SERVPRO of Missoula asks: are your pets in your fire safety plan?

7/18/2023 (Permalink)

Your pets are a part of your family – include them in your family’s fire safety plan!

In our ongoing effort to encourage Missoula families to create emergency preparedness plans, this week, SERVPRO of Missoula specifically challenges you to consider how your pets fit into your home’s Fire Safety Plan, and we have some tips to get you started:

• Include your pets in family evacuation drills. This means keeping a leash or other necessary equipment close to the main exit, and including pet necessities in your emergency supply kit. Training your pets to come to you when you call can also save valuable time in an emergency.
• Prevent your pets from starting fires by never leaving a pet unattended around an open flame, and securing pets away from fire hazards when you leave them home alone.
• When leaving pets at home, ensure firefighters can easily evacuate them in the event of a fire by keeping them in rooms or areas close to your home’s entrance. You can also put a pet alert sticker in a front window to let rescuers know the number and types of pets in your home (be sure to update this when necessary).

Discussing emergency preparedness is an activity that the whole family can (and should) participate in together and is definitely worthy of some home-schooling time! For more emergency planning tips, check out the blogs in our “Fire” and “Storm Damage” categories.

Smoke Damage in Your Missoula Home

3/15/2023 (Permalink)

When a fire occurs in or outside your home, visible damage to your property is often your first concern. While this instinct is understandable, even materials completely untouched by flames can pose health risks and be permanently damaged if left unaddressed.

Smoke and soot damage ranges in severity, but most often leave items in your home discolored and odorous. Because smoke is acidic, it affects the majority of household materials, from fabrics to wood to metal surfaces. The fact that smoke and soot particles can also get into your HVAC system and be redistributed throughout your home makes this kind of damage particularly insidious. According to the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), cleaning within the first few weeks post-fire is crucial to removing odor, stopping the discoloration process, and minimizing the need for the replacement of belongings. Improper cleaning can push soot further into porous materials, and using the wrong cleaners on hard surfaces will only move hazardous particles around without eliminating odor or discoloration.

The last thing you’ll probably think about in the days immediately post-fire is whether or not your household vacuum is HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) certified. So, while you’re making other important arrangements, let us worry about that! The technicians here at SERVPRO of Missoula are IICRC certified and travel with equipment—like air scrubbers, HEPA vacuums, and deodorization agents—that will make smoke damage “Like it never even happened.”

SERVPRO® of Missoula wants the residents and commercial businesses in Missoula to know that we are Here to Help. ®

Our team of highly trained fire restoration technicians are some of the best in the state and are certified in:

• Fire and Smoke Restoration
• Odor Control
• Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning
• Water Damage Restoration

All fire damage calls follow the same general process:

1. Emergency Contact
2. Inspection and Fire Damage Assessment
3. Immediate Board-Up and Roof-Tarp Service (if needed)
4. Water Removal and Drying (if water damage is present)
5. Removal of Smoke and Soot from All Surfaces
6. Cleaning and Repair
7. Restoration

No matter how big or small your fire damage emergency may be, SERVPRO® of Missoula is ready to help the Missoula community. Call us today at 406-327-9500. We’ll clean and restore your fire damage “Like it never even happened.”

SERVPRO® of Missoula is Independently Owned and Operated.

For more fire safety tips, head to Red Cross

What to do if a fire starts in your Missoula home

2/16/2023 (Permalink)

If a fire starts in your home, the most important thing to remember is “Get out, Stay out!”

Sometimes fires happen. Despite preventative measures, despite early warning systems, approximately 370,000 residential fires occur in the U.S. each year. In the event of such an emergency in your home, it is important to think and act quickly, and talking with your family about what to do during a fire can help ensure their safety if the unexpected does occur.
The most important thing to remember if a fire starts in your home (and becomes too large for a fire extinguisher) is to get out. The American Red Cross also advises us to shout “Fire!” several times as we are evacuating, to alert others. Checking closed doors on your escape route to make sure they’re not warm. If doors are in your path and are warm to the touch, do not open them; use your secondary route, or place a wet towel under the door and call 9-1-1 if you cannot evacuate safely. If your evacuation route is filled with smoke, stay low and close doors behind you until you reach an exit. As soon as you are outside, call 9-1-1 and go to your family’s emergency meeting place.
Once your family is safely evacuated and the Missoula Fire Department has responded to the fire in your home, call SERVPRO of Missoula as soon as possible to begin the process of making the fire “Like it never even happened.”

For more fire safety tips, head to https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/if-a-fire-starts.html