Recent Community Posts

SERVPRO Employees Lose Homes in Camp Fire, Butte County, California

11/12/2018 (Permalink)

Supporting our sister SERVPRO franchise in Chico. Owner and Employees lost homes. #CampFire #ButteCounty See the link above for fundraising help.

SERVPRO of Chico / Lake Almanor has employees who have been displaced by the Camp Fire of California. 

**URGENT - Go Fund Me - https://bit.ly/2T6R4tw

It began at about 7am on Thursday 11/8/18 and spread through the small town of Paradise, and is traveling to Chico as I type this.  7 families from the SERVPRO of Chico / Lake Almanor team have lost their homes, including the Owner, William Jones and his wife Babette.   William has taken quick action and setup temporary shelter for them, but he can't and shouldn't have to do it alone.

The SERVPRO of Chico / Lake Almanor team has given countless times to the community they serve, and we're hoping there are others that will return the favor.

This fire is continuing to spread around the area, and may affect more of their team, as well as the tens of thousands in the area.

Please help with whatever you can, and let's get them back on their feet so that they can continue their service to their community.

Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety Training: Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community

9/12/2017 (Permalink)

Plan, Prepare, Educate and Train

September - National Preparedness Month
Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community

Identify gas, electrical and water shut-off locations. This video shows you how to turn them off in an emergency.
https://youtu.be/RApl44mFV1U

Remember:  Because you have stayed alert and prepared You Are The Help Until Help Arrives.  Emergencies happen quickly.  Because you are the closest to the person with injuries you are in the best position to provide immediate care.  A recent study by the National Academies of Science indicated that trauma, for Americans under the age of 46, is the leading cause of death.

Community and Personal Planning Training Here

Almost half of Americans expect to rely on their neighbors after a disaster. Plan today: www.ready.gov/volunteer 

Another resource is completing the training through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  IS-909: Community Preparedness: Implementing Simple Activities for Everyone

Preparedness is a community effort: A "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" approach.  Community leaders facilitate individual education.  The first 72 hours after a major disaster is the critical time frame when prepared and educated neighbors come together.

Finally, we at SERVPRO of North Shasta, Trinity & Greater Tehama Counties, want to emphasize the importance of individual Health and Safety Training & Education like first aid and CPR.  

The American Red Cross offers an extensive library of training, tips and emergency procedures. American Red Cross - Tips and Training Library

Have a great September and Be Prepared and Safe!  

September 2017 National Preparedness Month - Make a Plan for Yourself, Family and Friends

9/5/2017 (Permalink)

September - National Preparedness Month

Disasters don’t plan ahead. You can. Make an emergency plan today. 

www.ready.gov/make-a-plan #PlanAhead #NatlPrep

SERVPRO of North Shasta, Trinity and Greater Tehama Counties is committed to supporting your Redding area communities.

1. Make an Emergency Plan.

Download a copy of this outstanding Family Emergency Communication Plan (.pdf)

As you prepare your plan for your specific daily needs and responsibilities.  Communicate this list with your personal network, family and friends.  Outline details like prescriptions, pets, children, power outage, food and personal paperwork. In what areas do you need assistance?

  • Different ages of members within your household

  • Responsibilities for assisting others

  • Locations frequented

  • Dietary needs

  • Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment

  • Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment

  • Languages spoken

  • Cultural and religious considerations

  • Pets or service animals

  • Households with school-aged children

2. Sign up for alerts and warnings in your area.

Find out details of Apps and Emergency Alerts at Apps and Emergency Alerts.

3. Learn your evacuation zone and have an evacuation plan.

Many emergencies may cause a sudden and unexpected evacuation. In some instances you may have a day or two to prepare, while other situations might call for an immediate evacuation. Evacuating quickly and safely with you family safe is the result of planning ahead.

4. Check your insurance coverage and review the Document and Insure Property guide.

Additionally you might want to take a look at

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program details.

5. Plan financially for the possibility of disaster.

Doug Stephens, Owner of SERVPRO of North Shasta, Trinity & Greater Tehama Counties, says,

"When disaster strikes, you need to be ready to immediately assess the situation and take the first critical steps to protect your employees and property from further damage. The key is having a plan in place before you need it. You can afford to take time now to gather the necessary information and create a recovery plan, but you can't afford that time after a disaster. That's a time for action, not planning."

