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Mitigation
is defined within the
NFPA 1600 as ---
"Activities taken to eliminate or reduce the probability of the
event, or reduce the severity or consequences, either prior to
or following a disaster/emergency."
Within the restoration industry, primarily when mitigating fire,
smoke, water and flood perils, mitigation is referred as
Loss-Mitigation, a paraphrase coined by insurer back in the
early 1990's.
Loss-Mitigation is defined within the p1m.com
Glossary of Terms
as --- The scientific approach to emergency services, where
post-loss conditions are evaluated and systematically
neutralized to reduce latent damages before they produce
irresolvable damages to building components, contents and
equipment.
Regardless of the terminology used, mitigation should be
performed in a manner that laterally reduces building
damage (reconstruction costs) and downtime (business
interruption/ ALE costs) as outlined in the
Loss-Mitigation Reduction
Graph. |
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Mitigation
and restoration is not kids stuff, requiring guidelines and
procedures that produce results.
Since 1998, the
Loss Recovery Guide with
Standards (LRGS) has been helping contractors and facility
managers in twenty-four countries produce mitigation
and restoration results.
The
Critical Recovery Flow Chart - water
loss, provides a chronological
order of events based on the four principles of drying; What Is Wet? -
How Wet Is It? - Are We Drying? - Is It Dry?
The
Equilibrium Moisture Chart defines moisture at which wood is neither gaining nor loosing moisture,
hence equilibrium exists. Also, moisture content for structural timber
and equilibrium as it relates to drying is a part of this paper.
The p1m.com
30-Minute Drying Lesson
provides a description of the overall drying process, from your typical
insurance policy to dehumidification equipment calculations. A must
read for property owners and professional drying contractors.
Psychrometrics is the
principal behind successful drying, p1m.com provides the
Psychrometrics Chart with
a description of each segment, and for those who need a quick
calculation visit the online
Psychrometric Calculator.
For additional information on
Psychrometrics, visit
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
During water loss
mitigation (structural drying), contractors should be aware of
pre-existing mold within hidden areas that could be distributed
throughout due to air movement. The p1m.com
Discovered Mold --- Now What?
whitepaper provides contractors a synopsis of what should or
should not be done when drying to help prevent the spread of
pre-existing mold.
The
Water Characteristics page contains:
- U.S. Gallons
into Cubic Feet chart (with the know cubic feet of water, pump sizing
and the time frame
of pumping can be determined),
- Water Flow
Rates (45-55 PSI) with the know pipe size and approximate time of loss,
the total gallons
of water released can be determined. Pipe sizing from 1/2" to 4",
- The Specific
Weights and Measures as they relate to water are also provided
Electrical systems (line
voltage) when wet or submerged in water shall be discarded or restored
based on the materials makeup --- per the National Electrical
Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the National Electrical Code (NEC®).
Sections 7.30 and
7.30.a of the Loss
Recovery Guide with Standards (LRGS) provides guidance when handling
electrical systems after a water loss or flood.
The properly sized generator during mitigation services saves
time and money. Make sure your generator is properly sized
using a
Generator (KW) Calculator,
and the
Wire (leads)
should be sized based on Amps and
Voltage Drop. Looking to rent generators, visit the p1m.com
Generator Rental Supply
Chain page.
Mold Prevention in Facilities
a/k/a Results describes mitigation methods for facility managers
that help prevent mold formation using a proactive approach that provides both pre and post mitigation strategy.
No mitigation or
restoration system is complete without a
Quality Control & Assurance
(QC&A) program. Section 5.0 from the LRGS provides the basis needed to
develop a QC&A program. |
