There are many reasons for fires to start in buildings, and they’re usually unexpected. Little incidents like voltage instability, a little spark of electricity, open flames from the kitchen, and many other similar incidents happen in an instant. Other times the reasons are bigger and more disastrous, for example, gas leaks, forgetting that the oven or the stove is on, leaving an electric appliance on, and many others.
In the unfortunate case of any fire accident, it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed and confused about what you need to do, which is why we bring you this article. Here are 4 important things you need to do right after a fire accident.
- Check for and Treat Injuries
- One of the first things you need to do after a fire accident is to make sure that you and anyone else you were with during the accident are safe. Check whether anyone is injured, and make sure to treat these injuries right away. In case of burn injuries, try to cool down the affected areas and cover them with clean bandages. Call your emergency line and have them do the necessary safety procedures.
- Check Your Insurance
- After you make sure you and everyone involved in the accident are safe, you should check in with your family and friends letting them know you’re ok. The next thing to do is to check with the fire department and find out the level of damage the fire caused to your property.
- When you have the fire department’s report, call your insurance company. Ask them what they can cover in the fire restoration process, and what documents you need to submit. Find out which restoration services available in your area are, and which ones your insurance approves of, and sign a contract with the one you like best.
- Restore Your Damaged Documents
- It’s highly likely that you'll lose many important documents in a fire, which is why you should check which ones are damaged and see how you can get duplicates. Ask your insurance company for assistance on how to make duplicates for critical papers like certificates, contracts, personal IDs, and any other damaged items.
- Take Your Time to Process What Happened
- It’s perfectly normal to have a mixture of emotions after a traumatic event such as this. Take your time to deal with how you feel, and talk about it with people you trust. If that isn’t helping, talk to a therapist to help you work through your confusion, stress, and any emotions you find difficulty processing.
- Take all the time you need to get back to your normal routine. You can start by implementing simple healthy habits like taking a walk in the fresh air or doing some of the things you usually enjoy that will help you gradually ease into your normal routine.
It’s important to know that it doesn’t matter who is to blame for the accident. What matters most is doing your best to keep the losses to a minimum. People’s and pets’ lives are more valuable than any possessions, so these are your priority. Safety should always come first since everything else is restorable.