Business Planning & Mitigation

8/24/2022 (Permalink)

In recognition of the National Preparedness Month of September, we continue with some recommended business planning activities that should be performed to prepare organizations for potential hazards and emergencies that their businesses may encounter.  Whether there is a natural disaster such as a flood, tornado, or storm damage, a health hazard such as a viral epidemic or bacterial contamination, or other emergency due to an accident, equipment failure, or even an act of violence or terrorism, business emergency plans are essential for sustaining business operations and keeping staff and customers safe.

There are many resources organizations can use to plan for emergencies, including the Ready Business Toolkits put together by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which offer business leaders step-by-step guides to planning for specific types of emergencies.  Each toolkit contains the following sections: Identifying risk, Developing a plan, Taking action, and Being recognized and inspiring others (https://www.ready.gov/business).  Another resource is the SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile, which can help minimize business interruptions by having an immediate plan of action and knowing what to do in advance should an emergency occur (https://ready.SERVPRO.com).  These and any other types of emergency preparedness plans should focus on prevention, mitigation actions, return to operations, and business continuity following a disaster. 

SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee is here to help for your commercial mitigation needs.  We offer fire and water restoration services, mold remediation, and even biohazard cleanup.  This includes our Certified SERVPRO Cleaned program, which offers a high standard of cleaning for workplace COVID-19 infections and other viral pathogens.  Call us at (734) 299-7006 for a consultation and estimate whenever mitigation is needed for your business!

Fire Damage In Your Flat Rock, MI Business

8/2/2021 (Permalink)

A fire in your business, regardless of the size, can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with.  If this happens, you want to regain control as quickly as possible to avoid disruptions in your business, and minimize the time that you have to be closed, and therefore losing income essential to your company’s survival.  

Specifically trained in the cleanup and care of your business and equipment, SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee will arrive on site within hours of the loss to begin mitigation services.  We understand that timely response could prevent business closure and revenue loss, and our goal is to get you back to normal and “Like it never even happened,” as fast as physically possible. 

Communicating the extent of damage, indicating how the damage may be handled and providing reassurance are just some of the initial steps taken to help begin the restoration process.  Rest assured, your business and your belongings are in good hands.

SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee is available and on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help get you back up and running.  Call us today at (734) 299-7006 if you have had a fire and need help or have questions on the fire restoration process.

Ready For Any Size Disaster

7/19/2021 (Permalink)

7/1/2021

A fire, water, or mold related disaster is always unexpected and an inconvenience in your place of business.  Every hour spent mitigating the damage is an hour of lost productivity and revenue for the company.  At SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee, we have the resources and expertise to give you excellent results in a timely manner.  SERVPRO can help with any commercial loss, including:

• Small Office Buildings
• Large Office/High-Rise Office Buildings
• Apartment Buildings
• Retirement Communities
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Churches
• Small Retail Stores
• Large Retail Stores
• Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities

As always, SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee is prepared for any emergency you may have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Call Us Today - 734-299-7006 to get your business back up and running.

How to Protect Your Business From the Unexpected

6/7/2021 (Permalink)

When it comes to natural disasters, we tend to think of floods, tornadoes and damaging storms.  As a business owner there are things we can do to prepare if a disaster should strike our business.

In this blog, we will cover steps you can take to prepare your business for the unexpected so that you can reduce your downtime and losses.

Protect Your Data

If you are like most businesses, you have a lot of data or information saved on your computers. You may have billing, contacts, payroll, taxes, and other documents saved on your computers. You may have CAD files or photos or other data for your clients’ projects. Needless to say, you probably would lose some money and perhaps lots of money if the data on your computers were destroyed.

While you may not be able to save everything that you and your staff do on your computers, you can save and recover most of it if you save your data in the cloud at an offsite server facility. There are many companies out there that provide backup and recovery services for businesses. It’s important that once you do choose a backup provider, that you use it. Many businesses learn too late that they weren’t backing up their data on a regular basis.

Plan for Loss of Power

Is your business capable of operating if you lose power? It’s not uncommon for businesses to lose power after big storms. If your business requires power to operate, you may want to have generators available to provide emergency power. You may just need them for lights or you may need them to power heaters or air conditioners in order to protect your inventory from extreme temperatures.

It’s important to create a plan of what to power in order to ensure you have enough generators and enough fuel to keep the emergency power going for a few days. You don’t want to not have enough power or run out of fuel after 6 hours.

Plan to Work Off Site

If your business is flooded or destroyed by a tornado, can it operate elsewhere? If your business works mainly online, then operating your business from laptops at home or elsewhere may not be too much of an inconvenience. If you rely on equipment or materials that are stored at your business, operating remotely may be a little more difficult. Still, it is a good idea to consider creating a contingency plan in the event that your business site is inaccessible. Are there other locations that your business could operate in an emergency? Are there jobs that can be done while your business site is closed? Having these plans planned in advance can help your business avoid any long down times.

