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Has your business been affected by a fire or smoke damage? After the initial shock of the occurrence and acting fast to address emergencies, it is time to do the work to get your business up and running again.

Here are 4 tips for business owners who are facing fire damage.

1. Check your insurance policy

The first thing to do once the dust has settled a bit is to check your insurance policy. Does your insurance cover equipment damage? Damage to walls and floors? Damage to personal property on the premises? Review your insurance contract before contacting the company so that you are prepared with the knowledge of what is covered and are able to prepare any questions you may have.

1. File Your Claim

Once you have the details ironed out regarding your insurance, file your claim immediately. You will likely have to itemize your losses and list the value of each. Make sure to take pictures of the damaged property as is and keep any receipts you have available that show the original value of the equipment.

1. Secure your property

Even after the event occurs, damage can continue to get worse. For example, if a fire occurs in the wintertime, and it exposes part of the commercial property to the climate, the freezing weather can cause pipes to burst, or areas to leak. As a property owner, it is essential that you minimize further damage. You can talk to experts about how to minimize further damage after an even occurs.

1. Contact a professional service ASAP

Once you get the green light from your insurance company, it is essential that you contract a professional cleanup and remediation service immediately. Remember that if the damage likely occurred on many properties beyond yours, as is the case for natural disasters, cleanup services may be booked up. If the company offers it, consider signing an agreement with a cleanup service, like Armor Environmental Solutions, to prioritize you as a company in the case of an environmental emergency.

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No matter how prepared you are for environmental damage to take place, it always comes as a shock and it can cause significant stress on the business due to the property damage, and certainly any potential damage to the health and wellbeing of employees and customers, that may have taken place.

When our home or business experiences damage due to environmental forces, you will likely turn to Google to help you find a service that will act fast and help you repair it.

If you have Googled fire and smoke damage remediation, flood repairs or something similar, it is likely that a mix of businesses that offer home and commercial cleanup come up on the first page. The competences needed for each type of job, which is why it is important to contract the right service.

The differences between commercial and home cleanup services are many. Here we mention a few:

1. The size of the job: The square footage of damage that takes place in a home is often smaller than that which takes place in a commercial setting. Cleanup companies need to be prepared with right equipment and number personnel to address the issues in a timely manner.
2. Specialized spaces: Commercial business often has specialized rooms or areas that need to be treated with special care. A food packaging facility, for example, needs to be treated with meticulous care, and some substances may not be allowed to be used in the cleanup process in order to allow for a healthy, fully-restored space.
3. Specialized appliances and equipment: Homes tend to have pretty standard appliances and equipment. These, rather than being restored, are often covered by home insurance for replacement in case of loss. In the case of commercial businesses, the removal and potential restoration of the equipment must be handled with care and know-how.
4. Differing ventilation systems: The ventilation systems in homes and commercial businesses vary significantly. Often, ventilation systems of homes are lacking altogether. As a result, the care with which ventilation systems are cleaned and restored is essential so that the air quality isn’t affected in the aftermath of environmental damage or disasters.

For these reasons and more, it is very important that you contact a service that is specialized in either home or commercial business cleanup and restoration. There are a few businesses that are able to do both, but even so, make sure to ask the right questions to ensure that the company is equipped to do the job at hand.

Mold, unlike other environmental forces that can affect your property, lurks quietly and slowly in the corners of rooms and offices in your place of business. It often goes unnoticed at first, only to make itself known when corners are completely covered in green and black splotches, or when an inspector calls it to your attention. 

Even though it is unsightly, the ugliness of mold is usually the least of your problems. Some types of mold, unfortunately, can be a health hazard for people working in and circulating through your business. 

Some types of mold are more severe than others, but, ultimately, it is the same environment that helps mold thrive that can also pose a health danger for you employees and customers. Ultimately, mold is considered to negatively impact air quality and thus contribute to indoor air pollution. 

The CDC and the Institute of Medicine state that indoor exposure to mold is linked to:

• upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people
• with asthma symptoms in people with asthma
• development of asthma, especially in young children
• hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition
• respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children

For all of these reasons, it is important to have professionals remove mold immediately after it is detected, and then it is important to adopt measures to prevent the resurgence of mold in the same space and in new spaces. 

