CLAIMS FIRE MITIGATION r1.7.pptx
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CLAIMS FIRE MITIGATION r1.7.pptx
- 2. Fire Mitigation is the implementation of various measures designed to minimize the destructive effects a fire has on the insured’s property. 2
- 3. I am Kendall Martinez I am the Director of Emergency Services and CAT You can find me at kmartinez@rrtfl.com 3
- 4. By the end of this training, you will be able to understand the… ⩥ fire mitigation process; including, ⩥ its impact on and relationship with contents 4
- 5. ⩥ Metals ⩥ Plastics ⩥ Ceramics ⩥ Porcelain ⩥ Carpeting ⩥ Textiles 5
- 6. “ The mitigation process is like first aid, and we are trying keep things from getting worse. We keep the home from bleeding until we can get to surgery. 6
- 7. ⩥ Mitigation is the act of reducing the severity of a loss caused by a fire. ⩥ Restoration is when experts rebuild or repair the home, bringing it back to pre-loss condition. 7
- 8. 8
- 9. 9
- 10. Fire Mitigation Secure Property Pre- Assessment Documentation Pre-Clean Secure the property to protected from bodily injury Minimize the chance of vandalism during the rebuilding process Evaluate the extent of the damage to the structure and personal belongings Determine immediately what needs to be discarded, cleaned, and repaire Documenting the damage is the most important step Pictures and video of the damage will be taken as quickly as possible Every fire-damaged house needs specialized cleanup Cleanup focuses on specific damages caused by fire, water, and smoke Communication Provide clear, transparent communication Communication in the claims process prevents claims disputes
- 11. Let’s make sure the home is safe
- 12. 12
- 13. ⩥ Board up windows and doors ⩥ Apply tarps over the roof ⩥ Shut off all gas and electricity ⩥ Lock and secure the property ⩥ Determine unsafe areas 13
- 14. Let’s get an idea of what happened and what’s damaged
- 15. Initial Observations ⩥ Determine the extent of the fire ⩥ Start assessing the contents ⩥ Determine the type of cleaners we will use ⩥ Create a video inspection of the property ⩥ Assess what needs to be mitigated 15 One mistake homeowners make is that they often start to clean up the disaster thinking that they are helping the situation.
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- 17. Let’s walk around the home, taking notes and pictures
- 18. 18
- 19. ⩥ Room by room visual documentation ⩥ Conversations with stakeholders ⩥ Document smoke, soot, and water damage ⩥ Document structural damage ⩥ Document personal belongings ⩥ List of items destroyed, lost, or need repair 19
- 20. Let’s stabilize the affected contents
- 21. Removing Soot Soot is a very fine, black powder substance which binds to walls, metal, porcelain, and fabric. Homeowners should not touch affected items until the soot can be removed. Removing Smoke Odors Smoke odor will embed into fabrics if not properly removed, such as, clothing, draperies, comforters, and carpets, Cleaning All of the restorable contents in affected areas will be professionally cleaned and deodorized. 21
- 22. ⩥ Contents need to be professionally cleaned. ⩥ Contract with companies that specializes in cleaning “Textiles.” ⩥ They clean it, deodorize it, and then they bring it back once the property is ready to be moved back in. 22
- 24. Let’s make the homeowner feel they can trust us
- 25. 25
- 26. 26 ⩥ Best way to prevent claims disputes ⩥ Ensure the homeowner is satisfied ⩥ Painting-a-picture of the damage ⩥ Important for approvals
- 27. 27
- 29. You now understand the… ⩥ fire mitigation process; as well as, ⩥ its impact on and relationship with contents 29
Notes de l'éditeur
- Speaker Notes When a home is affected by a fire, it's important the we respond quickly. Once the fire has been put out, it's important for our experts to assess the damage that has occurred as soon as possible so that there is no further damage. A quick assessment will give us an idea about what the restoration process might look like, what damage has occurred, and an approximate timeline of how long restoration might take to complete. Receiving this information quickly can help prepare us and the homeowner for the restoration process ahead. Starting mitigation efforts in a timely manner is extremely helpful to the restoration process.