Develop An Emergency Plan

As discussed in the previous section, having an emergency plan can save you time and money. Your emergency plan should be available and shared with all of your employees. It needs to contain phone numbers and/or a phone tree so everyone can be kept up to date. It needs to include what to do in case the office is closed. It should include what steps to take if your business is damaged. If you are a large business, you may want to delegate critical recovery roles to certain team members. An effective emergency plan should be thorough and precise and leave no one guessing what to do next.

After The Storm - Hire the Commercial Restoration Pros

One of the first steps you should take after your business has been damaged by flood waters, storms, and/or a tornado is to call the restoration professionals at SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee. They have the tools and expertise to handle any size disaster. Whether it is water damage, fire damage, or other storm damage, they can get to work right away so you can get back to business as usual as soon as possible. Give us a call the next time your business suffers the unexpected from a natural disaster.

Escape Plan

9/8/2020 (Permalink)

4 Must- Have Items In Your Emergency Escape Plan

Fire escape plans are essential for any business, not only for the safety of your employees but also for those who come and go from the offices. Not having a strategy can cause confusion that can lead to unnecessary injuries and an increased amount of property damage. Include these four must-have items in your emergency escape plan.

1. Roles

Put together a chain of command. Delegate one person to take charge of the evacuation plan from start to finish. Pick individuals to escort employees, customers and contractors from the building to a pre-planned meeting area. Others to include in the emergency escape plan are those in charge of the shutdown of utilities and those who aid disabled or injured people.

2. Evacuation Routes

Design a map showing all evacuation routes. Due to the drills you have, your employees will know where all the exit doors are; however, customers and contractors who are not familiar with the building need a map that is easy to read. Several websites have templates for devising a fire escape plan.

3. Headcount

Choose someone to keep a headcount of everyone exiting the building. As part of your business, if applicable, use a sign-in sheet to keep track of people going in and out of your offices. The person in charge of the headcount can utilize the sign-in sheet and check off those accounted for.

4. Employee Training and Drills

After putting together the fire escape plan, it’s time for the drills. Practice at least twice a year, preferably more. Include medical preparation as part of the exercise. The American Red Cross provides training and certification classes in basic first aid and CPR for businesses and organizations.
It is ultimately your job to ensure the safety and well-being of those in the building. A fire escape plan can make your staff more confident they can get themselves and others out of a dangerous situation. A fire damage specialist is a great person to speak with to organize the best safety plan for your business.

Finally, contact SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee to set up your Free Emergency Ready Profile at 734-299-7006.

Forgotten Causes of Commercial Water Damage

7/21/2020 (Permalink)

Business owners usually think commercial water damage is caused by floods, massive rains, and storms. That’s often true. Weather events, storms, and flooding do shut down businesses and create major water damage in commercial buildings. Unfortunately, many business owners, commercial space renters, and entrepreneurs don’t think about and try to prevent other typical causes of water damage.   

1. Sprinkler systems 

Some older office and retail buildings have outdated sprinkler systems that work in conjunction with fire protection systems. While sprinklers can come in handy during a fire emergency, they can also cause commercial flood damage if they are faulty, not well maintained, or in need of replacement. Many a time a poor sprinkler system has damaged commercial inventory and business assets and shut down business. Check your system to make sure that it’s not faulty or in need of repair or replacement.

2. Appliances and equipment 

Restaurants and catering businesses sometimes suffer water damage from their appliances or equipment. But any business that has appliances or equipment that use water could suffer water damage. If an appliance fails and spews water across your commercial building, especially during late hours when no one is around, you may come back to work and face a water damage emergency. 

3. Pipes and plumbing 

Just like in a residential home, the plumbing system in a commercial business can fail. A broken pipe or faulty plumbing can result in major water damage in just a few hours. 

4. Sewer lines 

Sewer backups are another cause of commercial water damage that often catches business owners by surprise. Should the sewer line to your building back up or become damaged, realize the potential dangers of contaminated black water which can cause health effects and ruin products and office furnishings. 

5. Water Heaters 

Water heaters in commercial buildings can crack or lose their seal because of high pressure. You want to make sure and follow the manufacturers guidelines and flush your water heater regularly to make sure it is working properly.

6. Roofing

One of the more obvious ways commercial buildings suffer water damage is through an old or leaky roof. Inspect the roof frequently (at least every six months) to make sure it does not need to be reseal and to be sure it drains properly. Even small leaks should be fixed immediately.

If your commercial business experiences any sort of water damage call the professionals at SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee at 734-299-7006.

Proactive Cleaning Done Right

6/26/2020 (Permalink)

Highly sensitive electrical room at galvanizing factory

At the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic, many commercial facilities were scrambling to get their facilities sanitized and disinfected.  SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee was happy to answer the call of this 250,000 square foot galvanizing plant in Monroe County to clean and sanitize to insure the safety and health of their workers.

With many highly sensitive electrical tools and mechanics throughout the plant, our highly trained SERVPRO technicians were able to delicately and thoroughly clean and disinfect all high traffic and high touch areas of the building as well as control areas.

Cleanup and Disinfecting Procedures

Cleanup procedures generally include cleaning of porous and non-porous surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools, and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and disposal of waste.  

The CDC recommends usage of a labeled hospital-grade disinfectant with claims against similar type organisms to COVID-19. 

