Ready For Whatever Happens

9/20/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is “Ready for whatever happens”.

“Ready for whatever happens” is one of SERVPRO’s trademarked tag lines. You see it in commercials, you see it in advertisements, on our billboards and trucks, but what does it mean?

“Ready for whatever happens” means we are there whenever you need us. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday, the middle of the night or the middle of a catastrophe. We are here for you.  We know that most disasters do not happen in the middle of a weekday. They happen at the least convenient time, that’s when you need us most. 
When you call SERVPRO you will speak to a live person. We know you can’t describe your emergency to an answering machine! We will get the appropriate crew or crews to you in an average of two hours. We know that when you call, you need help, and you need it now.

“Ready for whatever happens” means that we have the proper training and education to handle any emergency mitigation situation you may have.  If we haven’t dealt with it before, we will figure it out fast.  Our training and education are ongoing from IICRC certifications to SERVPRO Industries certifications, to EPA certifications, we’ve got you covered.  If your business just spilled hundreds of gallons of vegetable oil into landscaping rocks, or your business just had a polymer spill we can help.  (Yes, both are true situations we were called into clean up.)    
We spend a lot of time and expense keeping our employees current on training and education. Additionally, we have a vast network to call on for help for those unique situations.  We have chemists and experts on call and SERVPRO Industries to help, we have 1700 fellow franchises to call on and we always have the IICRC. There is nothing that we cannot handle. 

“Ready for whatever happens” means that we have the equipment for any size jobs. Whether its hundreds of air movers, dehumidifiers, heaters, air scrubbers, hardwood drying mats, generators, or even specialized equipment such as trailer mounted descant dehumidifiers we’ve got it covered. We just took delivery on even more air movers and dehumidifiers to help us expand our coverage even more.  Some of the equipment might sit on the shelves from time to time, but when it’s needed, it’s here and ready.

“Ready for whatever happens” means there is no job too big or too small for us to handle.  Any size fire, any size water damage, any size sewage loss, any size storm loss. We can handle it.  If our franchise needs help, we can quickly call-in reinforcements from neighboring franchises. If we still need help, we can call in SERVPRO Large Loss or Extreme Teams to help. We can have tractor trailers of extra equipment, and hundreds of extra crew members on site within hours. Yes, HOURS.

Lastly, “Ready for whatever happens” means SERVPRO is the mitigation company business, homeowners and Insurance companies rely on to save, preserve, and restore their most valuable assets.

FEMA’s National Preparedness Month Spotlights the Importance of Understanding and Managing Risk

8/25/2021 (Permalink)

The free SERVPRO READY app allows home and business owners to store essential contact and property information electronically where it can be accessed

SERVPRO of Rolla disaster mitigation specialist urges Rolla, MO area residents to create a disaster management and recovery plan before the unexpected happens.

September is National Preparedness Month, part of the ongoing “Ready” initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to FEMA’s “Are You Ready” guide, the first step in effective disaster preparedness is to understand your specific risks—first by identifying the hazards that could possibly affect you and then by evaluating your actual vulnerability to those sources of danger.

Once you understand your risks, you can effectively plan to mitigate them by decreasing your vulnerability and then manage their consequences quickly and effectively if the worst does happen. Of course, individual home or business owners’ risks vary depending on their location, but regardless of where you live or work, FEMA’s guide has some basic steps that everyone can take to prepare for the unexpected.

1. Create a family communication and shelter plan.
2. Sign up for emergency alerts, including FEMA alerts
3. Build your savings if possible and keep a small emergency fund of cash on-hand at home.
4. Create an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit
5. Gather and safeguard critical documents like deeds, medical information, insurance policies, and a list of your household belongings.
6. Create an emergency kit with basic tools and enough food and water to last 72 hours and keep the contents fresh and up to date.

In addition to the planning tools and checklists provided by FEMA, businesses like SERVPRO that specialize in disaster mitigation and restoration offer free tools that make disaster recovery easier. The free SERVPRO READY app allows home and business owners to store essential contact and property information electronically where it can be accessed in seconds with a mobile device. Local business owners who designate SERVPRO of Rolla as their disaster mitigation and restoration provider benefit from a no-cost assessment of their facility along with help completing a comprehensive Emergency READY Profile® (ERP) to be stored in the READY app.

The uncomfortable truth is that no amount of preparedness will prevent disasters from striking, but preparedness can help disaster victims survive and then recover. When disaster strikes, sometimes it’s difficult to even know where to start picking up the pieces. Having critical documents and details at your fingertips helps, but so does having access to professionals who know how to help you return to normal, "Like it never even happened." The disaster remediation specialists at SERVPRO of Rolla know what to do when you don’t know which way to turn. We’re here to help when you need us.”

For more information on SERVPRO of Rolla, please contact us at (573) 368-5555. For more information on SERVPRO® and the SERVPRO Emergency READY Program, please visit https://ready.SERVPRO.com.