- Speaker Notes Not only does the insured experience fire, smoke, and soot damage, their property will most likely also suffer from water damage due to firefighting efforts. Fire Mitigation is the implementation of various measures designed to minimize the destructive effects a fire has on the insured’s property. This is an important element for People’s Trust Insurance in order to avoid unnecessary losses. Mitigation doesn’t require extraordinary measures on our part—just some necessary and logical actions to stop “secondary” damages after an event. Fire mitigation paves the way for restoration. Mitigation stops the disaster's damage and paves the way for the cleanup efforts. Restoration returns your property to normal. Both are required so the claim can move forward
- Just as a short introduction of myself I am Kendall Martinez I am the Director of Emergency Services and CAT. Today’s training is an overview of the mitigation process but if you ever need a detailed question answered you can find me at my email address, which is kmartinez@rrtfl.com
- Speaker Notes By the end of this training, you will be able to understand the… fire mitigation process; as well as its impact on, and its relationship with property contents Since this training is for Adjusters, my focus will be on your understanding of the process from beginning to end. That is, I will focus on the reason why we need to address the affected areas as soon a possible.
- Speaker Notes Depending on the type of fire that we are dealing with, there is always an impact on the materials and contents of the house. The smoke and soot leaves behind health risks caused by PVC, partial oxidation or wood smoke that can cause cancer or infections. Soot is the primary carbon byproduct of burned materials and has a chemical composition that can corrode metals and harm other materials. That’s why quick action is necessary to minimize property damage after a fire There are certain materials that need to cleaned right away like plastics, ceramics, grout, porcelain, carpeting, and textiles. because they tend to discolor and corrode because of the soot that lies on top of them. This is why its important to get out there as soon as possible…to prevent and mitigate the replacement costs associated with corrasion and discoloration of
- Speaker Notes The way that I like to explain it to the homeowners, “the mitigation process (as emergency service) is like first aid, and we are trying keep things from getting worse. We keep the home from bleeding until we can get to surgery. The surgery is the restoration process. That's the way that I like to explain it to homeowners, and they begin to understand. “Oh, OK, so you're not cutting my drywall today and then replacing it tomorrow.” No, we're removing the drywall because he has contaminants that need to be removed today. Or we're setting up these air movers, or dehumidifiers, or air scrubbers because they're going to keep things from getting worse.
- Speaker Notes Mitigation and restoration are standard terms. There might not seem much difference between the two but knowing our process can save the desk adjuster from some headaches down the road. Mitigation is the act of reducing the severity of a loss caused by a fire. When a disaster strikes at policyholder’s home, fire mitigation is about taking steps to ensure the event doesn’t cause further damage. Restoration is about rebuilding or repairing the home, bring it back to pre-loss condition. This step occurs after fire mitigation and is critical in providing complete disaster relief.
- Speaker Notes Fire damage is the result of a fire on the homeowner’s property. Fires start in several ways, from electrical shortages, protein fires, to untended flames, but any fire extensive enough for the involvement of firefighters poses a risk to the home’s underlying structure. Therefore, mitigation for fire damage include boarding up windows, applying tarps over exposed areas of the roof, removing water, and reinforcing the structure, and cleaning corrosive soot and smoke damage are necessary steps in the mitigation process. Restoration of fire damage are the steps that are to make the property inhabitable once more. These steps include rebuilding damaged structures and cleaning smoke damage from effect areas of the home. Mitigation stops the disaster’s damage and paves the way for the cleanup efforts. Restoration returns your property to pre-loss condition.
- Fire Mitigation is the implementation of various measures designed to minimize the destructive effects a fire has on the insured’s property. A. True B. False 2. At anytime, soot can be easily wiped away and does not corrode metals or harm other materials. A. True B. False 3. Mitigation is about rebuilding or repairing the home, while Restoration is the act of reducing the severity of a loss caused by a fire. is the act of reducing the severity of a loss caused by a fire. A. Yes B. No C. Maybe
- Speaker Notes Every fire is a little different and requires a unique solution. If the fire department is called, typically, we need to wait till after the area gets released by the Fire Department and authorities. Since they need to do their own investigation. This doesn’t prevent us from securing, assessing, documenting, and pre-cleaning other areas. Additionally, these processes can be occurring at the same time, where we are communicating with the desk adjuster, resident field adjuster, and the RRT Project Manager at the same time and discussing the pre-assessment, documentation, and what is going to be mitigated and pre-cleaned. But the general process stays the same. The process shown on the slide illustrates our process for a “typical” fire mitigation. Property Security – We need to make sure the property is secured so that mitigation specialists, inspectors, contractors, or even trespassers are protected from bodily injury. By securing the home, we minimize the chance of vandalism during the rebuilding process. Fire Damage Assessment – For fire mitigation, determining what immediately needs to be discarded, cleaned, and repaired. Document Damages – The extent of damage is evaluated by visual inspection. Documenting the damage for a claim is the most important step in the restoration process. An inspector will take pictures and video of the damage as quickly as possible after the event, so as to document the damage. Mitigate & Pre-Clean - Every fire-damaged house needs specialized cleanup that focuses on specific damages caused by fire, water, and smoke. This means cleaning dishes, sodablast all surfaces, and clean all soot and ash. RRT addresses these problems as well as the restoration of the home. Provide Continuous Communication – Providing clear, transparent communication between all parties involved in the claims process is best way to prevent claims disputes. In the case of a fire claim, those parties typically include the insured (policy holder); the claims desk adjuster; resident field adjuster, the cause and origin specials, and the restoration contractor.