If you have any questions about emergency preparedness phone anything - (530) 222-0200

The Top 10 Essential Homeowner Money-Saving Tips

8/25/2017 (Permalink)

Thermostat, Air conditioner, Sun, Fans, Shower, Air Filters, Laundry, Windows - Small Solutions for Big Savings

The Top 10 Essential Homeowner Money-Saving Tips

...for more information call SERVPRO of Greater Shasta, Trinity and Tehama Counties 24/7 - (530) 222-0200

Owning a home can be expensive.  Mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance and upkeep add up. We are all about making you life easier and have provided you with these money saving tips..

You don't have to be a home improvement expert to utilize these free and cheap methods that can make a huge difference!

Here are 10 of the best energy saving tips that will make your energy bills shrink.

1. Automate your thermostat or use a post-it note

In my first home, I would manually turn up the thermostat as I walked out the door to work, and I would manually adjust it down when I came home in the evening.

Last year I replaced all of the thermostats in my house with the Nest learning thermostat. It learns your schedule to keep your home comfortable when you are home. Nests’ are pricey, but according to the

Some energy companies send you a $249 Nest Thermostat at no cost when you sign up for certain plans. Others give you an instant $100 rebate – no paperwork necessary. Even more energy companies offer traditional mail-in rebates

I wish I had known about this before buying mine. Oh well, my mistake for you to learn. Check with your utility provider to see what might be available in your area.

Set your thermostat as high as you feel comfortable – try 78ºF or higher when you’re at home, and 85ºF when you’re away.

If you can’t get a free or discounted smart thermostat from your utility provider, you can go the manual route like I used to. Go get a sticky note, and put it on the door you take to leave your home. Write a reminder to change the thermostat as you walk out the door. Simple and free.

Savings: $173 year (average for a programmed thermostat)

Cost: $0 – $250 per thermostat

Time: Varies

2. Give your air conditioner some fresh air

Have you ever tried running really fast with a rag over your mouth? I haven’t either, but that’s what most people are expecting their AC units to do.

Many AC units are surrounded by shrubbery that can restrict the airflow needed to make the systems run optimally. Take a few minutes today or this weekend and look around your AC’s outdoor unit:

  • Provide at least 1’ of clearance all around the units.
  • Trim any bushes that are touching the units
  • Remove any leaves and dirt around the unit
  • Remove any other obstructions like that rotting Ping-Pong table leaning up against it
  • If there is significant mud or dirt inside the unit have it professionally serviced

Cost: FREE

Time: 20 minutes

3. Block out the sun

All of those windows in your home are the largest source of heat flowing inside during hot summer days.

Closing the blinds and/or curtains blocks the sun from coming inside in the first place and will help prevent it from heating up, reducing the need for the AC to cool it down. Blocking the sun is especially important on the western and southern facing windows that receive the most direct sunlight.

Savings: $15-$35 / year

Cost: FREE

Time: none

4. Use fans

A ceiling fan can make your room feel up to 7 degrees cooler. Fans will allow you to turn your AC up a couple extra degrees, saving even more money.

Savings: $35-$53 / year

Cost: FREE (assuming you have ceiling fans)

Time: none

5. Shower power

Do you take a hot shower in the summer steaming up the bathroom mirrors? If so you’re adding heat back into your home that needs to cool.

Take a quicker shower. And take a warm shower instead of a burning hot one. Using less hot water will also save energy.

Savings: $50 / year

Cost: FREE

Time: 10 minutes

6. Replace air filters

Replace your HVAC filters at least every 6 months, preferably every 3. Clogged, dirty filters block airflow and reduce your system’s efficiency. In the worst case scenario, a wrongly sized filter or dirty filter can cause your system to burn out, requiring replacement.

Never use a higher rated MERV filter than the one you replace, unless a licensed professional tells you otherwise. The MERV rating is listed on the filter, and it will be something like 8, 11, 13, 15, or more. The higher the rating the more dust the filter collects, but the harder the system has to work. Using a higher rated filter for a system not designed to handle it is bad news.

Savings: 5% – 15% / year on energy

Cost: $5-$30

Time: 10 minutes

7. Hang out your laundry

Yeah, I don’t do this either. It takes too long. In the summer, it’s too hot out.