Source:

• 2021 Preparedness Calendar | Ready.gov
• https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/are-you-ready-guide.pdf
• https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-app-text-messages
• https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/ready_emergency-financial-first-aid-toolkit.pdf
• https://www.ready.gov/kit
• https://ready.SERVPRO.com/home/mobileapp

About SERVPRO

For more than 50 years, SERVPRO® has been a trusted leader in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, mold mitigation, and biohazard and pathogen remediation. SERVPRO’s professional services network of more than 1,900 individually owned and operated franchises spans- the United States and Canada, responding to property damage emergencies large and small – from million-square-foot commercial facilities to individual homes. When disaster strikes, homeowners, business owners, and major insurance companies alike rely on SERVPRO to make it "Like it never even happened."

Psychrometrics

6/2/2021 (Permalink)

If your home or business suffers from a water damage event, give SERVPRO of Franklin County a call.

Did you know there is a science behind the process of drying?

The knowledge of psychrometrics is essential to restoring a water damaged structure. While your initial reaction may be to grab a few towels to mop up the mess and place a fan or two around the damaged area, SERVPRO of Franklin County is trained in the science of drying and follow strict industry-approved standards to help lower the chances of any secondary damages.

If your business suffers a water damage, SERVPRO of Franklin County will:

• Inspect the building to detect every component that is wet, to help prevent secondary damage from happening.
• Measure how much moisture is in wet materials and monitor whether the materials are drying properly.
• Speed up Mother Nature by using professional drying equipment.

A wet building can often dry naturally because the environment always seeks equilibrium. When materials are wet, moisture will naturally move to drier air at the surface of the material–but only if the air is, indeed, drier. The only problem is nature often takes too long, and more damage can occur. For this reason, SERVPRO of Franklin County has been trained to use top-of-the line equipment to help Mother Nature along, including equipment to help dry hardwood floors, tough-to-reach spaces inside walls, and much more.

DRYBOOK DOCUMENTATION 

SERVPRO of Franklin County uses technology to help ensure your property is dried quickly and efficiently. DryBook is a proprietary tool that:

• Manages industry drying requirements.
• Provides real-time documentation on the drying process.
• Validates that services are executed to standard.
• Reports to all stakeholders involved. 
• Allows real-time updates through DryBook™ Mobile integration. This improves results and restores your property at a faster rate, getting you back in your home or business sooner.

SERVPRO also uses state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and a proven scientific process to help speed the drying of your home or business.

The bottom line? SERVPRO of Franklin County has the training and equipment to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Have Questions? Call Us Today – (636) 583-5200

Document Restoration Services

5/12/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Franklin County knows timely mitigation is key to reducing severity and recovering damaged items. As a leader in the restoration industry, we know water or smoke damaged paper can rapidly deteriorate. Without using the proper handling, files and irreplaceable documents can be lost forever. Let SERVPRO of Franklin County help you recover your damaged paper goods before it is too late.

Our technicians are trained to use the most advanced technology for document recover and drying. In fact, we use the same technique as the Library of Congress uses to dry water-damaged books.

Why choose SERVPRO® Vacuum Freeze Drying?

Vacuum freeze drying is the most efficient and effective way to salvage water-damaged documents. The Document Restoration Team uses sublimation—turning a solid directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid stage to avoid causing more damage to the documents. This process can recover even the most delicate items—from documents to photographs and x-rays, to entire business archives. All employees of the Document Restoration Team are HIPAA Master certified and once your items arrive at the SERVPRO® facility, 24/7 video surveillance is guaranteed.

Digitizing

With the new age of technology, digitizing records and documents has become a standard practice in most industries. This eliminates the need to have massive file storage rooms and allows us to access records at the click of a button. If your file room was damaged by water or smoke and needs to be cleaned, dried or decontaminated, digitizing might be a good choice to eliminate the need to have hundreds or even thousands of documents and records in storage.

Gamma Irradiation

Gamma irradiation is a process used for cleaning/disinfecting and decontaminating documents or other consumer goods. In a CAT 3 situation (sewage or flood water), documents are not only deteriorating but are also infected with all types of bacteria. In most storm situations, you are dealing with CAT 3 water; therefore, most of the affected documents you encounter will be contaminated. If this is the case, decontamination is always a must. In living cells, these disruptions result in damage to the DNA and other cellular structures. These photo induced changes at the molecular level cause the death of the organism or render the organism incapable of reproduction. The gamma process does not create residuals or impart radioactivity in processed products.

Certified Destruction

Unfortunately, many businesses and government agencies must dispose of counterfeit, faulty, expired or contaminated materials. All entities need to be certified that their products and materials are destroyed. The guarantee of certified destruction is to protect one’s liabilities, brand image or proprietary information. We guarantee certified destruction to give you peace of mind that your documents are disposed of properly.

SERVPRO’s goal is to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Contact SERVPRO of Franklin County for more information on Document Restoration services.