- Speaker Notes The mitigation process begins when the insured call First Notice of Loss. It’s important to set the claims process in motion as soon as possible. FNOL representatives will ask questions regarding the fire damage event that will help us respond immediately with the appropriate equipment and resources. Are there any broken windows? Was the roof compromised? So, the team will bring plywood, 2x4s, tarps, anything to secure the property. What kind of fire occurred – electrical, protein, unattended burning object, or chemical? Where is the majority of the damage located? Is the home exposed to the elements (broken windows, holes in the roof, etc)?
- Speaker Notes After the fire trucks leave, the home likely suffers from fire and smoke damage and extensive water damage from firefighting efforts. Its important to know if there is any electricity in the house? Because that is going to determine what types of equipment we are going to bring. Do we need to bring generators or fans? The Rapid Response Team is usually the first responders following significant damage to a home from a fire. Our job is to make sure the home is safe, and to preserve and protect the home and its contents so that further damage will not occur. Depending on the severity of the fire, is the home inhabitable? This will determine if we need to focus on conditions where the homeowners will be staying in the house or whether we will focus on securing the home until we can begin removing affected materials. After the fire department eliminates any fire-related hazards, RRT will take steps to protect and secure the property and personal belongings from further damage.
- Before we can get started on fire mitigation, we must make sure the home is safe. Securing the property is important. RRT will board up doors and windows. Boarding up the windows and doors of the home will keep vandals out. Apply tarps over exposed areas of the roof, remove water used to douse the flames, reinforce the structure, Shut off all gas and electricity at the source (if the home is unlivable). Even a spark may ignite leaking gas, causing the fire to re-ignite, and Lock and secure the property to prevent looting and vandalism. To prevent vandalism, we may install a temporary chain-link fence around the property. Keep in mind that alarms may malfunction if the electricity or telephone service has been interrupted. We will determine what areas may be safely traversed, avoiding flooring or walls that show signs of weakness or instability.
- Specker Notes After taking steps to protect and secure the property and the homeowner’s personal belonging, the next important step is for the RRT team member to pre-assess the damage. Understanding the extent of the damage caused to the structure and personal belongings will help the Rapid Response Team to assess the damage for an accurate mitigation. They will determine what immediately needs to be discarded, what immediately needs to be cleaned, and what immediately needs to be repaired. This step is crucial to developing a plan of action. Remember the goal of the Fire Mitigation process is to make sure the home is safe, and to preserve and protect the home and its contents so that further damage will not occur
- Specker Notes When pre-assessing the damage, we just want to get a general idea of what happened and what has been damaged. The RRT team will do a more thorough assessment of damages later. However, some initial observations are needed to help communicate what happened to the desk adjuster and RRT. There is a careful inspection of adjoining rooms on the property to determine the extent of the fire, smoke, and soot damage. For instance. we will use a dry sponge aka a chem sponge and, start from the farthest part of house and start wiping the walls and flat surfaces to see if we can identify any soot. Next, we need to start assessing the contents. Do they have leather coaches? Or any type of materials that need to be addressed as soon as possible. Also depending on what type of fire occurred - such as a plastics fire or a grease fire – will determine the type of cleaners we will use. A quick assessment will help us understand what we are dealing with and better communicate it to RRT in the next step. When assessing the damage, there is a video inspection of the property’ on the call is the ESPM, Resident Inspector, and Desk Adjuster. The video is helpful in understanding the extent of what needs to be mitigated before the remodeling can even start. [CLICK] When assessing the damage. One mistake homeowners make is that they often start to clean up the disaster – for example, they may vacuum up the pooling water, thinking that they are helping the situation. However, the People’s Trust needs detailed and documented proof of the disaster itself, so cleaning up without documenting the proper evidence can hurt the claim (or even get it denied).
