Water Emergency?

10/9/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity and amount of damage that needs to be addressed. Call Us Today: (978) 927-8665

We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. Through the beginning stages where it seems like it will never end to how to deal with insurance carriers. We specialize in water damage restoration in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.

What to Expect

When you call, we will ask several questions regarding your water damage emergency. These questions will help us determine what equipment and resources to bring, including how many trained SERVPRO Professionals may be needed.

Our SERVPRO Representative will ask several questions:

• Your name and contact information
• Your insurance information (if applicable)
• The street address of the water-damaged home or business
• When did the flooding or water damage occur?
• What caused the water damage (if known)?
• Is there electricity available (on-site)? SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO™s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property. 

So, when a water emergency happens, call the company that has over 50 years’ experience in the business and know what you are going through. Have us hold your hand through the stressful process of making “Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann is open 24 Hours a Day 7 Days a Week (978) 927-8665

Winter Tips

10/9/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann is here for you 7 days a week 24 hours a day including nights, weekends, and holidays. With Winter approaching quickly we have some helpful hints to help secure your home or business is safe from water damage. 

* Let your water slow drip when you leave your home to prevent frozen pipes. 

* Keep your heat on low to keep your home when you are not home to prevent broken pipes. 

If your home or business has a pipe that burst and have standing water call SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann we will come right out to start water remediation and place drying equipment to prevent future damage. It only takes 72 hours for mold to show. 

Call SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann 978-927-8665 24/7

We also help with your insurance claim so you don't have to worry coverage on your claim. 

Mold in Your Home?

10/9/2023 (Permalink)

When there's a water intrusion, like a roof leak or leaking water line, mold can quickly become a problem in your home or business. Mold can cause health effects and can also cause significant damage to your property. Fortunately, your SERVPRO® of Beverly/Cape Ann professionals have the training, protective gear, and specialized equipment necessary to handle your mold problem. Although every mold damage scenario is different requiring a unique solution, the general mold remediation process stays the same. The following steps illustrate a "typical" mold removal process.

Call 978-867-8078 for help with your mold remediation needs.

The mold cleanup and restoration process begins when you call SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann. A representative will ask a series of questions to help determine the necessary equipment, resources, and personnel needed.

Inspection and Damage Assessment

Your property will be carefully inspected for signs of mold using technology designed to detect mold and hidden water sources. Mold feeds on cellulose and water and can be hidden from plain view.

Mold Containment

Various containment procedures will be placed to prevent the spread of mold and isolate the contaminated area with physical barriers and negative air pressure to keep the mold spores from spreading during the cleanup process.

Air Filtration

Specialized filtration equipment captures microscopic  mold spores out of the air. SERVPRO® of Beverly/Cape Ann technicians utilize powerful air scrubbers and HEPA vacuums to prevent the spread of these mold spores while the mold remediation is in progress.

Halloween Safety Tips

10/5/2023 (Permalink)

Happy Halloween

Trick-or-Treaters

• Be bright at night – wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
• Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision, and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
• Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries, and place it facedown in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.

Parents

• Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under age 12.
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Establish a time for children to return home.
• Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.

Motorists

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they’ll be harder to see at night.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
• Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.

Winter Readiness

10/5/2023 (Permalink)

Now that fall is officially here, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help lower your utility bills and protect your investment.

Some tips could include;

- If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan's blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises). This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings -- and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

-If your home had lots of icicles last winter -- or worse, ice dams, which can cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house -- take steps to prevent potential damage this year. You will be happy you did!

-Turn of exterior faucets;
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Frozen Pipes?

10/5/2023 (Permalink)

You are not alone when it comes to the fight against freezing pipes and it is not always avoidable. As water begins to freeze it also expands and ultimately causes pipes to burst, leaving you with a flooded room. However, there may be some steps you can take in order to try to prevent this from happening to you!

It is important to understand that pipes freeze in the areas of your house that are most vulnerable to the cold where there is little to no insulation, such as the basement, attic and or garage (that's not to say it can't happen anywhere). 

