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What to do and not to do after a house fire; Fire outbreak at home is never anyone’s wish or prayer. The resultant effect of it on the house owner is never a good one, it brings devastation, sadness, over-thinking and many others.
Fire outbreak in a house might lead to the total destruction of the house or a partial destruction of the house and properties if the necessary steps are taken quickly to stop the fire from spreading out. Some of the damages after a house fire can be permanent.
However, in this kind of situation, instead of being depressed and down, it is important to think of a way forward which involves knowing what to do and what not to do after the house fire.
To avert any further disaster, it is important to call fire fighters to help properly put out the fire from your house to avoid any further fire outbreak.
This is necessary because some particles might still have a bit of flames on them that is capable of igniting another fire again. Fire fighters will help conduct a proper quenching of the fire to avoid the above from happening.
Consequences of Water Damage in Office Buildings
What To Do After a House Fire
1) Call 911 | To Do After a House Fire
Put a call through to the official emergency line for aid where needed.
2) Confirm your safety to friends and family | To Do After a House Fire
Find every possible means to inform your families and friends about the house fire and let them know that you are safe.
3) Inform your insurance company | To Do After a House Fire
After the burning of a house, it is proper for you to conduct a personal check to know the extent of the damage because of the questions that will be asked by your insurance company.
After doing that, place a call or find any possible means to get across to get across to your insurance company and give them the full details of what transpired, and it effects on your house.
Part of the information’s that might be needed at this stage includes:
Time and the day of the incident
Location of the house
Extent of the damage
Although you may request a fire report from the fire station that came to quench the fire, but this might take a little longer time than expected. That is why it is important for you to conduct personal check which will give you every information needed while informing your insurance company.
4) Take pictures of the affected house | To Do After a House Fire
Another important step you must take after a house fire is to take proper pictures of house and most importantly, every affected part of the house.
This is necessary for record keeping purpose but most importantly, it will need when giving your insurance company updates about the event. Backing your claims up with pictures would hasten steps to be taken by your insurance company.
5) Filling of your insurance claim paperwork | To Do After a House Fire
Before any financial compensation would be made by your insurance company, you have to fill your insurance claim form.
What is expected to be in the form are information’s about the house fire. It is advisable to pay attention to every information that you will supply when you are filling the claim form and make sure the information’s are well detailed and completed because it will be the basis for which your insurance company will award a certain amount of money to you.
6) Cross-check your insurance’s company estimation before signing it | To Do After a House Fire
After supplying necessary information’s and filling your insurance claim form, your insurance company will return to you with an estimation.
Before signing the estimation, make sure you go through it, making sure that you are satisfied with it, but if you have any complain, it is advisable that you call their attention to it b4 signing it.
You may be at lost if you did not make sure the estimation is satisfactory to you before you sign it. Signing it means you are okay with the estimation.
7) Find a place to stay | To Do After a House Fire
It is not advisable for you to return to a fire-damaged house immediately after the unpleasant incident. It is understandable how emotionally down you are and the extent to which you want to fix the damaged house, but it is advisable to wait for local fire authorities to declare it safe for you to return.
Pending that time, you have to find a place to stay, be it with family members, friends, hotel or a motel.
What Not To Do After House Fire
1) Don’t stay in the house | What Not to Do After House Fire
One of the things you should avoid doing after a house fire is never to remain in the house. You should leave immediately because it is very dangerous.
Vacating the house will give chance for fire fighters to conduct a thorough check to avoid any further fire outbreak. You have to wait until the fire fighters declare it safe for you to return to the house.
2) Don’t use any electrical appliances | What Not to Do After House Fire
After a house fire, do not make an attempt to use any electrical appliances, it might ignite another fire and cause further damage.
Make sure you have the order of the professional electrical service providers before you make any attempt to put on or use any electrical appliances.
3) Do not dispose affected properties | What Not to Do After House Fire
Avoid disposing any property affected during the fire outbreak. Wait for an expert to do a cross check of the properties and wait for their order before throwing any of the affected properties away.
4) Don’t conduct any washing or cleaning | What Not to Do After House Fire
You will definitely be eager to get things back in place after the house fire, but it is advisable you allow an expert to confirm that it is safe to do that.
Do not attempt to wash any property until it all underwent necessary treatment from a specialist smoke removal.
5) Don’t turn on water and gas | What Not to Do After House Fire
Turning on water and gas might be very dangerous. Truthfully, you need these things, but wait for a professional to satisfy it as okay for use before using any of them.
CONCLUSION
It is not anyone’s prayer or wish to have such horrible experience of fire-damaged house, but when it happens, your composure is needed and very important.
It will definitely affect you emotionally, you might lose a lot of property to it but most importantly, don’t be driven by your emotions or eagerness, rather inform professionals to take charge of every other steps.
By doing the above, they will put you through what to do and what not to do after a house fire, basically for your safety and to avoid any further damage.