Questions Asked For a Fire Loss & Why

9/20/2017 (Permalink)

Questions asked by SERVPRO of Charlottesville when receiving a fire loss.

When our office receives a call regarding a fire loss, there is a list of questions that must be asked to get a better idea of how extensive the damage is.  This is the first of a series of blogs to come with the breakdown of each question we ask and why it is we ask it. 

Question #1 – Has the Fire Marshal cleared the site?

Two common reasons a Fire Marshal may have the building inaccessible are structure stability and investigation of the source.  If the fire was extensive enough, the structure of the building may now be deemed unstable and hazardous to enter.  The second reason would be if the Fire Marshal needs to investigate the source of the fire.  If an investigation is taking place, typically no one is allowed into the structure.  This is to prevent potential tampering of evidence prior to discovering the cause.  However, in some cases the area the fire started may be blocked off and the rest of the structure is made accessible.   By knowing this information, we are able to know whether or not we can schedule for a Production Manager to come out immediately or if/when the assessment can be scheduled.

Check back in November when we discuss a second question we ask customers that have a fire loss.