- 4. When securing a property, we may install a temporary chain-link fence around the property to prevent vandalism. A. True B. False 5. Homeowners commonly make this mistake, thinking they are helping the situation. A. Staying in the unsafe home B. Clean up the disaster C. Make a list of destroyed property D. Attending to frightened pets 6. While assessing a loss, the Emergency Services Project Manager usually does not. A. call the insured during the inspection of the property. B. anticipate what types of equipment will be needed. C. assess the severity and extent of the fire. D. take pictures and jot down information.
- While the Emergency Services Project Manager is doing an assessment, they are taking notes and taking photos. They walk around the home and property to observe and gather information. Utilizing technology is important, nowadays we are able to use Microsoft Teams, so that the Desk Adjuster and RRT can see what is going on, trying to paint a picture so that when we do talk to the Desk Adjuster, we can give them a full overview of what we are dealing with. The Emergency Services Project Manager is the first one inside, the first one the customer sees, and the first line of communication. So it is very, very important during a fire, especially the severe fires, that the homeowner feels they can trust us.
- Speaker Notes While the Emergency Services Project Manager is doing an assessment, they are walking around the dwelling, they are taking notes, anticipating what types of equipment will be needed, assessing the severity and extent of the fire, taking pictures and jotting down information. They make sure the visual record shows the scope of the disaster. Its important to work fast to get photographs and video before anyone starts to work on the property. A phone conversation with all the stakeholders is important and should be encouraged when dealing with fires, for sure. Once people start coming onto the property it becomes a different scenario.
- Speaker Notes The biggest damage is usually is caused by water and smoke. It should be assumed water has reached almost everywhere and has the potential for growing mold. However, we can mitigate some of the mold potential by documenting the water damage early after the fire and removing as much moisture as possible. What the water doesn’t damage, the heat and smoke will. It’s amazing how far toxic smoke can penetrate the dwelling. Therefore, its important to document the extent of smoke and soot damage in the home. We need to document any structural damage to the roof, exterior walls, front lawn and backyard, interior, the attic, rooms, and bathrooms. Once we are done with structural assessments, we move on and evaluate the damage done to belongings by prepare a list of damaged or lost items for repair or removal.
- Speaker Notes The thought of someone’s home being damaged or destroyed by fire is not a pleasant one. They spent years accumulating what they have, and in the event of a fire, it can all be gone in a matter of minutes. When fires do happen, even the minor ones, the level of damage left behind can still total in the thousands, not to mention the disruption of the homeowner’s life while the damage is being repaired and restored. Fire mitigation describes the immediate actions taken to stabilize the affected contents. The objective is to prevent further damage and, in situations with water, to prevent mold growth. Since each smoke and fire damage loss is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. When various materials burn, the soot and residue they create differs greatly and requires a specific cleaning procedure. Fire creates two types of smoke damage: visible soot and invisible odor. In many cases, dry cleaning is recommended to remove soot and smoke odors from clothing. However, dry cleaning may not solve all problems and may be hard to utilize for linens, curtains, etc. Before we can deodorize or clean fire-damaged materials, the soot must be removed. Soot is usually oily and can easily stain many materials, such as clothing, metals; such as doorknobs and hinges, and porcelain and ceramic.
- Mitigating future damages after a fire presents several challenges. The biggest challenge is to safely remove all soot and other chemicals created by fire and eliminating smoke odors. [CLICK] Removing Soot Before deodorizing carpets, curtains, upholstered furniture and clothing, we must remove soot. During a fire and minutes after the fire has been extinguished, soot and smoke spread incredibly quickly throughout the affected property. Soot is a very fine, black powder substance which binds to walls, metal, porcelain, and fabric. Homeowners should not touch affected items until we can remove the soot with heavy duty vacuums. If they insist on removing soot themselves, they should hold the nozzle slightly off the surface of an item. Never use vacuum cleaner attachments with brushes, the brushes will rub the soot into the item, causing more damage. [CLICK] Removing Smoke Odors Smoke odor will embed into fabrics, such as, clothing, draperies, comforters, and carpets. Smoke damage is a huge problem. It will cause discoloration of walls and it will imbed into all property contents, causing smoke odor to linger for long periods of time. The same problem can be caused if items are cleaned before they are deodorized. One of the deodorization methods that Fire Restoration First Responders will use is hydroxyl generators or ozone generators. [CLICK] Cleaning All of the restorable contents in affected areas will be professionally cleaned and deodorized. We clean, sanitize, and disinfect all of the restorable items and structures that were damaged by the fire. We use a variety of cleaning techniques to restore the homeowner’s belongings to pre-loss condition.