Learn the Science of Drying

5/9/2021 (Permalink)

If your home or business has water damage, give SERVPRO of Franklin County a call. We'll make it “Like it never even happened.”

Psychrometrics: The Science of Drying

The knowledge of psychrometrics is essential to restoring a water damaged structure to its preloss condition. While your initial reaction may be to grab a few towels to mop up the mess and place a fan or two around the damaged area, SERVPRO of Franklin County is trained in the science of drying and follow strict industry-approved standards to help lower the chances of any secondary damages.

If your business suffers a water damage, SERVPRO of Franklin County will:

• Inspect the building to detect every component that is wet, to help prevent secondary damage from happening.
• Measure how much moisture is in wet materials and monitor whether the materials are drying properly.
• Speed up Mother Nature by using professional drying equipment.

What exactly does “speed up Mother Nature” mean? A wet building can often dry naturally because the environment always seeks equilibrium. When materials are wet, moisture will naturally move to drier air at the surface of the material–but only if the air is, indeed, drier. The only problem is, nature often takes too long and secondary damages may occur while the building is drying out. For this reason, SERVPRO of Franklin County has been trained to use top-of-theline equipment to help Mother Nature along, including equipment to help dry hardwood floors, tough-to-reach spaces inside walls, and much more.

DRYBOOK™ DOCUMENTATION 

SERVPRO of Franklin County uses the latest technology to help ensure your property is dried quickly and efficiently. You will see our technicians using iPads to document the drying process. DryBook™ is a proprietary tool that:

• Manages industry drying requirements.
• Provides real-time documentation on the drying process.
• Validates that services are executed to standard.
• Reports to all stakeholders involved. 
• Allows real-time updates through DryBook™ Mobile integration. This improves results and restores your property at a faster rate, getting you back in your home or business sooner.

SERVPRO® also uses state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and a proven scientific process to help speed the drying of your home or business.

The bottom line? SERVPRO of Franklin County has the training and equipment to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Have Questions? Call Us Today – (636) 583-5200

“Like it never even happened.”

12/31/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Franklin County will be ready to help make your Franklin County, MO property damage “Like it never even happened.”

Your disaster may not always be fire and water related, but we are are still Here to Help® at SERVPRO of Franklin County when it comes to other situations.

We also provide services for biohazard, crime scene cleanup, and vandalism. These are services you may never think of until a related disaster strikes you or your business. Equipped with the knowledge, experience, and training, SERVPRO of Franklin County will start helping the moment you call.

Our technicians follow OSHA and EPA protocols to help transform an unsafe environment back into a clean, safe home or business. Our first focus is always safety. We will always treat your property and the people involved with the greatest empathy and respect in the face of trying circumstances.

When disaster strikes, make sure you have experienced professionals on the line. No matter how big or small, SERVPRO of Franklin County will be ready to help make your Franklin County, MO property damage “Like it never even happened.”

Customer Spotlight: Brett Hoch

12/2/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage equipment during restoration at Hoch's home in Washington, Missouri.

An estimated 30 percent of water damage is caused by appliance failure.

Unfortunately for Washington, Missouri native Brett Hoch, he experienced an appliance failure when his dishwasher leaked for several days. The leaking caused water damage to two levels of his home.

“Unbeknownst to us, the (dishwasher’s inlet) valve had failed,” Hoch explained. “We didn’t know it was happening until the water saturated the drywall in the basement.”

The engineered wood flooring and subfloor of the house were also damaged. Hoch initially used his own fans to help dry the damage, but his insurance company recommended him to use SERVPRO of Franklin County to help mitigate.

“At that point, things were in pretty horrific shape,” Hoch said. “You guys came out the next morning, took out the rest of the drywall and removed things that were either damaged, ruined or had to be dried out.”

SERVPRO helped restore Hoch’s home for four days, drying out the structure and mitigating the damage. We were also able to cut down costs on his insurance claim, Hoch said.

“Because you guys sent samples of everything damaged to the insurance company, that helped save me money on my claim,” he said. 

Production Manager Nate Gillespey kept Hoch updated throughout the process.

“Nate did a good job of keeping me informed and letting me know what was happening,” Hoch said.

Hoch is still in the process of repairing the damage caused by the dishwasher, but he believes SERVPRO helped him tremendously.

“At the end of the day it was worth the effort to get you guys in there,” he said. “I think in the long run you guys saved me a lot more money because of the mitigation you did.”

Document Restoration Services

11/16/2020 (Permalink)

As a leader in the restoration industry, SERVPRO knows timely mitigation is the key to reducing severity and recovering damaged items. Water– or smoke–damaged paper can rapidly deteriorate. Without proper handling, valuable files and irreplaceable documents could be lost forever. Let SERVPRO’s Document Restoration Team help you recover your damaged paper goods before it is too late.

SERVPRO’s technicians are trained to use the most advanced technology available for document recovery and drying; in fact, the Document Restoration Team uses the same technique the Library of Congress uses to dry water-damaged books.

