REMEDIATION SERVICES
We pride ourselves in preserving and restoring items initially thought to be damaged beyond repair, using advanced restoration techniques and specialist products. Remediation services are primarily oriented towards meaningful response to post-disaster situations.
DISASTER RECOVERY
Fire Damage
The after-effects of fire can be devastating to your business or household.
It is imperative that fire and smoke damage be treated immediately in order to achieve a higher rate of restoration success. Due to the complexities of treating smoke particles (which can include tar, carcinogens, heavy metals and toxic chemicals) it is important to realise that this type of cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Once SRT is appointed, we will protect your property from further damage or theft. We will help search for, salvage and attempt to restore items.
We will work with you and your loss adjuster and insurance company through the process of what possessions can be saved and restored and what will be written off as a total loss. Each of your belongings will be recorded, photographed and barcoded for tracking purposes.
During the restoration process our aim is to restore your property to its pre-damaged condition. We do not charge for any items that we are not able to restore in full, thus eliminating risk on behalf of the insured and insurer.
Do's and don'ts after a fire
- Do wear safety shoes, hard hats and masks when entering the property for your own personal safety.
- Do remove valuables (e.g. jewellery, cash, wallets, ID documents, birth certificates etc.)
- Do not switch on any appliance or electronic device even if it seems unaffected.
- Do not attempt to clean affected contents or areas yourself. It is usually more difficult to assess the extent of the damage and to formulate an action plan on how to treat it if inexperienced people try to rectify it themselves.
Household fires are very traumatic for occupants as in severe cases you literally escape with the clothes on your back! Once all family members are accounted for, the shock and horror of the situation is a daunting prospect to face. From finding alternative accommodation, to clothing to school books and recovery of laptops, the list of things to do is seemingly endless!
We at SRT have enormous empathy for families affected by a fire. Our staff is well trained to assist and guide you through the process. We have done this for hundreds of families to date and we are extremely sensitive to your well-being and to ensure that you move through this disaster quickly and efficiently with the least amount of stress possible.
We attempt to recover from the disaster site whatever is immediately necessary and to attend to the decontamination and restoration of items which are mildly affected in order to put you back on your feet again! This includes recovery of data from laptops, restoration of school uniforms and books, rescuing photo albums and mementos, as well as boarding up and securing the premises.
Although years of memories were affected, contaminated, or destroyed in minutes – don’t despair – we have been able to restore precious heirlooms to their former glory.
Office Fires
Even the slightest interruption to normal business activity in a single operation can have serious implications for the whole chain of businesses up and downstream from it. In the event of a fire whereby none of the facilities are usable immediately, such consequences can be disastrous. It is somewhat comforting that everything is properly covered or insured, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for time, business relationships, goodwill, and reputation – the very pillars that support any reputable businesses ensuring their future.
SRT will ensure that these very values are preserved by providing quick response, client oriented management of reinstatement process and “whatever it takes” approach to any challenge along the way. From installing temporary networks, 48-hour turnaround time on IT components, through finding and kitting-out alternative offices to moving entire production lines, we have a single objective – getting you back in business as soon as possible.
Restaurant Fires
Maybe more so than in any other business venture, reputation is the mainstay of hospitality in general, and restaurant industry in particular. Ghastly consequences of the fire such as blackened walls, sludge on the floors and toxic soot in every nook and cranny, easily and quickly lead to perceptions that could prove disastrous for the business. Even subconsciously every guest walking into the restaurant “that had a fire” will be smelling the air, checking the chair before sitting in it and even the salt shaker before using it. The cost of failure will be paid by the reputation and no savings made in using a “bucket brigade” to “do a wipe down” will compensate for it for years to come.
SRT, with its 20 years’ experience, have restored numerous restaurants back to business in record time and will ensure that your greatest asset and commitment to your patrons is reaffirmed and even enhanced following a catastrophic event. Supported by an army of suppliers and service providers such as electrical, building, extraction system, POS, IT, catering equipment contractors and more as well as through our fully fledged in house shop fitting / joinery department, logistics and procurement divisions, we will ensure that all required work is kept under a single roof, eliminating delays and misunderstandings between various contractors.
