National Preparedness Month

Did you know? September is National Preparedness Month, as designated by the Department of Homeland Security. Although we are at the end of the month, there is no time like the present to prepare your property for a disaster.

Since 1974, Guarantee Restoration Services has been the leading property damage restoration company along the Gulf Coast. Part of being a leader is utilizing the most advanced and newest technologies available to service our partners in need. We are available when you need us most, but what if we were there before you needed us? That’s where our pre-loss planning technologies come in! First, there is the Matterport™ imaging system. In addition, we use Ready Action Plan (RAP) through our partners at Restoration Affiliates. Below, we will explain how these capabilities work.

Prior to landfall of hurricanes, floods or fires, it is important to document your business or home. If you have property damage, this alleviates the claims process. Whenever you have documentation of pre-loss condition, it eradicates hiccups in verifying what equipment or content your building had prior to the loss.

No matter the size of the loss, our team at Guarantee Restoration Services has one goal – to get your property and business back to normal operations ASAP. On the other hand, your insurance adjuster’s objective is to submit your claim correctly to make sure they meet the expectations of their insurance policies. Our solution to this is Matterport™!

How Matterport™ Works

The Matterport™ 3D Imaging System uses lasers to calculate the size and scope of your commercial building or residence. This HDR, panoramic camera captures every element of your property for pre-loss state. One of our team members starts at the front of the building or home. From there, we move throughout the space, only three to six feet at a time. 

To put its capabilities into perspective, a 2,000 square foot home would take about 30 minutes. On the other hand, a larger commercial building can take anywhere from 2-3 hours to complete. After the scan is finished, these scans are uploaded to the cloud on the safe and secure Matterport server. These scans are available at any time and from any device. You can view your scan in three different views: Doll House, Inside and Floor Plan. Lastly, here are some the key benefits of using Matterport™: 

• 3D Scanning allows remote insurance professionals the ability to better understand the damage with a 360-degree, panoramic capture of the loss.
• Mattertags in the system allow remote, real-time information on equipment and site conditions to those who need accurate information on the status of a job speedily.
• Provides for faster reporting on job progress, which keeps you in the know.
• Provides accurate room measurements to within 1% margin of error, so our technicians and project managers are able to utilize the right tools and materials from the beginning.
• Ability to print high definition photos to fully capture the details in each room.

Ready Action Plan™ with Restoration Affiliates

Our team uses this Matterport™ technology in combination with our Ready Action Plan™ (RAP) web application. We have partnered with Restoration Affiliates to create a straightforward and user-friendly technology resolution. It is an effective way to have all of your property and content assets documented and better maintained for any future damage or emergencies. 

For more information on how Matterport™ and RAP can assist in fully restoring business or home, give Guarantee Restoration a call today at 1-800-349-HELP or email info@guaranteerestoration.net.

Creating an Emergency Action Plan

Finally, while we encourage you to look at our Matterport™ and RAP technologies, there is also something you should do for your business. Before a disaster happens, you should implement an Emergency Action Plan, or EAP. These plans are imperative to ensure employee safety from fire, water and other property emergencies. There are many templates available on the Internet. The important thing is to include input from your management team and employees. What they view as a topic may not have occurred to you. If you have more than one location, each worksite should have its own EAP.

At the very least, your businesses’ emergency action plan should comprise of the following ideas: 

• A chosen method for reporting fire, water damage or other emergencies.
• A standardized evacuation policy and procedure.
• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments (for different departments or office areas), such as floor plans, workplace maps, and clearly identified safe areas.
• Names, titles, departments and telephone numbers of individuals both within and outside your company to contact for additional information or explanation of duties and responsibilities.
• Procedures for employees who must remain present to perform or shut down critical plant operations, operate fire extinguishers, or perform other essential services that cannot be shut down for every emergency alarm prior to evacuating.
• Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform them.

It is extremely important to have an EAP created ahead of time. Most often, a muddled evacuation can result in confusion, injury and further property damage.

At the end of the day, we cannot stop natural disasters from occurring. National Preparedness Month was created to bring awareness of the importance of disaster preparation. Our team at Guarantee Restoration Services has many individuals who are trained in Matterport and RAP, but we can also give you suggestions on formalizing an EAP. As always, please remember, our team is available 24/7, which is not just a number, it’s a GUARANTEE.

Shawn Folks is the Chief Executive Officer at Guarantee Restoration, where he has served in this position since 2013. To connect with him, visit LinkedIn or send him an email.