Why choose SERVPRO® Vacuum Freeze Drying?

Vacuum freeze drying is the most efficient and effective way to salvage water-damaged documents. The Document Restoration Team uses sublimation—turning a solid directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid stage to avoid causing more damage to the documents. This process can recover even the most delicate items—from documents to photographs and x-rays, to entire business archives. All employees of the Document Restoration Team are HIPAA Master certified and once your items arrive at the SERVPRO® facility, 24/7 video surveillance is guaranteed.

Digitizing

With the new age of technology, digitizing records and documents has become a standard practice in most industries. This eliminates the need to have massive file storage rooms and allows us to access records at the click of a button. If your file room was damaged by water or smoke and needs to be cleaned, dried or decontaminated, digitizing might be a good choice to eliminate the need to have hundreds or even thousands of documents and records in storage.

Gamma Irradiation

Gamma irradiation is a process used for cleaning/disinfecting and decontaminating documents or other consumer goods. In a CAT 3 situation (sewage or flood water), documents are not only deteriorating but are also infected with all types of bacteria. In most storm situations, you are dealing with CAT 3 water; therefore, most of the affected documents you encounter will be contaminated. If this is the case, decontamination is always a must. In living cells, these disruptions result in damage to the DNA and other cellular structures. These photon induced changes at the molecular level cause the death of the organism or render the organism incapable of reproduction. The gamma process does not create residuals or impart radioactivity in processed products.

Certified Destruction

Unfortunately, many businesses and government agencies have to dispose of counterfeit, faulty, expired or contaminated materials. All entities need to be certified that their products and materials are destroyed. The guarantee of certified destruction is to protect one’s liabilities, brand image or proprietary information. We guarantee certified destruction to give you peace of mind that your documents are disposed of properly.

SERVPRO’s goal is to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Contact SERVPRO of Franklin County for more information on Document Restoration services.

Vandalism and Crime Scene Cleanup

6/2/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Franklin County is "Here to Help" when it comes to many different types of situations.

Your disaster may not always be fire and water related, but we are are still Here to Help® at SERVPRO of Franklin County when it comes to other situations.

We also provide services for biohazard, crime scene cleanup, and vandalism. These are services you may never think of until a related disaster strikes you or your business. Equipped with the knowledge, experience, and training, SERVPRO of Franklin County will start helping the moment you call.

Our technicians follow OSHA and EPA protocols to help transform an unsafe environment back into a clean, safe home or business. Our first focus is always safety. We will always treat your property and the people involved with the greatest empathy and respect in the face of trying circumstances.

When disaster strikes, make sure you have experienced professionals on the line. No matter how big or small, SERVPRO of Franklin County will be ready to help make your Franklin County, MO property damage “Like it never even happened.”

The Cleanup Team

5/6/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Franklin County is "Here to Help"!

There is no disaster that hits home quite like a disaster to your property, home, or business.

When you have suffered a fire, water, or mold damage, you don’t have time to waste searching for a company to fix your property. When disaster strikes, depend on SERVPRO® and our network of over 1,700 Franchises in North America.

Whether the job is big or small, SERVPRO® of Franklin County will be there to help make it “Like it never even happened,” so you can get back to your home or business and on with your life.

It’s good to know SERVPRO® is there if you ever need them. If you’re in need of cleanup and restoration services, call SERVPRO of Franklin County today!

Assisting the Community

5/4/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Franklin County was featured in the weekend Missourian for disinfecting fire trucks at the Washington Fire Department.

For over a month now, SERVPRO of Franklin County has continued to answer the calls of our neighbors who need us most. We have been offering disinfectant cleaning to our first responders – completely free. Over the past month we have cleaned 197 police cars, 144 fire trucks, and 46 ambulances. We also did a free proactive cleaning for some of our local insurance agents and Pasta House here in Union, MO.

We will continue to offer this service to as long it is necessary, to help keep our community healthy and safe.

Responding during difficult times is what we do, it is who we are and what we know. Our business remains open to you as our employees and services are essential during this coronavirus pandemic. If your home or business is in need of cleaning and sanitizing, or any of our core water and fire services, give us a call at 636-583-5200. We are here and ready to serve.

Disasters Can Be Complicated.

12/31/2019 (Permalink)

We are "Here to Help" no matter your disaster.

Disasters can be complicated. It may not always be fire or water damage related, but we are still Here to Help® at SERVPRO of Franklin County when it comes to other situations.

We also provide services for biohazard, crime scene cleanup, and vandalism. These are services you may never think of until a related disaster strikes you or your business. Equipped with the knowledge, experience, and training, SERVPRO of Franklin County will start helping the moment you call.

Our technicians follow OSHA and EPA protocols to help transform an unsafe environment back into a clean, safe home or business. Our first focus is always safety. We will always treat your property and the people involved with the greatest empathy and respect in the face of trying circumstances.

