Richfords Helps Keep Local Business Trading

As 50% of businesses that suffer a fire or a flood never trade again, even if they are adequately insured, damage restoration company Richfords is warning businesses to make certain they have a business continuity plan in place. During these uncertain economic times the provision of a continuity plan is even more vital to ensure that the aftermath of a damage causing incident is dealt with as quickly as possible and the chance of the business surviving is maximised. This plan, which is updated regularly, provides key contact information for customers, suppliers and contractors who can help get the business open again.

Recently the Yalberton Industrial Estate in Paignton suffered from fire and smoke damage when a unit in the middle of a row of 5 caught fire. The adjoining units suffered from severe smoke damage as the smoke from the fire crept through the gaps under the shared roof, showing that a fire doesn’t even need to happen to your business for it to cause immense damage and possibly stop your business trading.

One of the businesses affected was South Devon Vending, a long established business that offers a range of vending machine services throughout South West England. Richfords quick response to the incident allowed the business to keep running. On arrival the response team carried out a risk assessment and survey and installed air scrubbers to improve the air quality in the building. Chloride testing was immediately carried out to ascertain how acidic the fire residues were and the area of travel. Acidic fire residues can cause corrosion to metal items within the affected area. This was of particular concern as the roof was constructed from metal sheeting. Insulation was removed in various sections to allow access to the roof so it could be tested for acidic residues. Unfortunately in this case the concern over pin hole erosion to the roof was great, and the roof will need to be replaced.

A huge amount of smoke damaged stock was written off by the appointed loss adjuster and had to be removed from the premises and disposed of. This included everything from sugar sachets to tea towels and chocolate bars.

Areas were prioritised to enable the business to continue as closely to normal as possible. An empty unit across the road was used to house the replacement stock and the offices, washroom and kitchen were prioritised to be cleaned as quickly as possible so the staff could continue their work. Due to Richfords quick action no business interruption claim needed to be made.

Floors, walls and ceilings all had to be thoroughly cleaned and deodourised, as well as cleaning of vending machines that were in the building at the time of the fire. Machine parts were able to be saved by using the innovative sonic tank cleaning method available at Richfords main depot. Sonic cleaning involves immersing the item in distilled water and the high frequency sound waves then remove the contaminants. Ultrasonic cleaning is powerful enough to remove tough contaminants yet gentle enough not to damage the item.

David Klinkenberg said “The Richfords team appeared on the same day as the fire occurred and started sorting things out straight away. There was a lot of work to be done – over £20,000 worth of smoke damage stock had to be removed which was a huge job in itself. Then all the floors, walls and offices needed to be cleaned and deodourised. Their quick work enabled us to carry on working from the premises.”

Steven Richford, Managing Director of Richfords Fire & Flood comments “We were very pleased to help South Devon Vending recover after the incident which affected their premises, it really shows that a fire doesn’t need to occur in your own building to potentially close your business. We cannot recommend strongly enough that business owners prepare a continuity plan to ensure they have a detailed list of actions of what to do if they cannot access their property for any reason.”

Richfords can help your business to develop a business continuity plan. Please click here for more information or contact us on 01209 722522.