Causes and Effects of a Fire on a University Campus and the Importance of Rapid Fire Damage Restoration

9/8/2022 (Permalink)

Blog Summary: SERVPRO of Waxahachie/Midlothian explains how university and college campuses in Midlothian, TX, can address a fire damage disaster.

SERVPRO® of Waxahachie/Midlothian provides fire damage cleanup and restoration for college campuses in the Midlothian, TX, area. In many ways, a college or university campus is like a small, tight-knit community with a population ranging from just a few thousand to over 100,000 students, faculty, and staff. The comfortable, cozy accommodations are a home for the co-eds to experience life, learn skills needed for a successful professional or technical career, and earn a prized degree from the academic institution of their choice. However, an unanticipated fire can shatter this idyllic educational environment in a matter of minutes. A fire at a university can have consequences that reach into every facet of campus life, depending on the location and extent of the property damage.

The majority of fires on university campuses occur in dormitories. The most frequent causes of fire are listed as follows:

• Smoking
• Cooking
• Overloaded electrical outlets
• Alcohol-related activity in which inebriated students engage in behaviors that elevate the risk of a fire

Fire safety in the home is much less complex than fire safety in a housing facility with hundreds of rooms, multiple stories, and limited exits. Lack of familiarity with fire survival and escape protocols can lead to dangerous or fatal consequences. A dorm room fire can quickly spread from one room to another, causing extensive damage to the facility and the loss of students’ personal belongings. Fire and smoke damage can render large sections of a dormitory or high-rise student apartment complex uninhabitable for days, weeks, or even months. Smoke damage and water damage from fire suppression sprinklers and the fire department’s efforts to extinguish the blaze may cause damage far in excess of the actual damage from the flames.

The dormitory may be determined to be uninhabitable until the damage cleanup and restoration process has been completed and the building has been inspected and declared safe. In the meantime, alternate living accommodations must be obtained for the student population displaced by the fire. The services of area hotels may be enlisted to meet these housing needs. If the restoration process is extensive or delayed, the cost of alternative housing could be massive.

A fire in a classroom setting may damage equipment, curriculum, and student projects, so a substitute classroom must be located. If a course requires special equipment, as in the case of a chemistry or biology class, the challenges may be insurmountable in the short term. A virtual classroom works for lectures, but hands-on activities like animal dissections and dangerous chemical experiments do not work in a virtual setting. Postponement may be the only option until the restoration project is completed.

Campus dining halls are not immune to fires and fire damage. However, the fact that personnel and staff are well-trained in fire prevention and mitigation means that the fires that do occur are usually extinguished quickly with little to no interruption of services.

Fires occurring in administrative offices are often quickly suppressed by fire sprinklers or employees who have fire prevention training. Quick, decisive action with a fire extinguisher or fire blanket may prevent the activation of the fire sprinkler system, preventing or greatly reducing water damage associated with the activation of the system. A negative consequence of fire damage in an administrative building may involve the damage or destruction of vital documents, computers, copy machines, or other electronics. Cloud storage capabilities, remote work from home or another location on campus may make the disruption and relocation a minimal and temporary inconvenience.

Disruptions on a college campus can be disastrous, especially disruptions from a fire. Listed below are reasons to pre-qualify SERVPRO of Waxahachie as the dedicated property damage cleanup and restoration service provider for the entire university or college.

1. Availability 24/7, 365 days a year, including holidays

The SERVPRO team of well-equipped, experienced, and IICRC-certified technicians are always available on weekends, holidays, and game days which is important since the population of the university may increase by as much as 100,000 if the football stadium is at capacity.

2. Rapid response and quick cleanup

The one call the university decision-maker places to SERVPRO of Waxahachie yields a rapid response. Crews arrive on the scene in about an hour to inspect and assess the damage and begin the cleanup and restoration project.

3. A detailed and well-documented estimate

A highly trained technician inspects and assesses the damage, creating a detailed estimate that includes images and videos. The estimate eliminates surprises and is very helpful in the insurance claims process, which SERVPRO can handle from beginning to end.

4. Ability to scale

The concentration of SERVPRO service providers in the DFW metro area means that SERVPRO is an excellent choice for a dorm room fire or a dormitory fire involving extensive damage on multiple floors or the entire facility. No other property damage company can provide a large-loss response on a par with the SERVPRO franchise family. Whether the situation calls for two crews or twenty crews, the response is still rapid and the cleanup and restoration quick.

5. Experience facing challenging situations

SERVPRO of Waxahachie/Midlothian and the larger SERVPRO franchise family have a proven track record of success working on large-loss cleanup and restoration projects. This success with large-scale disasters breeds excellence.

For more information about fire damage restoration in Midlothian, TX, contact the office by phone at (972) 935-0827 or email at acarey@SERVPRO10932.com.