Here is a list of tips in trying to avoid pipes from freezing:

• keep all areas of the house well heated as this is the biggest thing you can do to avoid pipes from bursting
• if heating is not an option in places such as your garage, basement, attic, etc. then it is highly recommended to add insulation to these areas to keep the room temperature higher
• check where water supply lines are in your house such as in the kitchen under the skin and in the bathrooms and make sure these areas are well insulated and kept above freezing temperatures
• there are certain products you can have installed such as pipe sleeves or heat tape to help in trying to prevent from pipes freezing
• if money is tight and you can't afford to insulate, newspaper can act as a decent insulator to help keep temperatures up in areas where pipes are exposed to the cold for long periods of time
• consider relocating exposed pipes to more insulated areas
• keep your garage doors shut in order to ensure it stays as warm as possible
• in freezing weather you can let the water drip very slightly from the faucet, which can help prevent pipes from freezing temperature should never be left below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (although higher the better)

Help in Beverly/ Cape Ann:

Should disaster strike and you find yourself in a flooded mess, SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann is here to help! We are serving Beverly/ Cape Ann and surrounding areas of Essex County. Give us a call at (978) 927-8665 and help will be on its way! We are open to calls 24/7 and are here to serve you in your time of need. With trained technicians and professional equipment, no one does it better than us!

Halloween Safety Tips

10/20/2022 (Permalink)

Trick-or-Treaters

• Be bright at night – wear reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
• Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
• Ensure any props are flexible and blunt tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries and place it face down in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.

Parents

• Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under the age of 12.
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Establish a time for children to return home.
• Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with reflective material.

Motorists

• Slowdown in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs. In dark costumes, they’ll be harder to see at night.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
• Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.

Do You have An Emergency Ready Plan in Place?

10/18/2022 (Permalink)

It is stated that about 50% of commercial business who run into a disaster never re-open after that disaster occurred. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to help more businesses stay in business after an emergency.

SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann established an Emergency Disaster Program so that when a disaster comes, you will have a blanket of security in times of panic. This is a detailed description of where to go, when to act and who you can call. An emergency ready profile is vital for your commercial business because a disaster could happen at any moment, and SERVPRO wants to help prepare our customers for any disaster that may come your way. The ERP, or emergency ready profile is a file that will have all the necessary information you need to handle situations with disasters. No contracts are involved, and it is at no cost to you or your business. We locate all the emergency numbers you may need and emergency action checklist for a step by step on what to do in a disaster. We also have provided the necessary utility shut off locations for all the gas, electric, heat, water, and other important locations to know and understand how to turn them off. This is vital because in case of emergencies and panic, you may not know how to even shut off the source, which is important because the source needs to be shut off before any action can be done. It will also give you a complete property overview, showing where emergency exits are and where exactly you should leave the property when evacuating. 

Time is of the essence in cases of emergency, so it is important to act fast to eliminate anymore disaster from occurring. By having a plan of action, you can readily be prepared in a timely manner and limit the amount of time your company is inactive. Not only does the ERP save you time, but money as well. We obtain all your insurance information, so you have it readily available at your convenience as a mobile app. We also have detailed an insurance policy information in your pamphlet to inform our customers what their policy is and what is covered by insurance. It is important to keep in mind, safety first and to account for everyone in the building and make sure everyone is okay before moving on. Things get crazy and hectic, and emotions run high when a disaster occurs, so SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to make this as easy as possible for our customers because we understand what a hardship this can be. We can offer you all the services in the world to clean up the damage, but the best service we can offer is helping you be prepared. 

SERVPRO wants the best for our customers, and we know the best for them is the Emergency Ready Profile. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann always has your back when it comes to preparedness and the essentials when dealing with a disaster. Call us today at (978) 927-8665

Prepping your Home for the Winter Months

10/16/2022 (Permalink)

Now that fall is officially here, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help lower your utility bills and protect your investment.

Some tips could include:

- If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan's blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. (Energy Star says the fan will produce a downdraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, heat rises). This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings, and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.)

-If your home had lots of icicles last winter, or worse ice dams, which could cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house. Take steps to prevent potential damage this year. You will be happy you did!

-Turn of exterior faucets.
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Check and repair weather stripping before winter hits. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/essential-guide-to-weatherstripping

Preventing Pipes Freezing this Winter

10/6/2022 (Permalink)

You are not alone in the fight against freezing pipes, and unfortunately, it’s not always avoidable. As water begins to freeze, it expands and can ultimately lead to pipes bursting. There are some steps that can help prevent this from happening to your home or business.

