Part 1 focused contingency planning for the building itself. Part 2 will highlight how your building’s integration in the community can impact how you respond.

Your business relies on a properly functioning facility but does your community also rely on your facility to be operational during a disaster? This directly impacts the amount of outside or governmental support available to keeping you operational. Could your facility be a critical or central location during a disaster? That role could determine efforts and resources required to meet community needs and even supply chain priorities in severe situations. These questions need answers before a disaster happens. You may need to determine alternate work schemes, business interruption solutions, and the answers to energy, security, and life-safety alternatives.

Even if ...]]> Does your community rely on you and your Building Facility?

Part 1 focused contingency planning for the building itself. Part 2 will highlight how your building’s integration in the community can impact how you respond.

Your business relies on a properly functioning facility but does your community also rely on your facility to be operational during a disaster? This directly impacts the amount of outside or governmental support available to keeping you operational. Could your facility be a critical or central location during a disaster? That role could determine efforts and resources required to meet community needs and even supply chain priorities in severe situations. These questions need answers before a disaster happens. You may need to determine alternate work schemes, business interruption solutions, and the answers to energy, security, and life-safety alternatives.

Even if your facility is not technically a “healthcare” facility, could FEMA or DHS designate it for use as a clinic or a “safe” facility? If so, how will that impact your regular business? We help provide solutions in such remote cases so you can more easily navigate such situations and focus more of your time on running your business.

And even if you have all of some of the above issues covered, do you have a Restoration contractor who understands all of this and how it fits in to the mitigation and recovery process? Disaster contingency planning can speed the time of response, speed the time of restoration, and reduce your business interruption.

We at HLM will take all these factors into consideration together with your goals to make it part of the entire recovery plan. Our experience in all these areas can be the difference in getting your business back to full functionality and more profitable operations.

Contingency planning is more than ensuring your IT (computer) operations and data integrity.  Every building owner and facility manager should know the answers to some fundamental questions concerning their facilities when developing a disaster plan.  1) What are the parts that make up my facility?   2) Where does my facility fit in the community?  We’ll address the first question here.

Parts is parts might work for chicken nuggets, but buildings and building systems are made of components that work best when they are compatible.   ...]]> Are you prepared for your next disaster?  Disasters come in many sizes and from predictable and un-predictable sources.  Hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters can devastate tens or hundreds of square miles.  A ruptured 4-inch water main on the top floor of your facility can cause as much damage as a hurricane.  It is your facility, be prepared.

Contingency planning is more than ensuring your IT (computer) operations and data integrity.  Every building owner and facility manager should know the answers to some fundamental questions concerning their facilities when developing a disaster plan.  1) What are the parts that make up my facility?   2) Where does my facility fit in the community?  We’ll address the first question here.

Parts is parts might work for chicken nuggets, but buildings and building systems are made of components that work best when they are compatible.   Know what is in your facility!  The bricks and mortar, electrical, mechanical, computer, and life-safety systems that are parts of your building can be impacted by large or small disasters.

“Knowing your facility” includes identifying the critical components, where to get replacement parts in a timely manner, and knowing the physical limitations of the corridors, elevators, and other choke points in the facility.  Knowing the limits of the electrical service, and control or shut-off valves can speed the disaster response and mitigation process.   Pre-identifying critical components for building systems and where to secure replacement s can minimize the time required for remediation.

If you have a Green or Sustainable facility do not let disasters interrupt your sustainability goals.  Pre-planning can allow you to develop a disaster plan that helps to meet these goals and provides guidance for your disaster response team to follow.  Compatibility with a sustainability plan incorporates factors that range from selection of environmentally friendly cleaning compounds and methods to selection and sizing of electrical and HVAC components and furnishings.

We at HLM will take all these factors and your goals to make it part of the entire recovery plan.  Our experience in all these areas can be the difference in getting your business back to full functionality and more profitable operations.

Since most fires in building structures are extinguished with water, what do we do with it?  The water can come from multiple sources, usually a fire suppression system, mixed with other efforts from the local Fire Department.  Many thousands of gallons can run out and will travel the course of gravity, pressure, capillary action (wicking), and vaporization.  If it sits too long, odors and microbial growth ensue.

It is very important to get this extraction and eradication addressed immediately.  The sooner the building is dried and cleaned, the less demolition is necessary and the sooner the building can be put back in full operation.  But it is critical to track the water in all forms.  Where are the chases and passages that the water followed?  Are they exposed, dried and repaired?  This takes careful investigation and thorough ...]]> How much water was introduced?

Since most fires in building structures are extinguished with water, what do we do with it?  The water can come from multiple sources, usually a fire suppression system, mixed with other efforts from the local Fire Department.  Many thousands of gallons can run out and will travel the course of gravity, pressure, capillary action (wicking), and vaporization.  If it sits too long, odors and microbial growth ensue.