Hotel / Hospitality Industry Fires
It might not be obvious, but any hospitality industry / accommodation business is indeed a very complex operation, as can be verified by any hotel / operations manager. A chip fryer fire in the kitchen has the potential of closing down the entire establishment for the duration of reinstatement. Even in the unlikely event that some or all the rooms are free of contaminants following such event, the kitchen is rendered unusable with all the consequences thereof, and corridors might be smelly and carpets dirty or flooded by actions of the fire brigade. In many instances the unfortunate situation is further exacerbated by engagement of its own staff to “clean-up”, unavoidably leading to further damage and delays.
In these complex conditions, SRT’s 20 years‘ experience and expertise in dealing with all aspects of the reinstatement project will be at your disposal to determine the best way forward based on known outcomes. Supported by an army of suppliers and service providers such as electrical, building, extraction system, POS, IT, catering equipment contractors and more as well as through our fully fledged in house shop fitting / joinery department, logistics and procurement divisions, we will ensure that all required work is kept under a single roof, eliminating delays and misunderstandings between various contractors.
Factory Fires
Production lines and facilities in general are finely tuned operations, based on years of experience and best possible technology available to the management. Whilst these systems might be robust and can deal with known disruptions (raw material shortages, labor problems, breakdowns of machinery and so on), fires have the habit of occurring on general support systems, such as electrical distribution boards, boilers or on a single machine, thus causing disruption throughout the facility. The resulting damage (or simple contamination) renders the remainder of the production lines unusable and/or the environment unsafe for occupation.
In these complex conditions, SRT’s 20 years‘ experience and expertise in dealing with all aspects of the reinstatement project, will be at your disposal to determine the best way forward based on known outcomes. Upon a short inspection, we will be able to present you with options and through mutual interaction, determine the best possible way forward within realistic timelines.
The vast difference between fire damage and a breakdown, allows for service providers/agents to be welcome participants in the process, but not competent to deal with fire restoration as such. Whilst they are indeed best qualified to undertake any repair, one must not forget that the problem is not a breakdown, but a fire with consequences and actual extent of damage known to experts only. Attempts to remedy the situation “in-house” will result in delays and possible further damage if not treated correctly.
Here’s why – acidic build-up induced by fumes during the fire and soot in the aftermath, coupled with water from the fire brigade are undeniably the main cause of damage to any surface and machine, not heat as commonly thought. The remediation operation is designed to eliminate latent and prevent further damage, using specialist decontamination techniques. After this is done, the service provider / agent is engaged to fully test the machine for all functionality.
Hospital and Medical Facilities Fires
Over the 20 years we have participated in a number of medical facilities reinstatement projects following fire related incidents. By its nature, these were different to any other facilities fires for obvious reasons, but carried some similarities as well. Doors, windows, sanitary ware, AC systems, electrical system, floors and wall coverings were successfully decontaminated. Our mobile workshop in conjunction with truck mount carpet cleaning and high pressure jetting / vacuuming unit proved indispensable to achieve best possible outcome and provide clean surfaces for further work.
Various apparatus and equipment was successfully restored and enabled continuation of operations within a short period. Our logistics department provided full inventories of all damaged items which was used as a basis for formulating the claim and as a platform for further engagement between the insurers and the claimant.
Retail Facilities Fires
In all non-catastrophic retail fires, the most important aspect is time. Perishables and other merchandise can usually be replaced in short period, but all retail, refrigeration, IT, POS and other equipment and fittings take time and considerable effort to reinstate and project-manage between numerous contractors. The result is prolonged down time and unnecessary cost escalations.
Recognising the problems we have encountered, we at SRT developed a structured, but flexible project management program aimed at addressing every aspect of this type of project. Further, we are proud of our mobile workshop, work stations and other logistical support equipment which enables us to cover every aspect of this type of complexity. We can deploy cleaning/logistic equipment enough to position 60 workers in each shift and conduct the following ON SITE:
- Merchandise removal / re-positioning;
- Simultaneous decontamination of shop shelving and display units;
- Complete dismantling, removal, decontamination and re-installation of all components of refrigeration equipment;
- Corrosion removal, servicing and repairs to deli, bakery and butchery equipment;
- Repairs / manufacture / installation of shop fittings;
- Decontamination and odour neutralization of shop structure;
Numerous projects completed to date have been for enhancing our network of specialized service providers that work hand in hand with us on specialized repairs, servicing, calibration, and alike enables us to provide truly refurbished items following our process. On most of the restored equipment, we offer a reasonable guarantee on repairs and workmanship, depending on the overall pre-fire condition and age of the item.