It’s important to understand that pipes freeze in the areas of your house that are most vulnerable to the cold where there is little to no insulation, such as the basement, attic, and garage (that's not to say it can't happen in other areas as well). 

Here is a list of tips in trying to avoid pipes from freezing:

• Try to keep all areas of the house well heated as this is best preventative for freezing pipes.
• If heating is not an option in these vulnerable places, then it is highly recommended to add insulation to these areas or even to the pipes themselves.
• Check where water supply lines are in your house such as in the kitchen, under the sink and in the bathrooms, making sure these areas are well insulated and kept above freezing temperatures (under 32° Fahrenheit).
• There are certain products you can have installed such as pipe sleeves or heat tape to aid in prevention.
• If insulation is out of your budget, newspaper can act as a decent insulator to help keep temperatures up in areas where pipes are exposed to the cold for long periods of time
• Consider relocating exposed pipes into more insulated areas
• Keeping your garage doors closed during extreme cold can ensure it stays as warm as possible
• In freezing weather, you can leave the faucets on drip, which can help prevent pipes from freezing temperatures.

Help in Beverly/Cape Ann:

Should disaster strike and you find yourself in a flooded mess, SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann is here to help! We serve Beverly/Cape Ann and surrounding areas of Essex County. Give us a call at (978) 927-8665 and help will be on its way! We are open to calls 24/7 and are here to serve you in your time of need.

Halloween Safety Tips

10/11/2021 (Permalink)

Trick-or-Treaters

• Be bright at night – wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
• Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision, and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
• Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries, and place it facedown in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.

Parents

• Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under age 12.
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Establish a time for children to return home.
• Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.

Motorists

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they’ll be harder to see at night.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
• Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.

Do You Have an Emergency Ready Plan Set In Place?

10/11/2021 (Permalink)

It is stated that about 50% of commercial business who run into a disaster never re-open after that disaster occurred. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to help more business stay in business after an emergency happens and be there for support when needed. 

SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann established an Emergency Disaster Program so that when a disaster comes, you will have a blanket of security in times of panic. This is a detailed description of where to go, when to act and who you can call. An emergency ready profile is vital for your commercial business because a disaster could happen at any moment, and SERVPRO wants to help prepare our customers for any disaster that may come your way. The ERP, or emergency ready profile is a profile that will have all the necessary information you need to handle situations with disasters. No contracts are involved, and it is at no cost to you or your business. We locate all the emergency numbers you may need and emergency action checklist for a step by step on what to do in a disaster. We also have provided the necessary utility shut off locations for all the gas, electric, heat, water, and other important locations to know and understand how to turn them off. This is vital because in case of emergencies and panic, you may not know how to even shut off the source, which is important because the source needs to be shut off before any action can be done. It will also give you a complete property overview, showing where emergency exits are and where exactly you should leave the property when evacuating. 

Time is of the essence in cases of emergency, so it is important to act fast to eliminate anymore disaster from occurring. By having a plan of action, you can readily be prepared and act in a timely manner and limit the amount of time you as a company are inactive. Not only does the ERP save you time, but money as well. We obtain all your insurance information, so you have it readily available at your convenience as a mobile app also. We have detailed an insurance policy information in your pamphlet to inform our customers what their policy is and what is covered by insurance. It is important to keep in mind, safety first and to account for everyone in the building and make sure everyone is okay before moving on. Things get crazy and hectic, and emotions run high when a disaster occurs, so SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to make this as easy as possible for our customers because we understand the hardships you might be going through at that moment. We can offer you all the services in the world to clean up the damage, but the best service we can offer is helping you be prepared. 

SERVPRO wants the best for our customers, and we know the best for them is the Emergency Ready Profile. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann always has your back when it comes to preparedness and the essentials when dealing with a disaster. Just call us today at (978) 927-8665

Prepping your Home for the Upcoming Winter Months

10/11/2021 (Permalink)

Now that fall is officially here, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help lower your utility bills and protect your investment.

Some tips could include;

- If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan's blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises). This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings -- and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

-If your home had lots of icicles last winter -- or worse, ice dams, which can cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house -- take steps to prevent potential damage this year. You will be happy you did!