For a long time, I used a clothes rack but now I have an even more ingenious way to dry my clothes.

I bought a bunch of plastic hangers to hang up ALL of my shirts, shorts, and pants. Now that I have to hang my clothes up anyway, I just pull them out of the washing machine and put them up on the hangers to dry. Boom! I’m just skipping the drying part because they dry in my closet – for free.

For the things I don’t hang up (socks) I’ve got a drying rack. It takes up very little space.

Savings: $80 – $250 / year depending on household size

Cost: $30 for hangers or racks

Time: Varies by method

8. A bright idea?

LED lighting runs cooler than incandescent bulbs. Only about 10% to 15% of the electricity that incandescent lights consume results in light. The rest is turned into heat, and that heat needs to be cooled by your AC system.

Last year I made the switch to LED lights – but not all of the lights in my house, and that’s key for saving money. Check out ‘Are LEDs worth it?’

I use Cree LED light bulbs in my house. I found them to have the most natural lighting (I tried four different brands).

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of the bulbs!

Savings: Varies on usage

Cost: $9 – $20 / bulb

Time: 2 minutes / bulb

9. Grilled to perfection

In the summer consider cooking primarily using the microwave, crockpot, or grilling outside to avoid heating up your home with the oven and stove.

Savings: At least a few bucks and your kitchen won’t be as hot.

Cost: FREE

Time: None

10. Fix leaky windows

If you have a 1/64 inch gap around a single window – which is REALLY TINY – it is the equivalent of a 3.27 square inch hole in your wall – which is REALLY BIG.

If you have a 1/32 inch gap around a single window, it is the equivalent of a 6.5 square inch hole in your wall. That’s big enough to put your fist through!

If you have ten windows in your house, that’s a lot of big holes that are draining your wallet year after year.

To determine if your windows are leaky close all your windows, doors, and the flue damper in your chimney if you have a fireplace. Use a stick of incense and move it around each window to see if there is air flow. If there is, you’ve got a leak!

Weather-stripping is an easy and cost-effective way to save money on energy costs and improve comfort by reducing drafts. It’s something any homeowner can do. Peel-and-stick weather-stripping is easy and useful for sealing drafts:

  1.  Remove any dirt and grease from the window jambs or sash.
  2. Dry the areas with a rag.
  3. Cut the weatherstrip to the right length
  4. Peel off the back
  5. Press the sticky part to the surface.

Now check your windows from the outside

  1. Inspect for any cracked or damaged caulking around the windows where the casing meets the house, and around the window frame.
  2. Scrape and clean away any damaged caulking
  3. Apply a fresh bead of paintable acrylic latex to reseal the window. 

Savings: 10%–20% of your heating and cooling costs per year

Cost: $30-$50

Time: 2–3 hours

Insurance Policy Claim Tips - Faster Approval

8/22/2017 (Permalink)

Insurance Policy Claim Tips - Faster Approval

Reading up on your current insurance policy and being aware of a few key tips can make your recovery time and costs easier when the unexpected occurs - natural disaster, fire or flood.

Here are four tips to a help make your insurance claim smoother:

1. Insurance is about the Contract, not about Feelings

It is important for you or someone attached to the insurance has a solid understanding of all current insurance policies. This is crucial because once the loss occurs, everything that happens from an insurance perspective is dictated by the policy and nothing else matters. To put it another way, insurance is not about feelings but about the contract.

To keep you in your home or your business operating, you need to get the claims process moving. Have a thorough understanding of what your policy covers regarding repairs. If not, you might be paying for unexpected expenses and/or run into costly delays.

As an example, most insurance companies have a policy that puts the responsibility of securing the loss to prevent further damage on the owner. If you are unaware of this policy and more damage occurs, you may end up having to cover the bill yourself. This scenario is not uncommon. As an example, if wind damages your roof and you do not cover the roof before it rains; all water damage could end up being your responsibility to pay for.

  1. Organized and Detailed Record Keeping

Secure your insurance records in a fire and water proof box and know where to find it; this way when disaster happens whether you are around or not they can be found. As a result, the claim can continue to move forward; getting you the much-needed insurance checks sooner.