Armor Environmental Solutions is fully equipped to help remove mold in your business and provide you with the know-how for controlling mold in commercial settings. There are also measures you can take to prevent the development of mold and moisture damage due to mold, including improving ventilation and controlling sources of indoor moisture. 

The air quality of schools is of utmost importance to the wellbeing of students and school staff. One of the most common risks to the air quality of schools is mold growth. Mold growth and humidity can cause asthma attacks and allergies, on the most basic levels, but it can also permanently damage respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

Mold in environments can contribute to asthma attacks and allergies, and schools have a responsibility to mitigate these issues.

Early detection of mold growth risk and of signs of mold early on can help the school save hundreds of thousands of dollars. While, with a limited budget, it can be difficult to cover the costs related to mold and humidity mitigation, acting early can not only save money for the school, but it also helps to promote optimal school environments for students and staff wellbeing.

Layups are actions that schools can take to help mitigate serious hazards.

Schools can implement layups during the summer to prevent mold growth in schools for the rest of the year. Some of the most effective summer layups include:

1. Humidity control: The EPA recommends maintaining relative humidity between 30-50% or 60% maximum. Ventilation, temperature control, and combines help to maintain proper humidity and prevent mold growth.
2. HVAC maintenance: An HVAC is a system that is used to move air between indoor and outdoor spaces. The summer months are a good time to program HVAC maintenance, remove mold, humidity, dust, and dirt from the systems, as well as anything that may be blocking vents.

Monitor humidity-generating projects: Steaming, carpet cleaning, floor waxing, and deep cleaning are important for school maintenance, but they can generate additional moisture. During the summer, it is important to monitor the impact of these projects, but also review policies and procedures that will help reduce lingering humidity and prevent mold growth.

Like most structural-related issues, leaving them be can result in the slow deterioration of infrastructure, leading to an unexpected disaster. The early detection of water damage risk and subsequent mitigation can result in saving your business thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in damage cleanup and repair.

Below are three water problems property and building owners cannot afford to ignore.

• A Clogged Toilet

This seemingly simple plumbing issue might seem harmless, though unpleasant. However, it is important to determine the reason for the toilet back up. In settings where the bathrooms are public, a backup may be caused by a foreign object (likely one that was flushed down by a user) blocking water flow. If not repaired, it may result in broken or leaky pipes that effect, not only the one toilet but the whole water circulation system.

• A Leaky Pipe

Leaky pipes may begin small, but as they gradually develop, they will become a water damage risk. Some of the damage a leaky pipe can cause are water stains, mold and mildew, and a change in the texture of walls and ceiling.

• A Broken Pipe

While emergency fixes are important to have on hand, they do not equate to repairs. If you react quickly, you can reduce your water damage risk and likely save significant money. Talk to your plumber about repairing pipes rather than replacing them.

When it comes to assessing your business’ water damage risk and reacting to water damage-related emergencies, you may want to consider calling a professional. Professional assistance can help you determine the best steps to take after detecting the three issues above to decide on the best course of action.

When it comes to natural disasters and heavy weather, property managers are responsible for several elements related to the wellbeing of their tenants. Legally, property managers are required to help their tenants stay safe during and after catastrophes. At the same time, they have to deal with the repercussions and next steps for responding to weather-related damage on their property.

Property managers have a key role in helping their tenants stay safe by determining if the property can be lived in (if it is a home) or if the business can continue to function. After weather-related damage, if it is not safe for tenants to remain on the premises, they must implement a recovery and cleanup plan to help them return to normal.

Here are some things to consider regarding the role of property managers in the prevention and aftermath of weather-related damage.

1. Assess the risk of the property: Determine how vulnerable the area where the property is located is to different natural disasters that could result in weather-related damage
2. Plan ahead: In addition to considering purchasing insurance, design a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
3. Assist in recovery: Help to ensure the safety of your tenants before assessing weather-related damage to the property. Be aware of local protocols and procedures after a natural disaster.
4. Implement a communication plan: Include back-up forms of communication with tenants, insurance companies, and emergency response professionals.

Natural disasters can result in weather-related damage that put tenants’ safety at risk and can affect your ability to recover the property as swiftly as possible. Being aware of the role of a property manager in the case of a weather-related disaster and preparing to act can help keep tenants safe and help the property regain full function.