It is very important to get this extraction and eradication addressed immediately.  The sooner the building is dried and cleaned, the less demolition is necessary and the sooner the building can be put back in full operation.  But it is critical to track the water in all forms.  Where are the chases and passages that the water followed?  Are they exposed, dried and repaired?  This takes careful investigation and thorough monitoring.  If the suppression system is a “wet” system, the water in the pipes also poses a higher degree of contamination to clean.   This must be taken into consideration during the drying and cleaning process.

We at HLM do what is necessary to make sure your building is dried and decontaminated properly and efficiently along with the smoke and soot cleanup.  This way you can be back in operation as soon as possible with no further repercussions from undiscovered water.

Was the fuel organic or inorganic? How many types of materials burned? How long? How did the fire start? How was it put out? When burned, many items create new chemical compounds, some of them can be highly acidic or corrosive. The soot, ...]]> What is consumed in a fire becomes very critical in recovering from fire and smoke damage. It helps determine the degree of heat that might have been present, what is in the soot and what types of particulates will be in the air. All these factors have to be understood in order to create the right recovery plan. Why? Because this will affect the integrity of the building materials and substrates, determine what cleaning products and methods must be used, determine how to protect the workers on the job and to properly set clearance criteria for job completion.

Was the fuel organic or inorganic? How many types of materials burned? How long? How did the fire start? How was it put out? When burned, many items create new chemical compounds, some of them can be highly acidic or corrosive. The soot, smoke and particulates caused by the fire will migrate to many places based on factors like pressure, temperature and electro-static attraction. Knowing what to clean, how to clean it and when to clean it before it causes more damage needs expert design and work execution oversight. This is what we do from start to completion.

Clients need to have an expert on-site that knows the intricacies of this highly technical work. HLM has the expertise to properly scope, design and manage work plans with your Restoration Contractor. We know when to bring in outside expertise and how to monitor the job. We know how to protect the workers, the building and the future re-occupants. We are concerned about your health and safety and about getting you back in operation as quickly as possible so you can go back to revenue production.

There are options to dry through Heat, Desiccant, Refrigerant and even the outside environment. How much equipment is necessary? What is the right process for each job? How is it monitored? Where is all the water – liquid and vapor? Are there cross-contamination risks? What is the right amount of demolition? What material, equipment and furniture can be saved and is it worth it? These are all questions we answer and make sure that your Restoration Contractor, executes ...]]> Water Damage comes in many forms and from many causes. Whether caused by natural disasters like hurricane and flood, or specific building issues like burst pipes, sewage backups, leaks and sprinkler-head pops, it creates a lot of work. Water also migrates and can culture microbial growth. The water is subject to movement from gravity, pressure, capillary action and vaporization. And it may carry contaminants.

There are options to dry through Heat, Desiccant, Refrigerant and even the outside environment. How much equipment is necessary? What is the right process for each job? How is it monitored? Where is all the water – liquid and vapor? Are there cross-contamination risks? What is the right amount of demolition? What material, equipment and furniture can be saved and is it worth it? These are all questions we answer and make sure that your Restoration Contractor, executes everything properly.

Structural Drying has become as much a science as an art in the last few years as there has been much advancement in the field. We have learned a lot from our own experience over the last few decades and from educating ourselves from the findings of others. We also have our own proprietary “Flood House” where we can create a laboratory for drying, test new equipment and design more effective methods. Contact us for a private hands-on tour.

The drying process takes a broad understanding of building construction, substrates, building sciences and industrial hygiene. Since water will migrate we want to discover, contain and eradicate that water and make sure no contaminants are left behind. The better the plan and quicker it is implemented, the less damage you will have and the sooner you will be back in business. As Restoration Managers, HLM makes sure this is all done properly, completely and expeditiously, and it will be fully documented.

The main thing to remember is that first and foremost the products and processes must work to remove any unwanted contaminants. You can’t afford to sacrifice quality for products that are “green” by name only. If certain products are not effective, then the process has to make up for the difference and bring the final solution back to a clean and environmentally ...]]> If you have gone through the rigors of obtaining a LEED certified building, you certainly don’t want to lose that or have it downgraded after the completion of Disaster Recovery work. Building owners of LEED certified buildings need to have contractors who understand this. Hiring a company with experience in working with LEED certified buildings and who have an understanding of environmental sustainability as well as building hygiene is an asset to any recovery project.

The main thing to remember is that first and foremost the products and processes must work to remove any unwanted contaminants. You can’t afford to sacrifice quality for products that are “green” by name only. If certain products are not effective, then the process has to make up for the difference and bring the final solution back to a clean and environmentally friendly state that both solves the issue at hand and leaves the building environment healthy for its occupants.

We at HLM understand environmental sustainability and industrial hygiene. We have several LEED certifications and experience to make sure all qualifications are met through the cleaning and rebuild process. This includes the use of chemicals, materials and methods that could have any impact on maintaining that certification. We see the project as a whole execute the work to meet those goals.

We have been proponents of using environmentally friendly products and materials since before LEED came into prominence. The health of the restoration workers, the building occupants and the building itself has always been part of our work execution plans. We will always leave a building as healthy as possible and those occupying the building with the best environment we can after the completion of the restoration work.