- Speaker Notes After the pre-clean process, the process focuses on the rest of mitigation - managing the contents of the home. In this step, we need to figure out what we are going to do with contents. Either they are going to be cleaned off-site or on-site. If the contents need to be professionally cleaned and taken off-site, typically another company that specializes in cleaning “Textiles,” or what we call “Soft goods” will be subcontracted to handle the cleaning of; say, Rugs, clothing, stuffed animals, shoes, handbags, leather, luggage, linens, towels, and draperies. A company like CRDN, which is a big textile restoration company, can be contracted to clean items from the property. They clean it, deodorize it, and then they bring it back once the property is ready to be moved back in. For some specialty contents, other companies are contacted by the adjuster to do an assessment on these items; such as, Televisions, computers, remote controls, appliances, lamps, paintings, photo albums, clocks toys frames and taxidermy.
- 7. Smoke damage will cause discoloration of walls and it will sink into all property contents, causing smoke odor to linger for long periods of time. A. True B. False
- Speaker Notes The first step in creating a fire claim usually involves the insured contacting First Notice of Loss or their insurance agent to make the damage claim. This can be a very traumatic time for the insured. They may rush through their description or leave out details that will determine how the desk adjuster responds to their situation. The insured needs to feel that they are important, and we are committed to solving their problem. So it is very, very important during a fire, especially the severe fires, that the homeowner feels they can trust us,
- Speaker Notes In an emergency mitigation situation, the RRT will project a high level of compassion to the insured and communicate professionally and respectfully what needs to be done to solve the most pressing issues and immediate problems. It is their home we are trying to salvage, and we don’t want to undermine the extent of the damage or downplay the urgency of the situation. That's huge. The homeowner trusting us, knowing that they are in good hands, that they know that there are knowledgeable people inside that care about them and about their house. Because even if we see 1000 fires, this is new to them, this is the first and hopefully their last fire that they're going to have at this property. Any couch or TV that you're moving or taking down is stuff that they bought with their money. And still probably paying off.
- Speaker Notes Providing continuous communication between all parties involved in the claims process is best way to prevent claims disputes and ensure the homeowner is satisfied. In the case of a fire claim, these parties typically include the insured (policy holder); the claims desk adjuster; resident field adjuster, quite possibly a cause and origin specialists, and the preferred contractor - RRT. Providing communication doesn’t mean anything if we don’t have any integrity – where we do what we say we will do. This is why it is important for RRT to provide a complete itemized estimate and accurate scope of work, using industry-approved estimating software such as Xactimate and processes. Communication is important when we first speak to the Desk Adjuster. Once we paint-a-picture of the damage and talk to them about what's going on, the desk adjuster is usually the one who decides how far we’re going to move forward. Communication is important for approvals. Regardless of the insurance company, things definitely need to get done even without approvals, such as documenting, responding, securing the property, even doing a pre cleaning. However, something might need to be done on the property within the next 24 hours or 72, which is not considered part of the Emergency Service. Such as removal of materials. But that communication and documentation is what's going to help the desk adjuster understand what's going on and give us the authorization to move forward. When we’re dealing with fire restoration after a fire, it is difficult to know just what might occur as the job progresses. Because we are working on damaged property, rather than building from scratch, there is often hidden damage that reveals itself during the course of performing repairs. This is another critical time when communication is key.
- Speaker Notes. Communication and documentation does not stop throughout entire project. Once the customer sees that the work has been done to their satisfaction, their concerns are put to rest and they can continue on with life as usual, or better.
- 8. Communication is important during fire mitigation because... A. It will help prevent claim disputes. B. helps provide a complete itemized estimate and accurate scope of work. C. is important for approvals. D. All of the above
- Speaker Notes We have reached the end of our (section of) training. Now you should understand the fire mitigation process; which is securing the home to protect against bodily injury and minimize vandalism; assess what immediately needs to be discarded, cleaned, or repaired; documenting the extent of the fire damage; pre-clean damaged surfaces; and prepare dwelling for restoration; and finally, provide continuous communication. All the while, implementing various measures that are designed to minimize the destructive effects a fire has on the insured’s property.