-Turn of exterior faucets;
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Check and repair weather stripping before winter hits. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/essential-guide-to-weatherstripping

Worried about freezing pipes? Try these tips from SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann

10/1/2021 (Permalink)

You are not alone when it comes to the fight against freezing pipes and it is not always avoidable. As water begins to freeze it also expands and ultimately causes pipes to burst, leaving you with a flooded room. However, there may be some steps you can take in order to try to prevent this from happening to you!

It is important to understand that pipes freeze in the areas of your house that are most vulnerable to the cold where there is little to no insulation, such as the basement, attic and or garage (that's not to say it can't happen anywhere). 

Here is a list of tips in trying to avoid pipes from freezing:

• keep all areas of the house well heated as this is the biggest thing you can do to avoid pipes from bursting
• if heating is not an option in places such as your garage, basement, attic, etc. then it is highly recommended to add insulation to these areas to keep the room temperature higher
• check where water supply lines are in your house such as in the kitchen under the skin and in the bathrooms and make sure these areas are well insulated and kept above freezing temperatures
• there are certain products you can have installed such as pipe sleeves or heat tape to help in trying to prevent from pipes freezing
• if money is tight and you can't afford to insulate, newspaper can act as a decent insulator to help keep temperatures up in areas where pipes are exposed to the cold for long periods of time
• consider relocating exposed pipes to more insulated areas
• keep your garage doors shut in order to ensure it stays as warm as possible
• in freezing weather you can let the water drip very slightly from the faucet, which can help prevent pipes from freezing temperature should never be left below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (although higher the better)

Help in Beverly/ Cape Ann:

Should disaster strike and you find yourself in a flooded mess, SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann is here to help! We are serving Beverly/ Cape Ann and surrounding areas of Essex County. Give us a call at (978) 927-8665 and help will be on its way! We are open to calls 24/7 and are here to serve you in your time of need. With trained technicians and professional equipment, no one does it better than us!

Winter Is Coming

10/13/2020 (Permalink)

Now that fall is officially here, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help lower your utility bills and protect your investment.

Some tips could include;

- If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan's blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises). This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings -- and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

-If your home had lots of icicles last winter -- or worse, ice dams, which can cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house -- take steps to prevent potential damage this year. You will be happy you did!

-Turn of exterior faucets;
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Check and repair weather stripping before winter hits. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/essential-guide-to-weatherstripping. 

Call SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann 978-927-8665

TIPS FOR CLEANING!

10/2/2020 (Permalink)

Yard, leaves, Rake

SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann knows how important it is to be safe with Flu season approaching and Coronavirus spiking. SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann put together some tips to keep your you and your family safe. Here are some tips that you should know. 

1. DOORKNOBS. 

Doorknobs are highly touched throughout your home and should be cleaned twice a day.

2. WASHER & DRYER.

Most people think washers and dryers are clean, but they can hold mold, mildew, and bacteria. There are solutions you can run in them once a month to make sure they are cleaned and sanitized.

3. REMOTE CONTROLS.

They should be wiped down throughout the day.

4. LAUNDRY BASKETS.

Laundry baskets hold dirty clothes which can leave behind bacteria. When you do laundry you should spray down your laundry basket with a disinfecting spray.

5. TRASH BARRELS. 

Trash barrels should be sprayed downed with a disinfecting spray when trash goes out.

6. BLANKETS & BED PILLOWS. 

Blankets and bed pillows should be washed once a week to prevent bacteria backup.

7. SHOWER CURTAINS & BATH MATS.

Shower curtains can hold mold, mildew, and bath mats can hold dirt. They should be washed once a week.

8. LIGHT SWICTHES. 

Light switches should be wiped down twice a day since they are highly touched throughout the day.

9. KITCHEN SINK AND DISHWASHERS.

your kitchen is the heart and soul of your home. Make sure to clean the sink and dishwasher and commonly touched areas of your kitchen.

10. LIVING ROOM.

Be sure to spray a disinfecting spray daily over your couches.

Those are just some ideas from SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann to keep you and your family safe. 

Halloween Safety Tips

10/1/2020 (Permalink)

Halloween pumpkins

Trick-or-Treaters

• Be bright at night – wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
• Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision, and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
• Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries, and place it facedown in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.

