Light the Night Safely

12/5/2017 (Permalink)

Pretty lights, candles, and decorations are just a few of the items bringing charm and cheer to the holiday season—however, if they are not used carefully your holidays may go from festive to frightening.

The American Red Cross offers the following safety tips to help greatly reduce the fire risk in your home or business this holiday season.

• Place Christmas trees, candles, and other holiday decorations at least three feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, portable heaters, radiators, and heat vents.
• Make sure that light strings and other holiday decorations are in good condition. Do not use anything with frayed electrical cords and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Always unplug the tree and holiday lights before leaving the property or going to bed.
• Never use lit candles to decorate a tree. Always extinguish candles before leaving the room or going to bed.

SERVPRO® of Orange/Nederland/Lumberton wishes you and your family a safe & happy holiday season!

Every Second Counts

12/5/2017 (Permalink)

Every second counts during a fire. Fire experts agree; people have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late to get out. In a matter of moments, a small flame can become a major fire, making it critical to be prepared and have an escape plan in place.  The American Red Cross suggests that families have a developed and practice a home fire escape plan. Here are a few suggestions to help you and your family to develop an emergency escape plan:

• Draw a map of each level—Show all doors and windows. Find two ways to get out of each room. Make sure that all doors and windows that lead outside open easily.
• Consider escape ladders—This is something to consider for sleeping areas on the second and third floors. Only purchase collapsible escape ladders evaluated by a recognized testing laboratory. Store them near the window where they will be used.
• Choose an outdoor meeting place—Make sure the meeting place is a safe distance in front of your home, where everyone can meet after they’ve escaped. Make sure to mark the location of the meeting place on your escape plan.
• Teach children—Teach them how to escape on their own in case you cannot help them. Plan for everyone in your home, with special considerations for elderly or disabled individuals.
• Practice makes perfect—Practice your fire escape plan during the day and at nighttime, at least twice a year.

Celebrate Summer Safety

7/18/2017 (Permalink)

A fire on the beach enjoying the summer

SERVPRO is “Ready for whatever happens.”

You Can Be Too This Summer

Each year, families and friends across the country enjoy the summer months with barbecues, camping trips, or by cooling off in a pool or lake. To enjoy these occasions, it is important to keep safety top of mind to ensure you have fun in the sun.

According to a recent study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 11,900 Americans are injured by fireworks in 2015, with the majority happening in the month surrounding the Fourth of July. Another 8,700 are injured by charcoal/wood-burning and propane grill fires.  A grill should always be supervised when in use.  Keep children and pets a safe distance from the grilling area to prevent accidental burns or tipping of the grill.

Grills also cause an average of 8,900 home structure or outdoor fires. “These fires caused an annual average of 50 civilian injuries and $2 million in direct property damage,” according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

If you enjoy lounging by the pool or going for a boat ride to cool off from the summer sun, make sure you exercise caution, especially when children are present. Only swim in the approved areas and supervise children at all times when near the water.

The summer season should be a time to make memories and enjoy the great outdoors. Don’t become a statistic.  Take precautions to prevent these events from putting a damper on the your summer months.

CELEBRATE SUMMER SAFETY

Summer is a time to enjoy the great outdoors, but it is also important to keep safety in mind. Consider the following tips, provided by the Nation Fire Protection Association, to keep you and your family safe all summer long.

• When using a charcoal grill, only use starter fluids designed for barbecue grills; do not add fluid after the coals have been lit.
• When using a gas grill, ensure the hose connection is tight; check hoses for leaks. Applying soapy water to the hoses will easily and safely reveal any leaks.
• When camping, always use a flame-retardant tent and set up camp far away from the campfire.
• Always build a campfire downwind from the tent area. Clear vegetation and dig a pit before building your fire. Extinguish the fire before going to sleep or leaving the campsite.
• Store liquid fire starter (not gasoline) away from your tent and campfire and only use dry kindling to freshen a campfire.

Your local SERVPRO Franchise Professionals wish you a safe and happy summer.

Extreme Heat

6/1/2017 (Permalink)

Helpful tips on how to stay safe

Extreme Heat

            As summer approaches, it is time to consider safety precautions for extreme heat in the coming months. Heat affects all people, but especially the young, elderly, sick, and overweight. Urban area residents also have a greater chance of being affected than those who live in rural areas due to the heat island effect.

