Essential Family Emergency Preparedness Tips for Pewaukee and Sussex Residents | SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex
10/2/2024 (Permalink)
Use these helpful tips from SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex to assemble an emergency kit to keep your family safe when disaster strikes.
Residents of Pewaukee and Sussex face a variety of weather-related and environmental challenges that require careful preparation. From intense winter storms and flooding to tornadoes and power outages, having a solid emergency plan is crucial for ensuring your family’s safety.
At SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex, we understand the unique needs of our community and are here to provide you with essential tips to enhance your emergency preparedness.
Prepare for Severe Winter WeatherWinter in Wisconsin can be particularly severe, with heavy snow, ice storms, and plunging temperatures creating significant hazards. To keep your family safe during these conditions, start by assembling a winter emergency kit. This should include warm clothing, blankets, and a supply of non-perishable food. Make sure you also have a battery-powered radio to stay updated on weather conditions and emergency alerts.
Equip your vehicle with a snow shovel, ice scraper, and an emergency roadside kit to handle unexpected snow or ice. At home, protect your pipes from freezing by insulating them and ensure your heating system is well-maintained. Regularly check weather forecasts during the winter and plan for staying warm and safe in case of power outages or being stranded.
Plan for Flooding and Severe StormsFlooding and severe storms are common in our area, particularly during the spring and summer months. To prepare for flooding, be aware of whether you live in a flood-prone zone and familiarize yourself with local flood warnings and evacuation routes. Elevate critical utilities, like electrical panels and heating systems, to avoid water damage. Installing sump pumps and backflow valves can help manage water intrusion in your home.
For severe storms, which can bring high winds and even tornadoes, designate a safe area in your home, such as a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor, where everyone can take shelter. Keep an emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, and a first aid kit handy, and practice storm safety drills so everyone knows how to act quickly during a storm.
Address Power Outages and General EmergenciesPower outages can occur at any time due to storms, high winds, or other disruptions. Prepare for extended outages by stocking up on candles, matches, and a battery-operated lantern. Keep a supply of non-perishable food and bottled water, along with a manual can opener, to sustain your family during outages. Consider investing in a generator if frequent outages are a concern in your area.
Make sure to keep important contact numbers accessible and have a backup charging method for your devices. In addition, develop a communication plan for your family in case of separation during an emergency. Regularly review and practice your emergency preparedness plan to ensure everyone is familiar with the steps to take.
By preparing for these specific challenges faced in Pewaukee and Sussex, you can enhance your family’s readiness for any emergency situation. At SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex, we are committed to supporting our community with expert advice and services to keep you safe.
For more information on emergency preparedness or to discuss how our services can assist you, contact us today. Your safety and preparedness are our top priorities.
Prioritizing Fire Safety With Your Employees | SERVPRO® of Pewaukee & Sussex
3/27/2023 (Permalink)
Dealing with the aftermath of a commercial fire? SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex is your local restoration expert.
Disasters can occur at any point, and if you aren’t prepared to react quickly, it can be disastrous to you and your business. When it comes to fires, this is especially true!
If you and your employees are not trained properly on how to react to fire, it can leave you with widespread damages and can be dangerous to your staff.
It doesn’t matter if your business is right off of Pewaukee Lake or near Corporate Circle in Sussex! Fire can break out in any place at any time, so teaching your employees about fire safety and the importance of fire extinguishers is crucial.
Check out our tips on how to introduce fire safety below so you can create and implement your own plan with your crew.
Start FreshAccording to OSHA guidelines, all businesses that have a fire extinguisher on property are required to provide training on it to their employees. This includes training on how to use it, when to use it and how to tell the difference between types of extinguishers.
One of the best ways to do this is to encourage hands-on learning. Get out your fire extinguisher and let your employees practice putting out a fake fire. Teach how to aim, pull the pin and how to sweep over the flames. It is also important to enforce a six to eight foot distance between your employees and the fire.
A helpful way to get your employees to remember the steps is to introduce the acronym PASS. This can help your employees remember the steps can help stop a fire in its tracks, which in turn reduces the risk of widespread damage.
Introducing these concepts as you hire new employees is crucial, but don’t forget about your veteran employees! This training should be done annually for all members of your staff.
In addition, it is important to have a few trusted team members hold responsibilities for when a fire starts. Someone should be chosen to call 911, someone to fight the fire and someone to help usher out anyone in the building.
Prioritizing SafetyNo matter what kind of business you run, the risk of fire is always present. Teach your employees the different kinds of fire situations they could be exposed to, ranging from a simple kitchen fire to a chemical fire. Ensure that your employees understand when to stop and seek safety as well.
Their safety should always be your top priority, so encourage your employees to make the right safety decisions during an emergency situation. Fires can get out of hand quickly, so it is OK to back away and head for the exit whenever your employees are not comfortable or don’t feel safe.
