Fires can be one of the most devastating things to happen to a family. When a person’s house catches on fire, most of their valuables and belongings will be lost. Other disasters give some families hope that they will recover their most precious belongings, but during a fire, most hopes are dashed if the whole house has been engulfed in flames. Having house insurance can help alleviate some of the losses during a fire, but it cannot replace personal items, such as family photo albums, letters, birthday cards, or most computer hardware that had important information it. Some hard drives can be saved if they did not melt during the fire. Home insurance will usually recover items, such as furniture, kitchen appliances, and computers. When a home is on fire, people should not try to get back into the home to grab valuable items. The first step is to call 9-1-1 so that fire fighters can put out the fire as quickly as possible. Instructions should be adhered to from the 9-1-1 operator and the fire fighters. People should give as much information as they can to the fire fighters about how the fire may have started. All injuries should be reported to the firefighters and the 9-1-1 operator as well.
Things to do to help recover from a fire is to wait for the fire to be completely put out, and given the okay by the fire fighters to return to the home. Families will need to try to salvage as much items as possible. Any items that are removed from the home will need to be filled out on a form, so that the firefighters will know what has been taken. Keeping a list of all the items that were in the home, and which items were damaged will be important for insurance purposes. Any items such as computers, furniture, or appliances must be left in the home because they may have been the culprit that started the fire. They will need to be looked at individually by the firefighters in order to be ruled out. Any jewelry, important documents, and clothing can be taken out of the home once the fire department gives the go ahead. The Red Cross will need to be contacted, so that the family can find food and shelter as soon as possible.
Moving cars that have been damaged in a fire is not recommended until given the go ahead by the fire department. A person should also make sure to take down all of the contact information from at least one of the fire fighters, so that they can get keep in touch with them about the investigation. Contact information will include the fire fighters name, title, phone number, and email. If a person forgets to write down the contact information, they can find the non-emergency fire department number in the yellow pages. The insurance company should be notified about the fire before meeting with the fire marshal. When the home is about to receive a walk through from the fire department, a person should make note of the date, time, name of the fire fighter, and phone number. If people are renting a home or an apartment that has caught on fire, they will need to ensure that the walk through is completed before giving the home back over to the landlord.
Once the cause of the fire has been determined, the home owners should talk to the fire marshal, and take notes, as well as collecting the meeting time, date, location of meeting, fire marshal’s name, title, and phone number. All of this information will be needed for insurance purposes, as well as the home owners to keep in touch with the fire department. There will be a lot of things going on at one time, so it will be easy for a person to forget many things when they are already dealing with shock. Staying calm is the most important thing, so that they can get all of the details ironed out at a later date. Families will need to contact other family members to let them know of the situation, as well as finding out if they have a place to stay until they get back on their feet. Children will also be emotionally distressed during this time, and will need a lot of tender loving care. Talking to them about the situation will help them to feel involved.
The American Cross, Local Humane Society, Churches, Civil Organizations, Department of Social Services and the Salvation Army will have many methods to help a family that has been put out by a fire. Clothing, pots, pans, plates, cups, and glasses will be given to families who are in need, as well as many other services. Contacting the post office, utility companies, employers, and schools is also important so that they can be informed of the fire. The post office will stop delivering mail, and the utility companies will turn off the utilities. Many hotels and shelters work in tandem with the red cross to give misplaced families rooms to stay in for a few days while they try to iron out the details of the fire, and what their next step will be.