SERVPROXIDE™, SERVPRO’s proprietary disinfectant, is a hospital-grade disinfectant that has demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to COVID-19 on hard, non-porous surfaces. Currently there are no disinfectants that have been tested specifically for this particular emerging viral pathogen. However, per the CDC, this product can be used against COVID-19.  In addition, SERVPROXIDE™ currently has dozens of EPA-approved claims including Feline coronavirus, Canine coronavirus, Staphylococcus (MRSA), E. coli, Salmonella, Rotavirus, Swine flu (H1N1) and more. Porous materials like carpet, rugs, upholstered items, and draperies that are not water sensitive can also be wet cleaned using SERVPROXIDE™.

Water Damage in Commercial Property in Monroe, Mi

9/12/2019 (Permalink)

Flooded hallway in apartment building

Poor workmanship was cause for a multi-floor flood in this retirement community located in Monroe, MI.  Plumbing pipes were mistakenly cut which resulted in a rush of water from the ceiling of the fifth floor causing damage all the way down to the third floor of this recently renovated apartment community.  Fortunately, SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee had recently provided this property with an Emergency Ready Profile (ERP) so we were fast on the scene.  Arriving within 2 hours of the call we quickly started the mitigation and restoration process.  The property manager was thrilled with the quality of service and promptness of our crew, he said "All involved did a great job.  I am very satisfied".  SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee helping make your disaster, "Like it never even happened."

Tips for Standing Water in Monroe County

10/5/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee offers tips on dealing with flood water

A flood doesn't end once the storm stops.  We still have to deal with all the standing water that is left behind.  Most people don't realize, but flood water can take up to 11 days to disappear; it's not time to relax and go fishing. 

If you have to evacuate your office, do not go back until you have been told it is safe. 

Be careful driving in Monroe County.  Remember to "Go around. Don't drown!"  The water may be too deep for safe travel. 

Floods are not natural swimming pools

• Sewage, debris, and other unpleasant things may be in the storm water leftovers
• Swimming, wading, or rafting could make you sick
• Do not drink the water under any circumstances! 
• Water conducts electricity.  Underground power lines can give you a dangerous shock that could result in severe injury or even death

Flood waters vs. Animals in Monroe County

• Snakes and other animals may get into your building.  Wear work boots and heavy gloves when you are cleaning up from flood waters
• Some animals may find your office a cozy place to live, so be alert
• If tap water is unsafe for you to drink, it is also unsafe for your pets

Links: 

https://www.ready.gov/floods

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/extreme-weather/floods-standingwater.html

Disaster Planning for Businesses in the Downriver and Monroe County Areas

7/2/2018 (Permalink)

The front of an Emergency READY profile can be seen here. Each profile is different and can be completely customized for individual business needs.

According to industry research, as many as 50% of businesses may never recover if faced with a disaster.  Of those that do survive this traumatic event, the majority of them had some sort of disaster or preparedness plan in place in case of such a disaster.

Having some sort of disaster plan in place makes it possible for businesses to start picking up the pieces immediately following a loss, minimizing business interruption and getting them back on their feet faster.

Did you know that SERVPRO can help?

What many people may not know is that SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee offers a complementary Emergency READY Profile, which is SERVPRO’s answer to an emergency preparedness plan for local area businesses.  By developing a SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile (ERP), you will minimize the extent of damage from the water or fire, and also minimize the amount of time your business is interrupted.

So what is an ERP?

An ERP is a concise document that contains critical information in the event of an emergency.  Water and gas shut off valves are located and labeled, priority areas and priority contact information is listed, the closest fire hook up is located and even your local SERVPRO franchise professional is listed in order to start mitigation without delay.  Pictures and detailed descriptions are included as well, making it easy for even the newest of staff members to know where these locations are. 

Don’t know where your physical copy is? SERVPRO has that taken care of too!  There is now an app where you can find all of this information, and when you get your physical copy, your SERVPRO professional will also email you a link with your individual sign on instructions so you have 24/7 access to the online version and can even submit a loss.

If you have questions about an Emergency READY Profile, or would like to have an ERP done for your business, please call SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee at (734) 299-7006.

Restoring Your Flat Rock Commercial Property After A Water Damage Event

5/11/2018 (Permalink)

Flooding and water damage events at Flat Rock commercial properties are often complex with numerous issues that require a knowledgeable and flexible response. Whether we’re dealing with a relatively small water cleanup scenario or a large scale event, we work quickly to assess each unique situation and isolate the damaged area. In many instances, normal operations can continue in a temporary space while we restore your facility.

Restoring Commercial Properties Presents Unique Challenges

Our professionals are trained to be mindful of legal and environmental concerns and strive to fully restore the damaged area while working within your budgetary constraints. We understand that every hour spent cleaning up is an hour of lost revenue and productivity. So when an emergency situation arises in your business, give us a call and we’ll be there fast with the help you need.

About SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee

SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee specializes in the cleanup and restoration of commercial and residential property after a water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.

For any of your cleaning or water restoration needs, please call SERVPRO of Carleton/Maybee at (734) 299-7006