Emergency Recovery

Securing Yourself and The Site

• The fire department will contact a board-up service; or, if you prefer, you may call one of your choice. Be sure this service is covered by your homeowner’s policy.
• Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army, to help with your immediate needs, such as, temporary housing, food, medicine, eyeglasses, clothing, and other essential items.
• Contact your insurance agent/company.

Cautions

• Do not enter the damaged site. Fires can rekindle from hidden, smoldering remains.
• Normally, the fire department will see that utilities (water, electricity and natural gas) are either safe to use or are disconnected before they leave the site. Do not attempt to turn on the utilities yourself.
• Be watchful for structural damage caused by the fire. Roofs and floors may be damaged and subject to collapse.
• Food, beverages and medicine exposed to heat, smoke, soot and water should not be consumed.

Leaving Your Home

• Contact your local police department to let them know the site will be unoccupied.
• In some cases it may be necessary to board up openings to discourage trespassers.
• Beginning immediately, save receipts for any money you spend. These receipts are important in showing the insurance company what costs you have incured related to your fire loss and also for verifying losses claimed on your income tax.
• If it is safe to do so, try to locate the following items:
  • Identification, such as driver’s licenses and Social Security cards
  • Insurance information
  • Medication information
  • Eyeglasses, hearing aids or other prosthetic devices
  • Valuables, such as credit cards, bank books, cash and jewelry
• There are many people/entities that should be notified of your relocation, (and of the fire) including:
  • Your insurance agent/company
  • Your mortgage company
  • Your family and friends
  • Your child’s school
  • Your post office
  • Any delivery services
  • Your fire and police departments
  • Your utility companies
• Do not throw away any damaged goods, food or medicine until after an inventory is made. All damages are taken into consideration in developing your insurance claim.
• If you are considering contracting for inventory or repair services, discuss your plans with your insurance agent/company first.

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You will encounter different viewpoints on the value of your property in adjusting your fire loss or in claiming a casualty loss on your federal income tax. Knowing the following terms will help you understand the process used to determine the value of your fire loss:

Your personal valuation: Your personal loss of goods through fire may be difficult to measure. These personal items have SENTIMENTAL VALUE to you; however, it is objective measures of value that you, the insurer, and the Internal Revenue Service will use as a common ground for discussion. Some of these objective measures are discussed below.

Cost when purchased: This is an important element in establishing an item’s final value. Receipts will help verify the cost price.

Fair market value before the fire: This concept is also expressed as ACTUAL CASH VALUE. This is what you could have received for the item if you had sold it the day before the fire. The price would reflect its cost at purchase minus the wear it had sustained since purchase. Depreciation is the formal term used to express the amount of value an item loses over a period of time.

Value after the fire: This is sometimes called the item’s salvage value.

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Restoration Services

There are companies that specialize in the restoration of fire-damaged structures. Whether you or your insurer employs this type of service, be clear who will pay. Be sure to request an estimate of cost for the work. Before any company is hired check their references. These companies provide a range of services that may include some or all of the following:

• securing the site against further damage
• estimating structural damage
• repairing structural damage
• estimating the cost to repair or renew items of personal property
• packing, transportation, and storage of household items
• securing appropriate cleaning or repair subcontractors
• storing repaired items until needed

• Give notice of the loss to the insurance company or the insurer’s agent/company.
• Ask the insurance company what to do about the immediate needs of the dwelling, such as covering doors, windows, and other exposed areas, and pumping out water.
• Ask your insurance agent/company what actions are required of you. Some policyholders may be required to make an inventory of damaged personal property showing in detail the quantity, description and how much you paid for the items.

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If You Are Not Insured

Professional fire and water damage restoration businesses may be the best source of cleaning and restoring your personal belongings. Companies offering this service can be located in the phone directory or on the web.

Clothing

A word of caution before you begin: test garments before using any treatment, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Several of the cleaning mixtures described in this section contain the substance Tri-Sodium Phosphate. This substance can be purchased under the generic name TSP. Tri-Sodium Phosphate is a caustic substance used commonly as a cleaning agent. It should be used with care and stored out of reach of children and pets. Wear rubber gloves when using if you have sensitive skin. Read the label for further information.

Smoke odor and soot can sometimes be washed from clothing. The following formula may work for clothing that can be bleached:

4 – 6 Tbsp. Tri-Sodium Phosphate
1-cup household cleaner or chlorine bleach
1-gallon warm water

Mix well, add clothes, and rinse with clear water. Dry thoroughly.

An effective way to remove mildew from clothing is to wash the fresh stain with soap and warm water, rinse and then dry in the sun. If the stain has not disappeared, use lemon juice and salt or a diluted solution of household chlorine bleach.

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Cooking Utensils

Your pots, pans, flatware, etc., should be washed with soapy water, rinsed and then polished with a fine-powered cleaner. You can polish copper and brass with special polish, salt sprinkled on a piece of lemon, or salt sprinkled on a cloth saturated with vinegar.

