Talking Business

Emergency Service Restoration, Inc.: Taking Water Damage Seriously

by Emily Landes

Perhaps the most frightening thing about water damage is how quickly its devastating effects can take place. In her two years as a Bay Area marketing representative for Emergency Service Restoration, Inc.–a water damage mitigation company–Melissa Lucius has seen and heard of countless families and businesses that never thought such a disaster could happen to them. There was the couple that went away for the weekend only to discover upon their return that a leak in the walls had flooded their entire home with two feet of water. And Lucius will never forget the small businesses in South San Francisco that were flooded immediately after a dam failure. “I was there that day that that happened and let them know how to get it taken care of and tried to help them. When something like this happens, especially to a business, the last thing you want is to be taken out for a couple of days,” she recalls.

That’s why ESR is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. At any time, property owners and managers can call the company and a water-damage-certified dispatcher will be able to answer questions and evaluate the extent of the problem. Within 60 to 90 minutes of receiving the call, the dispatcher will send the appropriate technician to the affected property. Once the technician arrives, the first priority will be to assess the health and safety hazards of the damage, particularly if sewage or gray water is involved. The technician may suggest that all residents in the affected area leave immediately. In fact, the company always recommends that people leave a water-damaged structure until a technician arrives to determine the extent of the hazard.

For San Francisco landlords who will not only need to bear the cost of the repairs, but also the relocation fees for displaced tenants, time is of the essence once the damage has been assessed. Lucius cautions that mitigation time depends on the extent of the damage, but that with ESR’s well-equipped trucks, which carry patented steel-sealed holding wells and equipment that can mitigate up to 300 gallons of water in 15 minutes, most residents will be back in their units in just a few days. “Typically, their life will be back together within 72 hours,” she assures. The cost for ESR’s mitigation services usually range from $600 to $4,000, depending on the square footage of the damage; this fee is usually covered by insurance.

Of course, if the damage is more substantial and reconstruction is needed, that price will go up. In these cases, ESR can call in its sister company, Immediate Response Restoration, to do the work in a timely manner. “They have access to the documentation, the pictures, our invoicing, our diagram of preexisting conditions and the affected area,” Lucius explains. “They’re able to access all this information and they’ll be able to get things going a little quicker than another company that’s going to have to come out and reevaluate the entire area.”

Though water damage may be the company’s bread and butter (it also mitigates fire, smoke and odor issues, as well as sanitizing areas affected by rat droppings), a large part of Lucius’s job is to educate owners so that they can prevent this damage. She does lectures and workshops for plumbers, municipalities, condo associations and apartment groups like the SFAA. ESR has had a Bay Area presence since 2000 (the family-run company began in Southern California 16 years ago), and became an SFAA member soon after it arrived. Lucius says ESR, which relies only on word-of-mouth to advertise its services, “has gotten a lot stronger with the association.”

In these workshops and lectures, Lucius educates people about the dangers of water damage and teaches them how to mitigate the damage so residents don’t get sick–or litigious. “I don’t want people to be affected, I want them to be educated, especially property owners and managers with young children and elderly people on their properties,” she says. “They just don’t know, and they need to become aware. Instead of suing everyone, I think people should protect one another.”

One of the easiest ways for owners to protect themselves is to maintain their properties and their plumbing. Lucius suggests a five-step maintenance plan to really cut down on water damage:

1. Know where the main shutoff valve is located.

2. Conduct a “water drill” with family and neighbors, so they know what to do during a water emergency.

3. Check washing machine hoses regularly and look for signs of wetness, cracking, bulging or other deterioration. These are indications that the hose may burst. Follow manufacturers’ recommendations on when to replace hoses.

4. Know the level of water pressure coming into your home. High water pressure (over 75 PSI) may cause a leak to develop in your plumbing system. If water pressure is high, call a plumber for assistance; the plumber may be able to install a water regulator to replace the old one.

5. Periodically make sure hose connections are secure on water supply lines to ice makers, disposals, dishwashers, sinks, toilets and other appliances that use water. If you notice any moisture or water on or around supply lines, or if you see any corrosion or deterioration, you may have a supply line on the verge of rupturing. Call a plumber for assistance.

Lucius says the most challenging part of her job is teaching owners that ignoring these maintenance tips can lead to much larger problems down the line. She says people often don’t understand how serious water damage can be until after they’ve had a loss; once that happens, they suddenly understand the importance of her message. She has hope that she can eventually get through to more owners before they have a loss, but says even if every owner she spoke to started to heed her call for more preventative maintenance, it’s impossible to eliminate water damage entirely. “Wherever there’s water, you’re going to have water damage,” she argues. “Not everybody’s going to maintain their pipes or take care of everything that they should, but at least if I educate people, we can affect the health and safety of those around us as best as we can.”

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or SF Apartment Magazine. Emily Landes is the managing editor of SF Apartment Magazine and Rental Housing. Copyright © 2007 by SF Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.