When disaster strikes, make sure you have experienced professionals on the line. No matter how big or small, SERVPRO of Franklin County will be ready to help make your Franklin County, MO property damage “Like it never even happened.”

Give SERVPRO of Franklin County a call, 24/7, 7 days a week: (636) 583-5200.

SERVPRO Document Restoration Services

12/8/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is "Here to Help" if your business experiences a fire. Our document restoration services can help you get back to business.

SERVPRO knows timely mitigation is key to reducing severity and recovering damaged items. As a leader in the restoration industry, we know water or smoke damaged paper can rapidly deteriorate. Without using the proper handling, files and irreplaceable documents can be lost forever. Let SERVPRO help you recover your damaged paper goods before it is too late.

Our technicians are trained to use the most advanced technology for document recover and drying. In fact, we use the same technique as the Library of Congress uses to dry water-damaged books.

Why choose SERVPRO® Vacuum Freeze Drying?

Vacuum freeze drying is the most efficient and effective way to salvage water-damaged documents. The Document Restoration Team uses sublimation—turning a solid directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid stage to avoid causing more damage to the documents. This process can recover even the most delicate items—from documents to photographs and x-rays, to entire business archives. All employees of the Document Restoration Team are HIPAA Master certified and once your items arrive at the SERVPRO® facility, 24/7 video surveillance is guaranteed.

Digitizing

With the new age of technology, digitizing records and documents has become a standard practice in most industries. This eliminates the need to have massive file storage rooms and allows us to access records at the click of a button. If your file room was damaged by water or smoke and needs to be cleaned, dried or decontaminated, digitizing might be a good choice to eliminate the need to have hundreds or even thousands of documents and records in storage.

Gamma Irradiation

Gamma irradiation is a process used for cleaning/disinfecting and decontaminating documents or other consumer goods. In a CAT 3 situation (sewage or flood water), documents are not only deteriorating but are also infected with all types of bacteria. In most storm situations, you are dealing with CAT 3 water; therefore, most of the affected documents you encounter will be contaminated. If this is the case, decontamination is always a must. In living cells, these disruptions result in damage to the DNA and other cellular structures. These photo induced changes at the molecular level cause the death of the organism or render the organism incapable of reproduction. The gamma process does not create residuals or impart radioactivity in processed products.

Certified Destruction

Unfortunately, many businesses and government agencies have to dispose of counterfeit, faulty, expired or contaminated materials. All entities need to be certified that their products and materials are destroyed. The guarantee of certified destruction is to protect one’s liabilities, brand image or proprietary information. We guarantee certified destruction to give you peace of mind that your documents are disposed of properly.

SERVPRO’s goal is to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Contact SERVPRO of Franklin County for more information on Document Restoration services.

Faster to any size disaster

11/11/2019 (Permalink)

Whatever the disaster, SERVPRO of Franklin County is there when you need help.

The teams at SERVPRO® are ready for any disaster, big or small.

And they understand what may be small in the grand scheme of things may be huge to you, and they’re ready to help you put your life, business, or property back together “Like it never even happened.”

What can you do to be READY? Be prepared at your home or business with an Emergency Kit. Ready.gov suggests you have enough supplies to last for at least three days. Below are some suggested items to include in your kit:

• 3-day supply of nonperishable foods Water (one+ gallon per person per day)
• First-aid kit
• Prescription medication
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Fire extinguisher
• Hygiene products
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Cell phone charger
• Change of clothes
• Matches in waterproof container
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Whistle to signal for help
• Pet supplies
• Infant formula and diapers
• Important documents such as insurance policies, IDs, and bank records in a plastic container

You can also keep a condensed emergency kit in your vehicle as well.

For a more extensive list, check out Ready.gov.

Whatever the disaster, SERVPRO® of Franklin County is there when you need help, 24/7/365.

Call the Cleanup Team

6/4/2019 (Permalink)

Faster To Any Size Disaster

There is no disaster that hits home quite like a disaster to your property, home, or business.

When you have suffered a fire, water, or mold damage, you don’t have time to waste searching for a company to fix your property. When disaster strikes, depend on SERVPRO® and our network of over 1,700 Franchises in North America.

Whether the job is big or small, SERVPRO® of Franklin County will be there to help make it “Like it never even happened” so you can get back to your home or business and on with your life.

It’s good to know SERVPRO® is there if you ever need them. If you’re in need of cleanup and restoration services, call SERVPRO of Franklin County today!

May Preparedness

5/6/2019 (Permalink)

Be prepared this May.

Hopefully the April showers brought you May flowers!

May is a very busy month as school is coming to an end and summer is just around the corner. The same is true for preparedness planning in May.

The following preparedness events take place this month and offer a great chance to educate yourself:

• Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (May 5, 2018)
• National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 6-12, 2018)
• National Dam Safety Awareness Day (May 31, 2018)
• National Building Safety Month

May also brings two weeks to show appreciation for first responders:

• National Police Week  (May 13-19, 2018
• National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week  (May 20-26, 2018)

Be sure to visit ready.gov for more information and resources.