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Electrical Appliances

Do not use appliances that have been exposed to water or steam until you have a service representative check them. This is especially true of electrical appliances.  In addition, steam can remove the lubricant from some moving parts. If the fire department turned off your gas or power during the fire, call the electric or gas company to restore these services – do not try to do it yourself.

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Food

Wash your canned goods in detergent and water. Do the same for food in glass jars. If labels come off, be sure you mark the contents on the can or jar with a grease pencil.  Do not use canned goods that have bulged or rusted.  Do not refreeze frozen food that has thawed. To remove odor from your refrigerator or freezer, wash the inside with a solution of baking soda and water, or use one cup of vinegar or household ammonia to one gallon of water.  Baking soda in an open container or a piece of charcoal can also be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to absorb odor.

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Rugs and Carpet

Rugs and carpets should be allowed to dry thoroughly. Throw rugs can be cleaned by beating, sweeping or vacuuming, and then shampooing. Rugs should be dried as quickly as possible – lay them flat and expose them to circulation of warm, dry air. A fan turned on the rugs will speed drying. Make sure the rugs are thoroughly dry. Even though the surface seems dry, moisture remaining at the base of the tufts can quickly cause the rug to rot. For information on cleaning and preserving carpets, call your carpet dealer or installer or a qualified carpet cleaning professional.

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Leather and Books

Wipe leather goods with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth.  Stuff purses and shoes with newspaper to retain shape. Leave suitcases open. Leather goods should be dried away from heat and sun. When leather goods are dry, clean with saddle soap. Rinse leather and suede jackets in cold water and dry away from heat and sun. Wet books must be taken care of as soon as possible. The best method to save wet books is to freeze them in a vacuum freezer.  This special freezer will remove the moisture without damaging the pages. If there will be a delay in locating such as freezer, them place them in a normal freezer until a vacuum freezer can be located. A local librarian can be a good resource.

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Locks and Hinges

Locks (especially iron locks) should be taken apart and wiped with oil. If locks cannot be removed, squirt machine oil through a bolt opening or keyhole, and work the knob to distribute the oil. Hinges should also be thoroughly cleaned and oiled.

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Walls, Floors and Furniture

To remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture and floors, use a mild soap or detergent or mix together the following solution:
4 – 6 Tbsp. Tri-Sodium Phosphate
1-cup household cleaner or chlorine bleach
1-gallon warm water

Wear rubber gloves when cleaning with this solution. Be sure to rinse your walls and furniture with clear warm water and dry thoroughly after washing them with this solution. Wash a small area at a time, working from the floor up. Then rinse the wall with clear water immediately. Ceilings should be washed last. Do not repaint until walls and ceilings are completely dry. Your wallpaper can also be repaired. Use a commercial paste on loose edges or sections. Contact your wallpaper dealer or installer for information on wallpaper cleaners. Washable wallpaper can be cleansed like any ordinary wall, but care must be taken not to soak the paper. Work from bottom to top to prevent streaking.

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Wood Furniture

Do not dry your furniture in the sun. The wood will warp and twist out of shape. Clear off mud and dirt. Remove drawers. Let them dry thoroughly so there will be no sticking when you replace them. Scrub wood furniture or fixtures with a stiff brush and a cleaning solution. Wet wood can decay and mold, so dry thoroughly. Open doors and windows for good ventilation. Turn on your furnace or air conditioner, if necessary. If mold forms, wipe the wood with a cloth soaked in a mixture of borax dissolved in hot water.

To remove white spots or film, rub the wood surface with a cloth soaked in a solution of half cup household ammonia and half cup water. Then wipe the surface dry and polish with wax or rub the surface with a cloth soaked in a solution of half cup turpentine and half cup linseed oil. Be careful – turpentine is combustible. You can also rub the wood surface with a fine grade steel wool pad dripped in liquid polishing wax, clean the area with a soft cloth and then buff.

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Money Replacement

Handle burned money as little as possible. Attempt to encase each bill or portion of a bill in plastic wrap for preservation. If money is only half-burned or less (if half or more is still intact), or you can take the remainder to your regional Federal Reserve Bank for replacement. Ask your bank for the nearest one. Or you can mail the burned or torn money by “registered mail, return receipt requested” to: Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Office of Currency Standards, P.O. Box 37048, Washington, DC 20013

Mutilated or melted coins can be taken to your regional Federal Reserve Bank or mailed by “registered mail, return receipt requested” to: Superintendent, U.S. Mint, P.O. Box 400, Philadelphia, PA 19105

If your U.S. Savings Bonds have been destroyed or mutilated, you must obtain Department of Treasury Form PD F 1048 (I) from your bank or www.ustreas.gov and mail to: Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Public Debt, Savings Bonds Operations, P.O. Box 1328, Parkersburg, WV 26106-1328

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Tax Information

Check with an accountant, tax consultant or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about special benefits for people with limited financial needs / resources after a fire loss.