Parents

• Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under age 12.
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Establish a time for children to return home.
• Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.

Motorists

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they’ll be harder to see at night.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
• Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.

Be Prepared with a SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile

10/28/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile

It is stated that about 50% of commercial business who run into a disaster never re-open after that disaster occurred. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to help more business stay in business after an emergency happens and be there for support when needed. 

SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann established an Emergency Disaster Program so that when a disaster comes, you will have a blanket of security in times of panic. This is a detailed description of where to go, when to take action and who you can call. An emergency ready profile is vital for your commercial business because a disaster could happen at any moment, and SERVPRO wants to help prepare our customers for any disaster that may come your way. The ERP, or emergency ready profile is a profile that will have all the necessary information you need to handle situations with disasters. No contracts are involved and it is at no cost to you or your business. We locate all the emergency numbers you may need and emergency action checklist for a step by step on what to do in a disaster. We also have provided the necessary utility shut off locations for all the gas, electric, heat, water and other important locations to know and understand how to turn them off. This is vital because in case of emergencies and panic, you may not know how to even shut off the source, which is important because the source needs to be shut off before any action can be done. It will also give you a complete property overview, showing where emergency exits are and where exactly you should leave the property when evacuating. 

Time is of the essence in cases of emergency, so it is important to act fast to eliminate anymore disaster from occurring. By having a plan of action, you can readily be prepared and act in a timely manner, and limit the amount of time you as a company are inactive. Not only does the ERP save you time, but money as well. We obtain all your insurance information so you have it readily available at your convenience as a mobile app also. We have detailed an insurance policy information in your pamphlet to inform our customers what their policy is and what is covered by insurance. It is important to keep in mind, safety first and to account for everyone in the building and make sure everyone is okay before moving on. Things get crazy and hectic and emotions run high when a disaster occurs, so SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann wants to make this as easy as possible for our customers because we understand the hardships you might be going through at that moment. We can offer you all the services in the world to cleanup the damage, but the best service we can offer is helping you be prepared. 

SERVPRO wants the best for our customers and we know the best for them is the Emergency Ready Profile. SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann always has your back when it comes to preparedness and the essentials when dealing with a disaster. 

Halloween Safety Tips

10/14/2019 (Permalink)

Opt for battery-operated candles instead of open flames in your jack-o'-lanterns.

Trick-or-Treaters

• Be bright at night – wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
• Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision, and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
• Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries, and place it facedown in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.

Parents

• Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under age 12.
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Establish a time for children to return home.
• Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.

Motorists

• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they’ll be harder to see at night.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
• Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.

Prepping your Home for the Upcoming Winter Months

10/31/2016 (Permalink)

Now that fall is officially here, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. These steps, most of which you can do yourself, will help lower your utility bills and protect your investment.

Some tips could include;

- If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan's blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises). This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings -- and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

-If your home had lots of icicles last winter -- or worse, ice dams, which can cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house -- take steps to prevent potential damage this year. You will be happy you did!

-Turn of exterior faucets;
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Check and repair weather stripping before winter hits. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/essential-guide-to-weatherstripping

American Red Cross Fire Prevention Month

9/26/2016 (Permalink)

Hooray! It’s ALMOST - American Red Cross Fire Prevention Month! For the whole month of October, we are going to help you celebrate by learning more on how to prevent and prepare for home fires with the American Red Cross. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.

SERVPRO Honors Local Business for Outstanding Revenue Performance

8/10/2015 (Permalink)

SERVPRO, an industry leader in disaster cleanup, restoration and remediation services, recognized Vincent Lagrassa and Antonio Lagrassa of SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann with the PRESIDENT's Silver award for outstanding revenue performance. The Awards event took place at the company's 46th Annual Convention, held July 6 to July 10 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The event attracted a record-setting group of more than 2,700 Franchise owners and key employees. 

"Winning this award requires a partnership between the dedicated team at SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann and our franchisor SERVPRO," said Vincent Lagrassa, SERVPRO of Beverly/Cape Ann owner. "We contribute by working hard to earn the trust and respect of home and business owners in our community. SERVPRO backs us up by providing us with the tools, training, and knowledge to help us maintain our leadership position in our industry. Together, we are ready at a moment's notice to step in with the highest level of professional assistance when disaster strikes."...