We at SERVPRO of Franklin County want you to be as prepared as possible since you never know when disaster may strike.

In the event of a fire or water emergency in your home, business, or property, make SERVPRO® your first call to make it “Like it never even happened.”

Have Questions? Call Us Today – (636) 583-5200

Faster to any size disaster

5/3/2019 (Permalink)

Franklin County, MO Biohazard, Crime scene cleanup, and vandalism.

Your disaster may not always be fire and water related, but we are are still Here to Help® at SERVPRO of Franklin County when it comes to other situations.

We also provide services for biohazard, crime scene cleanup, and vandalism. These are services you may never think of until a related disaster strikes you or your business. Equipped with the knowledge, experience, and training, SERVPRO of Franklin County will start helping the moment you call.

Our technicians follow OSHA and EPA protocols to help transform an unsafe environment back into a clean, safe home or business. Our first focus is always safety. We will always treat your property and the people involved with the greatest empathy and respect in the face of trying circumstances.

When disaster strikes, make sure you have experienced professionals on the line. No matter how big or small, SERVPRO of Franklin County will be ready to help make your Franklin County, MO property damage “Like it never even happened.”

The First 48

2/5/2019 (Permalink)

Fast Response for Fire Damage

The first 48 hours after a fire damage can make the difference between restoring versus replacing damaged property and personal belongings.

Rapid response and timely mitigation can help prevent fire damage from creating longterm problems. SERVPRO of Franklin County understands returning to normal is your primary concern.

SERVPRO® Response Teams are trained in caring for both you and your property. By responding quickly with a full line of fire cleanup and restoration services, your SERVPRO Professionals can help you get your home or business back up and running quickly and help protect your property and belongings.

If your home or business suffers a fire damage, contact SERVPRO of Franklin County to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Carbon Monoxide: A Silent Cold-Weather Killer

12/31/2018 (Permalink)

Carbon Monoxide detector

We care about your safety. Here is an explanation of what carbon monoxide is and how you can stay safe this winter.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a gas you cannot see, taste or smell. According to ready.gov, an average of 430 Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Many furnaces, rangers, water heaters, use CO to as a power source.

Why does carbon monoxide poisoning occur?

Often times, it is the result of faulty, improperly used or vented consumer products like furnaces, ranges, water heaters, room heaters and engine-powered equipment, such as portable generators.

What can you do to stay safe?

There are precautions you can take to help protect yourself, your family, and your employees from deadly CO fumes.

• Reduce the chance of CO exposure in your workplace by performing regular maintenance on equipment and appliances that can produce CO.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home, including outside of all bedrooms.
• Consider having all fuel-burning heating equipment and chimneys serviced annually by a professional.
• Use portable generators only in well-ventilated areas away from doors, windows, vents, and any other openings to prevent fumes from entering the home. 

For additional CO safety information, visit usfa.fema.gov or osha.gov.

Holiday safety Tips

12/5/2018 (Permalink)

Happy Holidays from SERVPRO of Franklin County

As the weather outside gets frightful and your cozy homes become warm and delightful, the holiday season’s aglow, let it snow, let it snow, let is snow.

According to climate.gov, on February 12, 2010, there was snow present in all 50 states, including Hawaii! Five years later in 2015, it almost happened again, when every state but Florida experienced snow.

While it is generally unlikely for certain states to encounter snow, it is still important to know how to be prepared if winter weather strikes at your home, business or while traveling. SERVPRO of Franklin County is dedicated to helping you keep the holidays merry and bright, and keeping your property safe.

But what happens if disaster does strike during the most wonderful time of year? Easy—Call SERVPRO of Franklin County, even if it is the night before Christmas. SERVPRO® is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year, ready when you need help the most. We answer the phone – ready to help.

SERVPRO is faster to any size disaster

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is "Here to Help"!

The teams at SERVPRO® are ready for any disaster, big or small.

And they understand what may be small in the grand scheme of things may be huge to you, and they’re ready to help you put your life, business, or property back together “Like it never even happened.”

What can you do to be READY? Be prepared at your home or business with an Emergency Kit. Ready.gov suggests you have enough supplies to last for at least three days. Below are some suggested items to include in your kit:

• 3-day supply of nonperishable foods Water (one+ gallon per person per day)
• First-aid kit
• Prescription medication
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Fire extinguisher
• Hygiene products
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Cell phone charger
• Change of clothes
• Matches in waterproof container
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Whistle to signal for help
• Pet supplies
• Infant formula and diapers
• Important documents such as insurance policies, IDs, and bank records in a plastic container

You can also keep a condensed emergency kit in your vehicle as well.

For a more extensive list, check out Ready.gov.

Whatever the disaster, SERVPRO® of Franklin County is there when you need help, 24/7/365.

READY

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

Are you ready for whatever happens?

