ARE YOU PREPARED?

FIRE! FIRE! According to NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), in 2009 fires were responsible for over 3,000 deaths and over $12.5 billion dollars in direct property loss. What would you do if a fire struck; your office, your home? Do you have a plan in place on how to get to safety? Are your most precious documents in a safe location? What would be your plan on recovery should you be the victim of a fire?

Here are some steps we can take in preparation should we ever be in the unfortunate position of dealing with the recovery process after a fire.

1. Have your homeowners and/or casualty insurance agent's contact information in a secured location that you can access.
2. Prepare back-up files for all your important documents in a fire proof safe or safety deposit box.
3. Take lots of pictures of your real estate property and personal property as proof for insurance to expedite the claim process.
4. Have some names of trusted contractors so you can begin the process of getting back to normalcy as soon as possible.
5. Locate a qualified architect to assist you in the renovation process, with the help of the architect, you may be able to make improvements upon the existing layout as well as save money on the renovation by eliminating any non-essential fixes and focus on the most important items. Having someone in your corner that is familiar with the construction process is an ideal way to create a "checks and balances" system.

Here is a sad story about a businessman that lost 30+ years worth of client files due to a fire that created more than $3 million in damages all due to the ill-timed disposal of a lit cigarette.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/05/three_alarm_fir_2.html

- Design is what you make it.