            According to the EPA, “the sun can heat dry, exposed urban surfaces, such as roofs and pavement, to temperatures 50-90 degree F hotter than the air, while shaded or moist surfaces-often in more rural surroundings-remain close to air temperatures.” These surface heat islands are strongest during the day when the sun is shining, while the atmospheric heat islands are more likely after sunset “due to the slow release of heat from urban infrastructure.”

            Whether you are in an urban or rural area, there are several things you can do to prepare for and prevent extreme heat from affecting you. If possible, stay indoors in air conditioning. Be sure to check on your pets that may be outdoors or bring them inside. Stay hydrated and limit alcohol and caffeine intake.

            If you must go outside, wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing, and be sure to apply sunscreen often. Pay attention to signs of heat exhaustion, which are heavy sweating; weakness; cold, pale and clammy skin; nausea or vomiting; and fainting, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which is life-threatening. Signs of heat stroke are a high body temperature (103 degree F), rapid and strong pulse, and possible unconsciousness. If you think someone has heat stroke, call 911 immediately and move the person somewhere cool, wet clothes or a bath. Do not give a person with heat stroke fluids, and treat the situation as a serious medical emergency (CDC).

            If you live in a humid climate, be aware of the heat index. The heat index factors in the humidity, which can make the temperature fell 15 degrees hotter.

            Extreme heat is a serious danger. For more information on preparation and prevention, visit ready.gov or cdc.gov.

Extreme Heat Safety tips to Prepare Your Home

• Install window air conditioners snugly; insulate if necessary.
• Check air-conditioning ducts for proper insulation.
• Install temporary window reflectors (for use between windows and drapes) such as aluminum foil-covered cardboard, to reflect heat back outside.
• Weather-strip doors and sills to keep cool air in.
• Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings, or louvers. (Outdoor awnings or lovers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent.)
• Keep storm windows up all year.

Winter Ready

11/28/2016 (Permalink)

This is a picture of SERVPRO of Beaumont helping out a commercial building after a major water loss.

Is Your Property Winter Ready?

            Cold weather can have a huge impact on your home or business if you are not properly prepared. Whether it is heavy rain, freezing temperatures, damaging winds, sleet or snow, all can cause serious and costly property damage. While you cannot control the weather, you can take steps to be prepared and help take the sting out of winter weather.

            To help prevent costly damages due to weather, consider taking the following precautions to protect your property before colder weather hits.

• Check your business property for downed tree limbs and branches. Weather, such as wind, heavy rain, ice and snow, can cause branches to fall, which could cause damage to the property and potentially cause personal injuries.
• Roofs, water pipes and gutters should all be inspected to ensure they are in proper order. Gutter downspouts should be directed away from your home or building. Clear gutters of debris that may have gathered during the fall. Leaves and other obstructions can lead to a damming effect, that can lead to roof damage and interior water problems.
• Inspect property, especially walkways and parking lots, for proper drainage to alleviate flood hazard potential.
• Inspect all handrails, stairwells and entryways to address and correct potential slippery or hazardous areas. Install mats or non-slip surfaces and post caution signs where water could be present.
• Protect water pipes from freezing by simply allowing water to drip when temperatures dip below freezing. If pipes are under a cabinet, leave the cabinet doors open allowing warm inside air to circulate around the pipes. If the building has outdoor faucets, consider shutting water off at the main valve in the basement or crawl space. Once the valve is off, open the outdoor faucet to ensure it drains, preventing any remaining water from freezing in the pipe.
• Ask the SERVPRO of Beaumont franchise business professionals about completing an Emergency READY Profile (ERP) for your business. The ERP is a no cost assessment to your facility, and provides you with a plan to get back in business fast following a disaster.

When winter weather strikes, call The SERVPRO of Beaumont professionals to strike back.

New Ownership

3/7/2016 (Permalink)

This is a picture of the facility and some of the vehicles.

The SERVPRO of Beaumont was recently bought by Bill Callahan and Lucas Bell.  Before the acquistion Bill and Lucas owned the SERVPRO of Orange/Nederland/Lumberton.  The new owners have combined both businesses under one roof which is located in Beaumont, Texas.  The SERVPRO of Beaumont is a full service fire and water restorartion and build back company.  The company is locally owned which both owners have lived in Southeast Texas for over thirty five years each.  SERVPRO of Beaumont is here to help twenty four hours a day three hunderd sixty five days a year.