Toronto, Canada, March 23, 2016 – Flood Services Canada (www.floodservices.ca), a leading quick response company for water damage remediation, has recently finished a large-scale fire and water damage remediation project at a religious establishment within the Greater Toronto Area. The restoration and remediation efforts took weeks to complete as response teams grappled with the challenges presented by the 6,000-square foot site.
“There were three unusual situations that made this remediation more involved than usual,” explains Chad Vanvari, the owner of Flood Services Canada. “The first and most obvious were the multiple elements involved. Not only did this building catch fire and suffer smoke damage, but the firefighter response caused water damage as well.”
The damage itself was highly extensive. Most of the building’s materials were affected by the blaze and there was lingering char, smoke, and soot damage as well. Specialized soda blasting and smoke sealing contractors had to be brought in as a way to meet the needs of the project.
“Other equipment such as water extractors, thermo foggers, carpet cleaning, drying equipment, and odour removers were also employed by our response teams,” Vanvari explains. “However, it became immediately apparent that getting all these devices operational involved more hurdles than normal.”
Each type of remediation has its own set of industry standards, IICRC guidelines, health and safety procedures, and provincial and federal guidelines. Teams had to navigate all three simultaneously during their work while still acting quickly to prevent long-term property damage.
“The power was also out,” relates Vanvari. “It had been turned off by the city as a safety precaution. This meant teams had to bring in numerous generators and could only rely on their own tools and equipment. Anything on-site, like the sump pump, was unavailable, restricting certain options.”
In addition to following separate procedures and guidelines for the multiple forms of damage, the sheer extent of the fire, smoke, and water damage itself, and the lack of on-site power, the remediation teams also had to work in sub-zero temperatures. Despite these challenges, teams were able to extract the water, clean, dry, deodorize, sanitize, and remediate the building, and do so in a timely fashion.
“This type of job wasn’t unprecedented, but it was definitely rare, and it’s a testament to the teams’ training, commitment, and professionalism that they were able to pull it off so well.”
In total, the fire, smoke, and water damage was estimated at $500,000 and it took three weeks to complete a full and thorough fire and smoke remediation and odour control of the property.
About Flood Services Canada
Flood Services Canada is made up of several quick-response teams that are leaders in flood remediation, mould removal, and other loss prevention techniques. Its specialties include fire, flood, and sewage backup remediation and clean-up. More information about Flood Services Canada and their operations can be found on their web site at www.FloodServices.ca.
