Commercial Emergency Ready Profiles in Des Moines

1/6/2021 (Permalink)

When walking into your Polk or Dallas county commercial property after a fire, we recognize that it may be hard for you to know what to expect. As an owner or office manager, you’ll anticipate significant loss due to fire and smoke damage, but what about water? Expecting water damage after a fire may not be your first thought, but fire and water damages go hand in hand.

One of the primary reasons of water loss during a fire is, of course, the fire hose. The large diameter, high pressure hoses can expel hundreds of gallons of water per minute. Extinguishing of the flames can lead to severe water damage in your facility. Depending on the size and extent of the fire, you might have significant property loss due to fire, smoke and water. 

Does your Urbandale or Des Moines business have sprinkler systems? Water Sprinkler systems are commonly installed in commercial and industrial buildings. Although, they can save lives and the structure of the building when a fire occurs, they will usually cause water damage when putting out the fire or if the system malfunctions. Fire Sprinklers are activated when the mercury filled bulb bursts. It is thought by many that they are triggered by smoke, but they are actually activated by heat – typically 135°^F- 165°^F. Failures can occur with the sprinkler heads if the water line freezes or if the head gets hit. That is why SERPVRO of Des Moines NW suggests that it is important to know where your sprinkler line valves are located. Knowing where the valve shut offs are can save your business in the case of a malfunction.

Suppression or Sprinkler systems can also cause extensive water damage. The extent of the flooding will of course depend on the type of system used. Some do not use water, while others may only release sprinklers in the area where the fire damage is occurring, leaving other spaces dry. Although there are many different types, don’t cross the suppression system off your list of items to carefully consider and plan for in case of an emergency.

Water damage can also occur because of damaged pipes. The temperatures in violent fires often reach the melting points of certain metals and plastics used. If the fire reaches these temperatures, pipes may melt, warp, or break, meaning that water can flow freely from pipes until the system is shut down.

Commercial property owners should plan accordingly for the worst case scenario and it's often a good idea to have an emergency ready profile in place for water and fire damage. Having a plan in place and knowing that one problem can lead to others may allow you to better prepare for emergencies. Contact SERVPRO of Des Moines NW, your remediation and restorations professionals, to discuss disaster planning and strategies at 515-986-3711.