What to do in the first hour after a fire at your premises

Nobody reads this article on the day they need it. That is exactly why it is worth reading now: the decisions that decide how a fire claim goes are made in the first hour, by people who are shocked, busy, and not thinking about insurance.

1. Get everyone out, and account for them

Evacuate, then count. Do not re-enter for documents, stock or equipment. Nothing in the building is worth more than the person who would go back in for it, and insurance exists precisely so that nobody has to.

2. Call the fire service, and get the report

Beyond putting out the fire, the fire service produces a report. Most commercial property policies expect one, and obtaining it weeks later is far harder than obtaining it on the day. Ask how to get a copy before they leave.

3. Do not start clearing up

This is the instruction people find hardest, because clearing up feels like taking control. But insurers frequently want to inspect the scene as found, and a loss adjuster arriving at a swept, cleared site has lost the evidence that would have supported your figures.

You are allowed to make the site safe. You are allowed to prevent further damage — in fact you are usually required to. What you should not do is dispose of damaged property before it has been seen.

4. Photograph and video everything

• Wide shots of each affected room or area before anything is moved
• Close-ups of damaged stock, equipment and fittings
• The point where the fire appears to have started, if it is visible and safe
• Any undamaged areas too — proving what survived is as useful as proving what did not

This is the single most common regret we hear. Photographs cost nothing and take minutes, and they cannot be recreated once the site is cleared.

5. Prevent further damage

Board up openings, cover what is exposed to rain, move undamaged stock somewhere dry. Nearly every policy places a duty on you to take reasonable steps to limit the loss, and the reasonable costs of doing so are usually recoverable. Keep the receipts.

6. Notify us the same day

You do not need the paperwork, the figures, or even certainty that it is claimable. Late notification is one of the most common reasons a genuinely valid claim gets refused, and it is entirely avoidable.

Then: the claim you might not know you have

The property claim rebuilds the building and replaces the contents. It does nothing about the months of trading you lose while that happens. That is business interruption cover, and if you hold it, it is claimed alongside — start recording lost trading days and cancelled orders from day one.