We have seen some epic rains that have caused disastrous flooding in Franklin County, MO. This rain and flooding have caused millions and millions of dollars of damages to home and business.  Lives have been uprooted, and businesses have been halted. Some will never recover.  

Ben Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”.  As many as 50 percent of businesses that did not have a disaster plan in place prior to the flooding may never recover.     Of the businesses that survive a disaster an overwhelming amount had a disaster plan in place.  Preparation is a key component for making it through any size disaster, whether it’s a small water leak, a large fire or even a 100-year flood.  The best time for planning for such events is not when the event happens, but well before it happens.  The best way to reduce business interruption following a disaster is to plan for it now. Pre-planning can serve as an insurance policy aimed at your peace of mind.

Putting a disaster plan together sounds like a lot of work, right? Don’t worry, SERVPRO has you covered!  At no cost we can perform an Emergency Ready Profile (ERP) for your business. This is a disaster plan created specifically for your business. We will provide a concise profile document that contains all of the critical information needed in event of an emergency. We provide a guide to help you get back in your building following a disaster. We help you identify the line of command for authorizing emergency work to begin. We provide facility details such as shut off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.  All of this information is compiled in a concise hard copy as well as a smart phone app. You control who sees the information and who you want to share it with.    

One short story shows how valuable an Emergency Ready Profile (ERP) can be for you.  Approximately a week before the polar vortex of 2014, one of our marketing representative had completed an ERP for a nursing home in Sullivan.  As the thaw came, so did the broken pipes.  This same nursing home had a sprinkler pipe break but using the ERP that we just completed, they were able to locate the shut off and limited the affected area to just two partial rooms.  Had they not known where to shut off the water, the damage and interruption would have been immense. This is just one of hundreds of examples of how the ERP can help your business. 

If you’re an insurance agent, you should not only ask us to do an ERP for your office, but also all of your business customers.  Can you imagine how beneficial this free service can be for your customers?    If you’re a business, you should be calling us right now to get this done. If not, like our old friend Ben Franklin might say, “You are planning to fail!”.

Give us a call right away to schedule your free Emergency Ready Profile. It will only take a small amount of time and the value is priceless.  SERVPRO of Franklin County where Our Business is Putting you Back in Business.  636-583-5200

Faster to Any-Size Disaster

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is "Faster to Any-Size Disaster"

Kim and Dan Akers had dealt with flooding before, but they had never seen anything like this. The Akers family’s St. Clair property had flooded before in 2008 and again in 2015, but both of those times they were able to deal with the damage themselves.

After the Meramec River flooded April 29, the Akers family found their residence with close to 6 feet of water. This time, they had to call in outside help to get their home back in order.

“It was pretty devastating, I wasn’t real sure if it was all going to come back together or not,” Kim Akers said about her flooded home. “It was a record flood. Before the most we had was about two, maybe three feet in the living room. This time it was way above my head.”

The Akers family called SERVPRO Franklin County for help. SERVPRO gutted the house, cleaned and sanitized the structure, removed mold, dried out the house and cleaned the air ducts.

Akers said that the mold could have been a result of not properly cleaning after the previous floods.

“My husband and I both have had issues with our sinuses running while we’re in the house, and after seeing what we saw, there was probably mold in the house that we didn’t know was there,” she said.

Though the Akers aren’t back in their house yet, they believe that their decision to use SERVPRO will get them home faster.

“I’d definitely recommend SERVPRO,” Kim said. “You guys did a good job and took a lot of the workload off of us. In the flood of 2008 it took 13 months for us to get back in the house because we did everything ourselves. It’s going to take a little while to get back in this time, but I don’t think it’s going to take near as long.”

The Science of Drying

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

Did you know there is actually a science behind the process of drying?

The knowledge of psychrometrics is essential to restoring a water damaged structure to its preloss condition. While your initial reaction may be to grab a few towels to mop up the mess and place a fan or two around the damaged area, SERVPRO of Franklin County is trained in the science of drying and follow strict industry-approved standards to help lower the chances of any secondary damages.

If your business suffers a water damage, SERVPRO of Franklin County will:

• Inspect the building to detect every component that is wet, to help prevent secondary damage from happening.
• Measure how much moisture is in wet materials and monitor whether the materials are drying properly.
• Speed up Mother Nature by using professional drying equipment.

What exactly does “speed up Mother Nature” mean? A wet building can often dry naturally because the environment always seeks equilibrium. When materials are wet, moisture will naturally move to drier air at the surface of the material–but only if the air is, indeed, drier. The only problem is, nature often takes too long and secondary damages may occur while the building is drying out. For this reason, SERVPRO of Franklin County has been trained to use top-of-theline equipment to help Mother Nature along, including equipment to help dry hardwood floors, tough-to-reach spaces inside walls, and much more.

