Address 3695 Prairie Lake Court | Aurora, IL 60504        Phone Number (800) 421-9290

What To Do in the First 24 Hours After a Disaster


Jump to: Fire Damage, Smoke Damage, Water Damage, Recording Equipment, Magnetic Media, Mechanical/Electromechanical Manufacturing Equipment

Severe Fire Damage

  • Separate from undamaged equipment
  • Record serial/model numbers
  • Locate loaners, rental units and undamaged on-site replacement equipment
  • Preserve all damaged equipment for insurance company inspection

Smoke Damage

  • Move all exposed equipment to a temperature/humidity controlled environment - limit corrosion
  • Isolate and erect temporary barriers to shield from outside elements
  • Establish priority for initial clean up of critical equipment
  • Protect electronics with surface preservative aerosol sprays
  • Follow up with RTI professional restoration services

Water Damage

Turn off power immediately! Do Not Energize Wet Equipment!
  • Remove equipment to a cool, dry area
  • Open cabinet doors/side panels/covers/chassis drawers - drain water
  • Set up fans to move ambient air through equipment
  • Blow water out with clean compressed air and/or hair dryers
  • Spray water displacement solvents on electronic components
  • Follow up with RTI professional restoration services

Recording Equipment (Disk and Tape Drives)

  • Do not operate if wet or dirty
  • Clean tape transport mechanism with alcohol solution - dry out if wet
  • Wipe off surface contamination before drive system use
  • Treat electronics as detailed above
  • Do not operate with dirty magnetic media
  • Follow up with RTI professional restoration services

Magnetic Media

  • Do not use if wet or dirty
  • Clean and dry dirty tapes/disks/cassettes with alcohol-based solvents for one time data recovery
  • Send wet/smoked HDA's to a specialist for data recovery
  • Save the data - not the media
  • Follow up with RTI professional restoration services

Mechanical/Electromechanical Manufacturing Equipment

  • Protect equipment from loss ambient - move to temperature/humidity controlled environment
  • Protect electronics with surface preservative aerosol sprays
  • Wipe down and dry metal surfaces as soon as possible - use protective surface treatments to slow corrosion
  • Follow up with RTI professional restoration services

Our Mission Statement

Restoration Technologies, Inc. (RTI) is a nationally recognized industry leader in providing detailed (24/7) on-site cleaning and restoration services for electronics, electrical components, machinery, medical and laboratory equipment.