This relatively simple and generally inexpensive task will prevent unwanted complications, even tragedy.  Not just it’s not fun when your furnace stops working and it’s freezing outside, but, most importantly, servicing your heating system will make your home and family safer, decreasing the chance of serious accidents.

During the cold season, improperly maintained or operating heating systems and appliances are responsible for the majority of fires, explosions and human loss.  As most residential heating systems in Michigan are gas burning furnaces, the risk of fire and explosions is particularly high.

The gas pipeline that goes to the furnace needs to be checked for leakages – as it poses a serious explosion risk. Methane gas accumulates in closed spaces such as basements and ignites and blows from any small spark. It takes as little as switching on the light for the accumulated methane to blow up, destroy your home, and your life.  

During the safety check procedure, the HVAC technician you hire will perform a series of tests and procedures meant to reveal and fix any furnace problems that may prevent it from functioning properly or increase the chances of fires and accidents:

• check for debris in the chimney and flue;
• cleaning of air filters;
• checking gas pilot safety;
• cleaning burners for proper combustion;
• cleaning the fan;
• checking and adjusting the condition and tension of fan belt;
• checking blower operation.

Also, proper maintenance of your heating system will keep it operating efficiently over the years, making it a good deal even for the budget conscious consumer.   

So don’t delay! Make sure the furnace check is performed by a reliable, authorized heating company, not just for your safety, but also, in case of an accident – fire, explosion, etc., you will need to prove to your insurance company that you performed required maintenance on your heating system, or your claim may be denied (save all records of the work performed).

 
Be safe!
Nik Kalaj
Michigan Fire Claims Inc, A Public Adjuster Company

After a week of toil and trouble, things look up.  For the next months, anyone waking through the door, acts like your Schnauzer when the meatloaf is in the oven – sniffing the air, questions marks in their eyes.  At work, people inquire if you’ve been taking up smoking, or you’re just  grillin’ every day.

At Christmas, when your in-laws visit, they ask if they have to eat whatever you’ve been cooking (or burning..).  At this point, you possibly had enough.

So together with your Schnauzer, you put your olfactory detective skills to use, to uncover just where those pesky smells are hiding.

Carpets, rugs, sofas, curtains, clothes, they are all culprits. Even after washing, airing, deodorizing.  You may need to get new ones!  And repaint. Geez, who knows how much this will cost.

What to do??  And how about the insurance company, how can you document the damage now?

Eureka!!   You can call Michigan Fire Claims! They’ll have answers for you! And appraisers, and adjusters. And they’ve help hundreds before (here’s proof!).  Plus, they are really nice.

Yeah, I know you wish you’d thought of them before!

Nik Kalaj
President & Owner
Michigan Fire Claims, Public Adjusting Company

There are few basic precautions to consider, so you and your family stay safe and warm:

- have your heating appliances inspected by a certified professional
- operate gas or kerosene space heaters with the greatest care, as they account for the highest fatality risk protect floors under wood burning stoves, and leave enough clearance, as stray embers or overheating could easily start a fire
- for electric appliances, check all cords, and make sure you don’t overload the circuits when plugging them in.
have your vents and chimneys inspected and cleaned every season
- keep all combustibles away from any heaters
- don’t leave any open fires unattended (candles, cigarettes, fireplaces, stoves, etc)
- make sure your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector (a must if you are using any space heaters besides electrical) are working properly
- talk to you kids about fire safety. As most fires occurs at night – having a clear fire escape plan that your kids understand and have practiced dramatically increases their chance of surviving one.

We hope you stay warm and safe, as the the cold weather is here for a little while longer.

We had a very strong year, handling over 200 claims for families and businesses all over Michigan. While that in itself meant a lot of hard work and long hours for our team, the success we had in recuperating property losses for our clients makes it especially rewarding. For our company, there is a direct correlation between our success and how well we do for our clients. So I know, that our success also means families being able to rebuild their lives and businesses getting a new chance to prosper.

To our customers, as they settle into their new lives, post fire or flood, we are grateful we had the chance to help you through such difficult times, and we wish you the best of luck. Also, as most of our business comes from referrals, our sincere gratitude to all customers and partners for helping us have a stellar 2010!

Michigan Fire Claims

While no one likes to think of fires other than the one in the fireplace, believe us, it happens; we see it every day. Loosing all you’ve got in a fire is not an easy thing for anyone, but eventually life goes on and thing get better. You buy new things, re-build your house, etc. However, while material things will be replaced, a life cannot!

So, please, as you start baking, decorating, lighting the candles, etc., don’t forget to take the necessary precautions to help protect your family and property. Here’s a video from the US Fire Administration and NIST showing it takes less than a minute for the Christmas tree to catch on fire and engulf the living room. Don’t let it happen to you!

If you have small children in your family, take the time to talk to them again about fire safety and the fire evacuation plan. If the unthinkable happens, having rehearsed these, will dramatically decrease their chance of fire related injuries.

From everyone here at Michigan Fire Claims Inc., we wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season!

Nik