Experiencing a fire disaster changes people's lives in many ways. You may be faced with traumas, decisions, laws, limitations, and procedures. Knowing the best way to respond to a crisis such as this can relieve a lot of the stress and help to expedite the process of recovering from a home fire. Figuring out what to do after a fire can be an overwhelming undertaking. There are insurance considerations, finance considerations, and support consideration for you and your family after a fire. You will also need to figure out what your responsibilities are after a fire and what you need to do to protect yourself, your family, and your property. 

In this article, we will discuss the steps one typically takes to recovering and repairing life and home, after a fire. We will also discuss what to expect after a fire occurs in your house and how you can create a damage inventory. We will also discuss how to help your pets safely escape a house fire and what to do in case your vehicle is destroyed.

A.  What to Expect

As with the people involved in fire disasters receive damage, so do you and your house. The amount of damage depends on the intensity of the fire, amount of time it was burning and many others factors. Expect to have heat, smoke, and water damage due to the use of water and other flame-retardants, when the fire department puts the fire out. Anything you want to salvage you will need to clean your belongings and more than likely some damage will occur.

Depending on the behavior of the fire, the firefighters may have had to cut holes in the walls of your house to get to the fire, break windows, or cut holes in roofs for ventilation. If you have a sprinkler system, it more than likely, that you can minimize the amount of heat and flame damage. Water damage is easier to recover from; however, it can still be expensive.

When salvaging items from a house fire, be careful because although the fire is out, there are still toxic chemicals left behind in the soot and water. It is best to ask for assistance from your local fire department for safe handling and removal of salvageable items. They will also help you decide whether the house is damaged beyond repair or restorable.

B.  Help Your Pets

If you are a pet owner and they were involved in the house fire, make sure to comfort them and assure them that things are ok. Some pets in circumstances like these bite or lash out where they otherwise would not. So, although you know your pet best, be careful. Do not take your pet back to the house until the house is repaired and you have moved in. If you take them back to the site where toxic remains exist, not only will they be exposed to toxic chemicals and contaminated water, but they may also become anxious and uncomfortable putting more stress than necessary on your pet.

C.  Contact Your Insurance Agent

After a fire, it should be top priority to contact your insurance agent. The following is a list of other things your insurance agent can assist you with after a fire occurs:

• Help you to secure your home appropriately

• Inform you of the laws

• Estimate damage and repair costs

• Repair damage

• Advise hiring contractors

• Plan storage of possessions

• Contact American Red Cross and religious organizations for help with crisis management

In the case that arson is suspected, the fire officials will suggest when to go back to the location and the rules for doing so.

D.  Create a Damage Inventory

It will help if you make a list of everything damaged or destroyed in the fire. The more detail, the better your agent will be able to help with your insurance claim. Make sure to include what you paid for everything, the dates you bought them on, and if possible, receipts. Your agent will also help you find resources to make sure the house remains untouched and at least sealed from the elements directly after the fire. Things like boarding up windows and doors, and pumping out water are some common things required after a fire. Boarding windows and doors can deter vagrants and vandals or thieves. Whatever you do, do not throw away anything until your claim has reached a settlement.

E.   Mortgage and Rent Payments

After the fire, make sure that you keep up with your rent or mortgage payment unless you have already worked something out with the property owner or Mortgage Company.

F.  Finances and Money

If you have a mortgage, make sure to contact your mortgage lender or your property owner if you are renting or buying otherwise. You will need to report any credit cards that were lost as missing and renew them.

G.  Support for You and Your Family

A service that Red Cross provides is called the Fire and Emergency Support Service (FESS). They will show up on site within ninety minutes in a mobile, custom adapted vehicle. The purpose of this effort is to provide practical and emotional support for everyone involved in the house fire.

