediately.
    •    Call in a fire restoration company. Not all fires cause a total loss. Many times a restoration company can clean and restore your apartments to preloss condition.
    •    Secure the building. You may have to board up windows and doors to protect against intruders. The restoration company should help with emergency procedures like this.
    •    Document the damage. Take pictures and thoroughly document the loss for insurance purposes.
    •    Determine liability. You want to work with authorities to determine liability. If the tenant was responsible for the fire, their renter’s insurance would cover restoration costs. If it occurs from a wiring situation, you are responsible.
    •    Begin restoration immediately. As soon as it is possible, allow the fire restoration company to get started. They can provide emergency mitigation quickly. The longer you wait, the more secondary damage can occur.
    •    Have your apartments reinspected. Once the fire restoration gets completed, then you can get the complex reinspected.
    •    Move tenants back in and start renting again.

Professional Fire Restoration Technicians Work with You

At SERVPRO, our fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT) are the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) certified. They understand what fire damage, apt, or any other structure can mean to those involved.  As an apartment owner, you want to get your tenants back in their homes and have your livelihood restored as well. We work with you to see that both things occur as quickly as possible.

Basic Fire Mitigation Steps

Each situation is unique, and what is involved in restoring your apartments to the preloss condition can vary based on the type of fire. Minor fires may require very little in the way of restoration, and only one apartment is involved. Another fire can start in one apartment and quickly spread to others before containment. However, there are steps SERVPRO techs take that are basic to each fire damage situation. These include:
    •    Ensuring the safety of the structure
    •    Emergency mitigation such as boarding up windows etc
    •    Water extraction
    •    Mucking out if needed
    •    Drying out the apartment
    •    Repair and replacing items such as carpet, drywall, and sheetrock
    •    Proper disposal of charred and fire-damaged debris
    •    Deodorizing to remove smoke odors
    •    Cleaning and sanitizing all surface areas
    •    Use EPA approved cleaning products
    •    Cleaning and restoring the content of the apartment
    •    Cleaning the HVAC system
    •    Leaving your complex, “Like it never even happened.”

 Let SERVPRO Handle the Stress

You have enough to do without wondering if things are taken care of properly. Our crews will work with your insurance company, so you don’t have to worry about going back and forth. We keep you apprised of the situation every step of the way, so you know precisely what is happening. If the content cannot be cleaned on-site, we offer your tenants pack-out services. With years of experience, you can trust SERVPRO to handle everything that comes with the aftermath of fire damage to your apartment complex.

 A fire in an apartment complex can be terrifying as it can quickly move from one apartment to the next. When you need emergency fire mitigation, We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster. Contact SERVPRO of Long Island City at (718) 440-6994 for professional fire restoration when fire damage in an apt occurs. We help your tenants get their homes back, and you get back to business.