Protect your employees by giving them the knowledge they need to react appropriately in the face of a fire emergency. Check your fire extinguishers’ expiration dates, review training accordingly and be ready for anything that comes your way!
Dealing with the aftermath of a commercial fire? Our SERVPRO specialists can restore your losses and return your workplace to its pre-fire condition.
Addressing Odor Problems in Your Home | SERVPRO® of Pewaukee & Sussex
1/3/2023 (Permalink)
If you experience an odor or any other damage inside your home, call SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex day or night.
No job is too big for our highly trained restoration technicians, and that includes tackling any odor problems that you have in your home. Recovering from damages after a disaster can be frustrating enough without having to worry about any lingering issues like odor. That’s where we come in!
Every kind of home damage has the ability to cause lingering odors, from water damage to soot left behind from a fire.
Thankfully, we know how to successfully remove any odor from any surface! Check out our odor removal process below to learn more.
Odor Removal MethodsEach odor is different and comes with different cleanup challenges, so we follow our step-by-step procedure to ensure that we fully understand your specific situation. We can tackle airborne chemicals, gasses or tiny particles in the air.
Some of our removal agents are:
Masking agents. This is a method we can use to help make your home more pleasant to live in while we work on preparing a more in-depth method. Masking agents can be a good first step!
Filtration agents. Our absorption agents work on pulling the odor out of the carpet, floors and furniture. They can also suck the odor right out of the tiny particles in the air.
Disinfectants and sanitizers. A simple cleaning won’t always be effective, so we make sure to completely sanitize the area to prevent any fungus or bacteria from growing back.
Our Four Step Removal ProcessWhen you call us to remove an odor in your home, here’s how it will go:
1. Remove the source. We jump into action to remove the source of the smell. If the cause is unknown, we work hard to identify it right away and remove it, along with anything else that was compromised near it.
2. Clean residue from surfaces. A thorough cleaning comes next! This ensures that every odor particle has been removed and every surface has been sanitized.
3. Recreate the odor-causing conditions. This is a special step that gives us the reassurance that we got everything out. A deodorizer is employed to recreate the environment where the odor originally occurred. For example, if smoke was your issue, we will use “deodorizing smoke.”
4. Seal exposed surfaces. If the odor is proving to be troublesome or isn’t responding to our initial efforts, we can seal off the affected area while we reassess and work on implementing other odor removal methods.
No matter what is causing your odor, we can get rid of it! Your SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex team is here for you and your family day or night.
If you experience an odor or other damage inside your home or business, call us at any time, 24⁄7. We have the training and equipment to quickly get your property back in operation.
Winter is coming | SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex
11/22/2022 (Permalink)
If you experience damage due to a winter storm, call SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex. We have the experience and equipment for any issue.
Even though it seems like we just emerged from last year’s cold temperatures, the winter season is upon us once more. That means the arrival of snow, ice and brutal wind.
We are fully accustomed to winter weather here in eastern Wisconsin, and we all know that the weather can range from gently falling snow to major blizzards and dangerous conditions. When those dangerous conditions are present, that also means the risk of home damage is present as well.
Is your home well-prepared to weather through the first winter storm?
Winter All Around UsWe can expect a classic Wisconsin winter with lots of snow and frigid temperatures this year, while other parts of the United States experience a milder season.
However, the winter season takes shape here in eastern Wisconsin, we can all prepare our homes to tackle whatever Mother Nature throws at us!
Winter Around Pewaukee and SussexWe all know how tough Midwesterners are. We can handle icy cold wind, heavy snowstorms, blizzards and whiteout conditions any time from October to April.
Even just last year, we had our first brush with winter in the middle of October. Knowing that we could experience winter weather so early in the season, it is important to prepare your home as soon as you are able to.
Protecting Your Home From DamageOne of the interesting things about winter is that there are so many different ways that weather can affect us. While some situations call for being cautious on the roads while driving, others can create hazardous conditions and make travel impossible.
In those instances, it is crucial to make sure you have a reliable way to receive weather alerts and have an emergency kit stocked and ready to use at any time. It can also be helpful to keep a pantry stocked with some canned foods in case travel is not advised for a while.
Is your house drafty? That may mean that your windows and doors are not weatherproof. This can leave your home vulnerable to cold temperatures and unwanted moisture.
Outside your home, take the time to clean out your gutters and turn off the water access to your outdoor water spigots. If you leave your spigots on or attempt to run them in the winter, water can get into the pipes, freeze and then burst. That can create a costly and really extensive problem in the springtime.
We can handle the winter weather, fellow Wisconsinites! If you do find yourself suffering some type of home damage or water damage this winter, we are here. Your SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex team will step in to ensure you are back into your newly restored home in no time.
If you experience damage in a winter storm, call us. We have the experience and equipment to get your home back to normal.
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