The FESS Support Program includes the following: 

• First aid

• Immediate temporary shelter

• Hot meals and hydration

• Clothing, blankets and toiletries

• Advice and emotional support

• Phones and cameras available for communication and insurance purposes

• Male and female hygiene packs

• Baby accommodations and resources

• Pet accommodations

• Crisis Loan information

H.  What You Need to Do in the Hours Following the Fire

As soon as the fire is out and the firefighters have examined the structure for defects and informed you of the condition of the house, you will need to decide what to do from that point. If the structure is inhabitable, the fire officials will more than likely to condemn the house and close it to the public quickly. The Fire Marshal or code enforcement will let you know when it is safe to re-enter your home. You will want to set up temporary housing for your family and your pets. In addition, it is a good idea to contact your local Social Security Office for options on short-term financial help. 

I.   Your Responsibility for the Security of Your Property

The first thing to do after a fire aside from emotional and injury first aid, is to protect yourself from additional losses and claims. If you are a tenant, you need to notify your property owner of the fire ASAP.

When police are still on scene, make sure to close the property and remove as much of your valuables as possible and make sure to inform the police if you will be leaving the property unattended. Many times, local thieves will target homes and businesses that have recently had a fire or other disaster. If you become homeless by fire there are resources available to aid in you recovery process through the Red Cross as discussed earlier in this lesson.

I.  Utilities

Do not try to turn your utilities back on by yourself. Your utility company or Code Services will be more appropriate for making the decision as to when and how the utilities are turned back on. If it is winter, when the house fire occurs, make sure to have your pipes wrapped and the pipes drained.

J.  Protecting Your Property from Further Damage

The first forty-eight hours are the most critical hours after a home fire occurs. Most policies state that you must provide and prove "reasonable care" to protect your remaining property after the fire, for your policy to remain in effect. Some common steps to take during this time are as follows:

• Remove all valuables from the home

• Contact utility companies to turn the utilities off

• Close and repair the place to deter vagrants and thieves (We suggest you have a professional boarding company do it for you)

• Inform the local police

• Contact your insurance agent

• If possible, put a temporary fence around the property and The Red Cross can assist you in finding resources to make that happen

Make sure to contact your insurance agent immediately and write a notice of the fire loss. For you to have a solid claim of losses there are some things that you need to make sure to do to make sure that you have a solid claim. A few of them are as follows:

• Be sure to submit a formal statement of loss to your insurance agent within sixty days or less. The quicker, the better as the claims process is time consuming. Your agent may suggest sooner.

• As previously discussed, make a written and photographed damage inventory of damaged property. This should include personal and rented or leased items clearly showing everything on the inventory and the damage incurred.

• Make sure your photos correspond exactly with the written record, and that the photos show everything clearly.

• Make a list of anyone who has an interest in the property as soon as possible.

• If you have them available, you should include any building plans for the original home and a detailed estimate for repairs.

• Save your receipts for additional living expenses while you are recovering from the loss. 

A.  Insurance for the Mobile Home Owner

Mobile home insurance coverage is a package policy that is similar to other package policies and covers fire loss to your house, the contents within the house, and all detached structures. These types of package policies typically provide a set daily amount for additional expenses, as opposed to a percentage of the structural coverage. The amount received for damage to the home is limited and based on the cash value of the home at the time of loss.

B.  In Case of Personal Injury

If there has been a fire and you or someone else was injured beyond basic first aid, make sure to contact your employer's HR department or your insurance agent ASAP. Make sure to document and photograph all injuries at the time they occurred. Some packaged coverage policies limit medical coverage for people injured on your property so your coverage may not cover all medical expenses. If someone is injured after the fire and proper coverage is not in place, you could be liable. For example, after the fire an intruder breaks in to your home and injures themselves on your property, they can sue you for their injury unless your coverage package specifies otherwise. Some states have benefits to supplement private insurance coverage.

C.  Destruction of Vehicles

If your vehicle is damaged or totaled in a fire, your auto insurance company should cover the replacement costs if you have properly inventoried your belongings and kept receipts. Liability insurance will not cover the purchase of a new vehicle. Other types of vehicles that do not require tagging such as a riding mower, ATV's, small tractors, go-carts, bikes, dirt bikes, etc., can be covered by your homeowner or renter's policy.