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In most cases, yes. Be sure to thoroughly check your insurance policy and read through the section that refers to fire and smoke damage. Know your policy limits and deductible amount.

Step 1. Obtain permission to enter and assess the damage. After the firefighters make sure an active fire is no longer a threat to your home, ask them for permission to enter the home. They may establish a safety zone, but make sure you have clearance to enter all rooms before going in. Remember, the absolute top priority following a fire is your family’s safety. Once that’s been accounted for, you can inspect the damage. Do your best to stay calm and take photos of items you will need to replace using insurance. Now is also a good time to seek out and salvage important documents like birth certificates or social security cards.

Step 2. Make the important necessary phone calls. First, you’ll want to contact family and friends who may be concerned about your safety. Let them know you are safe and unharmed. Next, contact your insurance agent, who will be able to talk you through emergency lodging and living expenses. You may also request a fire damage restoration company at this time like ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services to come in and begin contents and structure cleaning. Your last call should be to your landlord, if applicable.

Step 3. Secure the property. It is likely that your home will be uninhabitable, at least for the night. If you are staying elsewhere and the fire compromised the security of your home, you’ll want to make sure you utilize a board-up service to prevent possible looting. ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services is available to assist with this type of service.

Step 4. Focus on water damage, if necessary. If water hoses were used to extinguish the fire, you’ll want the water damage restoration professionals at ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services to do a water cleanup. Water can lead to mold damage if not dried properly. Our company is an approved restoration contractor for many major insurance carriers and adheres to the highest standards in the restoration industry.

Step 5. Mind your family’s emotional health. House fires can cause intense mental health lapses. Children and adults alike might feel a traumatic sense of loss and disorientation and might benefit from counseling. Family members should take care to treat each other with patience, respect and compassion. Make sure that you choose an IICRC certified cleaning and restoration company like ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services.

Fire and smoke damage can have devastating effects on your property's structure and the contents within. ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services strives to clean and restore your home’s structure and contents to get you back to pre-loss conditions fast.

Sometimes content can not be restored. Some belongings may not be salvageable. It may therefore be necessary to claim it as a loss with your insurance company in order to receive a reimbursement or replacement of the item. After filing a claim with your insurance company, it is a good idea to create an inventory of items and take lots of photographs.

Depending on the severity of the smoke or fire damage, it can range from 5-7days on a small to moderate fire, or as long as three weeks on a more complex fire.

You should understand and be familiar with your insurance policy limits and coverage before calling a restoration company.

Often, you will be responsible for the insurance deductible amount on your policy upfront. The claim amount will be typically paid out upon completion of the fire restoration process.

Most property insurance covers 100 percent of your fire damage cost, but you’re responsible for paying a set deductible. Your agent or adjuster is your best resource for coverage information, and our staff at ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services can help you navigate the process.

Your agent or adjuster is your best resource for coverage information, and our staff at ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services can help you navigate the process.

The general answer is it depends on the type of claim and where you live in the U.S. Generally, you should save your insurance claims for those potentially catastrophic events that are beyond your control, like a fire and smoke damage. Use your insurance for the big things and take a higher deductible, even if it’s not a giant premium credit, because it is not always a good idea to submit claims for less than $1,000, $2,000, $3,000. If you can afford to increase your deductible, that may not only save you money, but will also keep you from making numerous small claims in the first place.

Most business property insurance covers 100% of damage caused by fire or fire suppression materials. Business insurance property policies pay losses based on the actual cash value (ACV) of the damaged property. The actual cash value is typically calculated by subtracting a property's accumulated depreciation from its replacement cost. When considering insurance, it’s important to know if you have the right amount of coverage, and if so, what the limits of your policy are. Don’t assume you’re adequately covered for a fire. You should understand your policy before you're exposed to a fire damage event.

Step 1. When experiencing a commercial fire and smoke damage, you will want to contact your insurance company as soon as possible to notify them of the loss and file a claim. You will be assigned a claims adjuster and be informed of your policy limits, what is covered, what is excluded, your deductible and any other information that might be needed.

Step 2. Depending upon the type of policy you have, you may have to submit specific information to your insurance company.

Step 3. Insurance payment processes will differ depending on the type of loss you have. For a small loss, your insurer may simply write you a check. For a larger loss, your insurer may advance some of the costs needed to rebuild or repair your business throughout the process. It's important to ask your claims adjuster how the payment process will occur in your situation, and more importantly, to get that in writing.

ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services provides professional pack-out services for equipment, documents, furniture, electronics, and art. We can move your content to our warehouse facility where your contents will undergo an evaluation, cleaning, cataloging, and packaging in preparation for your contents return. We can also move your smoke-damaged goods to a storage area in your facility to undergo cleaning. Once the affected property is fully restored, ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services will return the items.

ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services provides restoration services for inventory and work equipment after fire and smoke damage.

ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services’ main goal is to get your commercial property up-and-running as soon as possible. We aim to minimize business interruption. In many cases, a business can continue running in some capacity while we do our commercial fire damage restoration work. The time period for the cleanup and restoration will depend on the severity of the fire and smoke damage.

Yes, we can work around your employees and customers and schedule service to stabilize the site before your employees and customers arrive, or we can stagger the water damage restoration work accordingly.

You should understand and be familiar with your insurance policy limits and coverage before calling a restoration company.

Often, you will be responsible for the insurance deductible amount on your policy upfront. The claim amount will be typically paid out upon completion of the fire restoration process.

Most property insurance covers 100 percent of your fire damage cost, but you’re responsible for paying a set deductible. Your agent or adjuster is your best resource for coverage information, and our staff at ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services can help you navigate the process.

Your agent or adjuster is your best resource for coverage information, and our staff at ServiceMaster Fire & Water Damage Cleanup Services can help you navigate the process.

The general answer is it depends on the type of claim and where you live in the U.S. Generally, you should save your insurance claims for those potentially catastrophic events that are beyond your control, like a fire and smoke damage. Use your insurance for the big things and take a higher deductible, even if it’s not a giant premium credit, because it is not always a good idea to submit claims for less than $1,000, $2,000, $3,000. If you can afford to increase your deductible, that may not only save you money, but will also keep you from making numerous small claims in the first place.