DRYBOOK™ DOCUMENTATION 

SERVPRO of Franklin County uses the latest technology to help ensure your property is dried quickly and efficiently. DryBook™ is a proprietary tool that:

• Manages industry drying requirements. n Provides real-time documentation on the drying process.
• Validates that services are executed to standard.
• Reports to all stakeholders involved. 
• Allows real-time updates through DryBook™ Mobile integration. This improves results and restores your property at a faster rate, getting you back in your home or business sooner.

SERVPRO® also uses state-of-the-art
monitoring equipment and a proven scientific process to help speed the drying of your home or business.

The bottom line? SERVPRO of Franklin County has the training and equipment to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Have Questions? Call Us Today – (636) 583-5200

Document Restoration

11/6/2018 (Permalink)

Document Restoration by SERVPRO

As a leader in the restoration industry, SERVPRO® knows timely mitigation is the key to reducing severity and recovering damaged items. Water– or smoke–damaged paper can rapidly deteriorate. Without proper handling, valuable files and irreplaceable documents could be lost forever. Let SERVPRO’s Document Restoration Team help you recover your damaged paper goods before it is too late.

SERVPRO’s technicians are trained to use the most advanced technology available for document recovery and drying; in fact, the Document Restoration Team uses the same technique the Library of Congress uses to dry water-damaged books.

Why choose SERVPRO® Vacuum Freeze Drying?

Vacuum freeze drying is the most efficient and effective way to salvage water-damaged documents. The Document Restoration Team uses sublimation—turning a solid directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid stage to avoid causing more damage to the documents. This process can recover even the most delicate items—from documents to photographs and x-rays, to entire business archives. All employees of the Document Restoration Team are HIPAA Master certified and once your items arrive at the SERVPRO® facility, 24/7 video surveillance is guaranteed.

Digitizing

With the new age of technology, digitizing records and documents has become a standard practice in most industries. This eliminates the need to have massive file storage rooms and allows us to access records at the click of a button. If your file room was damaged by water or smoke and needs to be cleaned, dried or decontaminated, digitizing might be a good choice to eliminate the need to have hundreds or even thousands of documents and records in storage.

Gamma Irradiation

Gamma irradiation is a process used for cleaning/disinfecting and decontaminating documents or other consumer goods. In a CAT 3 situation (sewage or flood water), documents are not only deteriorating but are also infected with all types of bacteria. In most storm situations, you are dealing with CAT 3 water; therefore, most of the affected documents you encounter will be contaminated. If this is the case, decontamination is always a must. In living cells, these disruptions result in damage to the DNA and other cellular structures. These photoninduced changes at the molecular level cause the death of the organism or render the organism incapable of reproduction. The gamma process does not create residuals or impart radioactivity in processed products.

Certified Destruction

Unfortunately, many businesses and government agencies have to dispose of counterfeit, faulty, expired or contaminated materials. All entities need to be certified that their products and materials are destroyed. The guarantee of certified destruction is to protect one’s liabilities, brand image or proprietary information. We guarantee certified destruction to give you peace of mind that your documents are disposed of properly.

SERVPRO’s goal is to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Contact SERVPRO of Franklin County for more information on Document Restoration services.

St. Clair MO, Water Loss - Nathan Chase

9/7/2018 (Permalink)

Nathan Chase St. Clair MO Insurance Agent Water Damage

Nathan Chase is used to dealing with damage to his customer’s homes, but recently he had to experience it firsthand.

Chase, a State Farm agent in St. Clair came home from his vacation in Branson and found water leaking through his hallway ceiling.

“Upon further inspection, the ceiling was so wet/damaged that you could basically just poke your finger through it like it was a wet paper towel,” Chase said. “It was a sickening feeling to see.”

Although Chase has worked in the insurance industry for years, this was his first time going through a loss at his own home.

“Working in the insurance industry, I get to hear about stories like this quite often, but this was the first time I’d actually experienced it myself,” Chase said. “I immediately called Jerry Alvey, the owner of SERVPRO in Union, MO. He had his crew there in no time.”

SERVPRO found that Chase had a leaky pipe from his upstairs bathroom that had caused a crack in the ceiling. There was also a bit of mold inside the ceiling. Chase was impressed that the owner was helping in the cleanup.

“Jerry, the owner himself, was on a ladder cleaning and scrubbing/removing the mold,” he said. Chase also was pleased at how SERVPRO’s crew conducted itself.    

“His crew was so cautious during the work, taking every extra step to keep the surrounding area clean and protected while they worked, even wiping down baseboards/doorways/pictures after every session of work they completed over the last few days,” he said.

“His crew was respectful, always right on time, always over-prepared, and even assisted us in matching the paint color perfectly.”

The phrase “like it never even happened” is synonymous with SERVPRO, and Chase said SPFC lived up to that billing. 

“Without question, my hallway actually looks better than it did two weeks ago,” he said. “They are very true to their SERVPRO motto, ‘Like it never even happened.’ Please take it from me and call them first if you ever need help. They help with fire and water damage, cleanup and restoration, and are also amazing at cleaning carpets and furniture.”