To Packout or Not to Packout? That is the question.

Hello again from the contents department!

When I am scoping a new fire loss I have several tools with me to help asses the situation. These include: a digital camera(VERY important!), latex nitrile gloves, dust masks, caution tape, clean rags, high alkaline cleaner, and LATEX SPONGES!!

The sponges are in caps because they too are very important! They are made of a special blend of materials and have a great ability to pick up soot from all sorts of surfaces. This is the main factor I use in answering today's question.

If for example I am responding to a kitchen fire and find myself in the room farthest from the source of the fire and I am getting soot readings! It looks like a packout because there is a good chance that all items between me and the source are also going to be in need of remediation (or cleaning).

However, if it was a bedroom fire for example and I am only getting soot readings in the immediate area. I will establish a cleaning station in  an unaffected area of the home and look to utilize the garage or perhaps a truck or delivered storage container to de-odorize any affected items.

The high alkaline cleaner is useful in determining if an item or a surface will indeed clean or if it may need to be considered a total loss.

Thanks for reading and please let me know if there are any questions or suggestions you might have for me!! And, HAPPY PACKING!!

Peter Kanavas - Contents Department Manager

Hail Storm '09

Many of our customers are still feeling the effects of our February 18, 2009 hailstorm which brought golf ball size hailstones. Some of you may still have preserved in your freezer the evidence from that storm. Hail affected literally thousands of homes in the south metro Atlanta area during that Wednesday night storm and no doubt caused millions of dollars in storm damage to roofs, gutters, siding, windows, soffits, yards, cars, outdoor furniture, you name it!

Hailstones can reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour as they fall and can even contain foreign matter such as twigs, leaves, nuts and insects.

Click to read more ...

Champion vs. Old Man Winter

In January of this year Old Man Winter hit Georgians pretty hard. Temperatures in our area dipped down into the teens at night and barely got above freezing during the day on a couple occasions. Champion has learned from past experiences to be prepared for an influx of jobs from pipes freezing, thawing out, rupturing and then causing minimal to sever water damage to a home. Pipes can freeze in the wall or in the attic if not properly insulated.

Click to read more ...

Georgia Lightning Awareness Week is June 21-27, 2009

Lightning is a deadly "by-product" of thunderstorms which are very common in Georgia, particularly in the spring and summer. Lightning kills an average of 100 people a year throughout the United States. Statistics show that on the average, lightning kills more people in the United States every year than tornadoes, floods, or hurricanes. It occurs mostly during the warmer months of June through September.

Click to read more ...

Lightning Quiz

TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

FALSE:  Lightning has "favorite" sites that it may hit many times during one storm.

2. Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.

TRUE

3. The rubber soles of shoes or rubber tires on a car will protect you from being struck by lightning.

Click to read more ...

Mold, Moisture and Your Home

Recently our son purchased his first home in the historic and charming area of downtown Mobile.  As you make your way down the neighborhood his small bungalow is surrounded by large mossy oak trees draping across the sidewalks.  With all that natural environment of sun, shade and rain makes living in the south so delightful and peaceful.

Unfortunately, when moisture is not contolled too much of that natural environment such as rain and high humidity can develop into MOLD.

Mold spores can gradually destroy the things they grow on, inside and out.   You can prevent damage to your home, furnishings and avoid potential health problems by controlling moisture and eliminating mold growth.  www.epa.gov/mold.

Unbeknownst to us, our son did have some indoor mold growth found while pulling up his carpet in  a closet.  By accessing the size of the moisture problem and acting quickly we prevented futher mold growth.

Pamela Brown - Marketing Representative

Preparing For the Swine Influenza

We are all concerned about the spread of the swine influenze and nervously await its arrival in Georgia. Below is an excerpt of Dr. Richard Besser's, Acting Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, remarks from the press briefing held April 26 on what we can do to prepare ourselves. 

"It's important that people understand that there's a role for everyone to play when there's an outbreak going on. There are things that individuals do, there's things that families do, communities do to try and reduce the impact. At the individual level, it's important people understand how they can prevent respiratory infections. Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again and that is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease. If you're sick, it's very important that people stay at home. If your children are sick, have a fever and flu-like illness, they shouldn't go to school. And if you're ill, you shouldn't get on an airplane or another public transport to travel. Those things are part of personal responsibility in trying to reduce the impact.

So it's time for people to be thinking — forward-thinking about, well, if it were my child's school, what would I do, how would I be prepared for that kind of an event. We view the public as partners in the efforts to try and control what's going on.

There are a number of sources of information. I want people to know that the CDC web site — www.cdc.gov — has our latest information on swine flu. There's a link from there to very current information and there's a link there to a Spanish language site as well."

Read the entire transcript of the press briefing

Icela Reets - Emergency Response Program Coordinator

The Importance of Vacuuming

Many people don't realize how effective regular vacuuming can be.  First, what is regular vacuuming?  Every day in high traffic areas if possible but at least one or two times a week.  This helps remove soil, pet hair, dust, pollen etc...before they are ground into the fibers of the carpet.  This can improve the air quality in the room and the life of the carpet among other things.  Unfortunately if your vacuum is not working properly you will get poor results. 

A  few things to check on your vacuum. 

1.  The beater bar needs to be checked from time to time; if it is full of lint or animal hair it needs to be cleaned off. 

2. The belts will need to be replaced periodically. Each model will be different so refer to your owners manual for more information.

3. The bag and/or any filters will also need to be checked and changed periodically. 

If you're looking to replace your old vacuum check out the Dyson.  There's a link below...

 http://www.dyson.com/homepage.asp

Zach Reets - Carpet Cleaning Technician

"What's the plan, boss?"

Do you know the emergency preparedness plan for your workplace? If you don't, make a point to ask.

Know multiple ways to exit your office building, participate in workplace evacuation drills and consider keeping some emergency supplies at the office. Visit Ready Business to learn more about how to prepare your business.  www.ready.gov

Prepare your business by preparing your building. Visit our Disaster Planning Center to enroll in our Emergency Response Program today. It's free and easy!

Icela Reets - Emergency Response Program Coordinator

Spotlight on Mollie

This is the second edition of our Champion Spotlight and Mollie Reets is our next victim.

Mollie is our Receptionist.  She has been with Champion since 2008.  She is the one with the unmistakable South Georgia accent you will usually hear when you call our office.  Now, let’s get to know Mollie…

What is your favorite snack? Cheetos

What is your favorite piece of clothing? Jeans

 

What is your favorite word? Whatever

If you had a million dollars how would you spend it?

Click to read more ...

Champion | Post a Comment | Share Article

in Add new tag, Champion, Champion Construction Systems, Fun Employee Interviews, Mollie Reets, champion construction, receptionist, sharpsburg Email Article

Tweet