Claims from insurance companies are based on details - receipts, photos, estimates.  It’s important to remember that for insurance adjusters, details are everything. Gather as much information as you can from contractors that come and do estimates, the more you are informed the better.

  1. Maintain a Central Point of Contact

Sometimes it is not always possible, but ideally you want a limited number of contacts for contractors and your insurance company to deal with. Most of the time your insurance company will be working directly with the contracted party doing the work, so it is important to have a limited number for them to have to contact to get approvals from and send updates to.

Mitigate confusion and miscommunication through a select number of contacts.  Everything will move faster.Make sure you speak with your insurance company and see if your Point of Contact will be able to respond for you on all parts of the claim and if not know what parts of the claim you will have to handle.

4. Disaster Recovery Service Provider - Plan Ahead

You maintain freedom of choice.  This last tip is very important because when a loss occurs, you may need to act quickly. As stated in the “Understand Your Policy” section it is your obligation to secure your property after a disaster. Knowing who to call ahead of time will make things less stressful and can potentially save you money in the long run. Not sure who to call? You can always contact your Insurance Agent and ask them who their preferred contractors are in North Shasta County, CA.

Never forget, you get to choose who you work with not your insurance. SERVPRO Of North Shasta, Trinity, and Greater Tehama Counties is always here 24/7 and 365 days of the year for all you Water, Fire, Mold, and Trauma Losses!

Animal Emergency Response Tips

8/4/2016 (Permalink)

A safe home, a regular routine, a soft bed – the things that bring you comfort bring your pet comfort, too. Which is why it’s so important to give some advance thought to how you’d handle your pet responsibilities during and after a disastrous storm or other event.

Your family emergency plan should include considerations for Fluffy or Fido. Not just so they’re comfortable, but so they’re safe, too. With National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day coming up on May 8, here are some emergency planning tips for families with pets from Ready.gov:

Prepare Now so You and Your Pet Are Ready Later

  • Make sure your pet has ID. Always have your home address and/or phone number on a tag attached to your pet’s collar – or printed on the collar itself. You might also consider having a microchip implanted in case those tags fall off.
  • Keep a current photo of your pet handy. This is important for identification purposes in the event there’s no microchip or tags. If you really want to be prepared, create a “Lost Pet” flyer and keep a few printouts in your emergency kit.
  • Identify shelters or hotels that accept pets. Keep a list of their phone numbers and addresses, and include your local boarding facility’s number in case you need to drop off your pet. You could also create a list of friends or family outside the area who can host you and your pets.
  • Think security. It’s a good idea to have a secure carrier or harness so pets can’t escape if they panic.
  • Create a separate pet emergency kit. You should have emergency supplies for you and your family — don’t forget your animal friends! Canned or moist food is best for them, as it can reduce their need for water. Other things to include: blankets, bottled water, pet first-aid supplies, vet records, an extra collar and leash, food dishes and other supplies specific to pet type (such as cat litter, etc.).
  • Consider a buddy system. Talk with friends and neighbors and create a plan to help each other care for pets during emergencies. If one of you isn’t home when disaster strikes, the other agrees to see to the animals’ needs for care or evacuation. Be sure to discuss where to meet after an evacuation.

See to Your Pets’ Needs During a Disaster

Don’t leave pets outside or tied up. They may become frightened and escape. And, remaining outside can put them at greater risk of harm.

Separate dogs, cats and other animals. Even if they normally get along, stressful situations can lead to irrational behavior.

Have more unique pets, such as birds? Talk to your veterinarian about their specific needs in emergencies.

  • Keep a supply of newspapers. If your pets cannot go outside, you’ll need to create space indoors for them to … well, you know. Protect those areas with newspapers, towels or other items.

  • If at all possible, do not leave your pets behind if you need to evacuate. If you must, however, confine them to a safe area inside your home with access to plenty of food and water. Even leave the toilet seat up in case their other water runs out. And, it’s a good idea to leave an easily seen sign detailing how many pets are in the house, and how you can be reached.

Storm and flood damage require specialized restoration techniques and equipment. When a storm hits your Redding home, you need the company with storm damage experience and expertise. SERVPRO of North Shasta, Trinity & Greater Tehama Counties can respond immediately to storm and flooding conditions.

Do You Have Flood or Storm Damage?Call Us Today (530) 222-0200