What to Do After a Hospital Fire

While no business is entirely safe from fire damage, healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing clinics are especially vulnerable. Fires in healthcare operations risk harming patients and medical practitioners alike. A fire can damage sensitive equipment needed to treat patients.

Even after a fire subsides, the damage that remains represents a serious risk to anyone around it. For all of these reasons, it’s a wise idea to hire a professional fire restoration contractor to repair your business after experiencing a fire.

What Do I Do After a Fire at My Hospital or Clinic?

Following a fire, it’s important to ensure that your staff and patients are safe above all else. Once everyone is at a safe distance from the fire, take time to treat any wounds or burns. Do not return to the building until firefighters have informed you it is safe. Be sure to keep patients away from the burned areas. Don’t try to clean the smoke damage yourself; soot and smoke can have serious effects on your health, so leave that task to your fire restoration specialists.

The actual restoration process begins with you making efforts to assess the extent of the damage to your property. You’ll need to determine how much damage the fire did as well as what is covered by your operation’s insurance. Getting an insurance assessor to look over the fire’s aftermath early prepares you to make decisions further down the line. Once you have an idea of what restoration services will be necessary, you’ll need to seek out both a fire damage restoration service, possibly as well as a water removal service.

Though it seems unlikely, fires leave your property especially susceptible to water damage; from sprinkler systems to water damage from firefighters’ hoses, you’ll need to dry out your property before further restoration can begin. This part of the process also prevents subsequent water or mold damage down the line, which can complicate the restoration process.

From there, fire damage restoration teams begin work on your clinic, surgery center, or hospital area. This begins with debris removal, as any damaged remains of furniture or construction are removed from the premises. Afterward, the team will begin treating your property for smoke damage. Soot and smoke both contain carcinogens that are dangerous to your health and your patients’ health. An in-depth cleaning required to remove smoke and soot damage. This involves using specialized equipment such as portable ozone generators or thermal fogging.

While your building undergoes repairs, salvageable contents from the fire see their own cleaning and restoration. From soft goods such as garments and bedding to electronic equipment and sensitive appliances, these furnishings and medical tools undergo repair work and an in-depth cleaning to get rid of any residual smoke or soot particles.

Returning to Normal After a Fire

While fires and the damage that come along with them are overwhelming and frightening, it is possible to return your business to normal afterward. One way to make the recovery process easier is to foster a relationship with a fire restoration contractor beforehand; after all, they’ve got the resources and knowledge necessary to get you back on your feet. Whether you’ve suffered fire damage or are looking to prepare for the possibility of fire damage, we at Alpha Omega are here to help you.

At Alpha Omega, we have the knowledge, staff, and equipment necessary to get you back on your feet after suffering fire damage. From helping your healthcare center develop emergency action plans to extensive property repair and restoration, we’re with you every step of the way. We support businesses out of south-central Montana in Billinngs, Billings West End, Billings Heights, Laurel, Red Lodge. So, contact us today, and let us know what we can do for you.