Fire, smoke and water. Who is responsible?
April 27, 2019
By Karen Schiffmiller
Fire, smoke and water.
Our client had a fire that caused damage to their kitchen cabinets, walls and ceiling. The fire department used a lot of water to extinguish the fire and when they left and cleared the house, there was water and soot everywhere. The electrical panel was also affected and there was no power to the home for over a week. Although the fire damage itself may have been isolated to one room, other areas of the home were affected by both water and soot. Because there was no power for over a week, there was a concern that mold would begin to grow and it did.
Does my insurance policy cover all the damage or is the fire department responsible?
The fire department is there to assist you and put out the fire as quickly as possible to avoid as much damage as possible. They are required to take all measures to do this and are not responsible for any damage to your home. Your insurance policy is always supposed to cover damages that are covered in your policy such as a fire loss. When there are additional damages that are a result of the actual cause of the damage, your insurance policy is supposed to cover this as well. We make sure that all the damage is documented and presented to the insurance company to ensure that you are properly covered for your claim. We are present at all inspections to make sure that the adjuster for the insurance company does not miss any damage.
We cannot live in our home. What do we do?
Our clients were displaced from their home and needed to find a place to live immediately. Their pets were being boarded which was another costly expense. With nowhere to turn, we alleviated their stress and assisted them by contacting a housing company that worked immediately to find them a place to live that would accommodate their needs.
We love to use our BBQ. Is it safe to grill outdoors?
It is usually safe to grill outdoors, but you should always take precautions to make sure your grill is not to close to your home and should not be directly under the eve of your roof. This will avoid a fire that can to the inside of your home and cause major damage. “A fire can spread very fast and double its size every 60 seconds and homeowners are encouraged to have an escape plan in the event of a fire or other emergency.”
Please read how to keep during a fire:
Our client had a fire that caused damage to their kitchen cabinets, walls and ceiling. The fire department used a lot of water to extinguish the fire and when they left and cleared the house, there was water and soot everywhere. The electrical panel was also affected and there was no power to the home for over a week. Although the fire damage itself may have been isolated to one room, other areas of the home were affected by both water and soot. Because there was no power for over a week, there was a concern that mold would begin to grow and it did.
Does my insurance policy cover all the damage or is the fire department responsible?
The fire department is there to assist you and put out the fire as quickly as possible to avoid as much damage as possible. They are required to take all measures to do this and are not responsible for any damage to your home. Your insurance policy is always supposed to cover damages that are covered in your policy such as a fire loss. When there are additional damages that are a result of the actual cause of the damage, your insurance policy is supposed to cover this as well. We make sure that all the damage is documented and presented to the insurance company to ensure that you are properly covered for your claim. We are present at all inspections to make sure that the adjuster for the insurance company does not miss any damage.
We cannot live in our home. What do we do?
Our clients were displaced from their home and needed to find a place to live immediately. Their pets were being boarded which was another costly expense. With nowhere to turn, we alleviated their stress and assisted them by contacting a housing company that worked immediately to find them a place to live that would accommodate their needs.
We love to use our BBQ. Is it safe to grill outdoors?
It is usually safe to grill outdoors, but you should always take precautions to make sure your grill is not to close to your home and should not be directly under the eve of your roof. This will avoid a fire that can to the inside of your home and cause major damage. “A fire can spread very fast and double its size every 60 seconds and homeowners are encouraged to have an escape plan in the event of a fire or other emergency.”
Please read how to keep during a fire:
- React as soon as you hear your smoke alarm go off
- Safely exit through doors
- Protect yourself from smoke inhalation
- Stop, drop and roll if your clothes catch fire
- Ward off the smoke if you can’t get out
- Call for help from a second story window
- Escape from a second story window if you can
- Get away from the structure
- Once you escape, do a head count
- Call 911
- Do an injury assessment
