What to Do After Fire Damage — Emergency Steps for Australian Homeowners

The first 30 minutes after a house fire are the most dangerous. Do not re-enter until you have received explicit clearance from the fire brigade. Follow these steps in order.

1. Confirm the fire is out. Do not assume. Wait for confirmation from FRNSW, QFD, MFB, or your state fire service that the structure is clear.
2. Wait for official clearance before entering. Even after the fire is out, smoke, carbon monoxide, and structural hazards make the property dangerous. FRNSW or QFD will advise when it is safe to approach.
3. Do not re-enter if structural damage is visible. Collapsed rooflines, cracked walls, or burnt floor joists are signs of structural compromise. A structural engineer or fire brigade officer must confirm safe entry.
4. Photograph everything before touching anything. Use a smartphone with the timestamp visible. Capture every room, exterior damage, contents, and the point of origin if visible. This documentation is critical for your insurance claim.
5. Call your insurer emergency line. Report the incident, obtain a claim reference number, and request make-safe authorisation. Most policies require notification as soon as reasonably possible.
6. Contact NRPG for emergency make-safe. Board-up of windows and doors, roof tarping, and electricity isolation can begin as soon as make-safe authorisation is received from your insurer.

Once the property has been cleared for entry and make-safe authorisation obtained, the next priority is stabilising the structure and preventing further damage.

• Emergency board-up and tarping. Secure all openings created by the fire — broken windows, compromised doors, and any roof breaches. Tarping prevents water ingress from rain, which would compound fire damage with water and mould damage.
• Electricity isolation. A licensed electrician must isolate the electrical system before any contractor works inside the property. Fire-damaged wiring presents an electrocution and re-ignition risk.
• Contents cataloguing. Document all contents room by room, noting condition. Fire-damaged, smoke-affected, and undamaged items should be listed separately. Your insurer will use this list for the contents component of your claim.
• Contents pack-out if contaminated. Smoke contamination spreads beyond fire-affected areas. Items in adjacent rooms often require professional decontamination. Pack-out to a restoration facility preserves items and allows full cleaning and ozone treatment off-site.
• Initial smoke odour ventilation. If structurally safe, open windows in unaffected rooms to begin ventilating smoke odour. Do not use household fans in fire-affected areas — this can spread particulate contamination.

With make-safe complete and your claim lodged, the focus shifts to scoping the full restoration and beginning specialist fire and smoke remediation.

• Scope of works approval. Your insurer will engage a loss assessor or request a scope from your contractor. Review the scope carefully — it must include all fire-affected areas, smoke-affected areas (which extend well beyond the fire origin), and contents. Request a second opinion if the scope appears incomplete.
• IICRC S700:2025 contractor engagement. Ensure the contractor performing fire restoration holds current IICRC certification. Ask for their certification number. S700:2025 is the current standard — contractors working to older standards or without certification should not be accepted.
• Thermal fogging and ozone treatment. These specialist processes neutralise smoke odour by penetrating materials at a molecular level. They cannot be replicated by surface cleaning or repainting and are a standard component of any compliant fire restoration scope.
• Structural assessment — rebuild vs repair. Your contractor and possibly a structural engineer will assess whether fire-affected structural elements can be repaired or require rebuilding. This decision determines whether your claim is a partial loss or total loss, affecting how your insurer calculates the payout.
• Temporary accommodation claim activation. Most Australian home insurance policies include temporary accommodation cover for major fire damage. Confirm with your insurer what is covered (accommodation type, duration, meals allowance) and keep all receipts.

These errors can cost you significantly — either in unreimbursed costs or in a reduced insurance payout.

• Re-entering too soon. Returning before fire brigade clearance risks carbon monoxide poisoning, structural collapse, and electrical hazards. Always wait.
• Failing to photograph before cleanup. Once cleanup begins, you lose the evidentiary record. Photograph before a single item is moved.
• Throwing out damaged items. Insurers need to assess items to determine replacement value. Do not dispose of anything until your loss assessor or insurer has confirmed it can be removed.
• Accepting the insurer's first scope without independent review. The first scope issued may underestimate smoke damage to adjacent areas, contents contamination, and specialist treatment requirements. Request an independent review from your NRPG contractor before signing off.
• Using non-certified contractors. Work performed outside IICRC S700:2025 standards may be rejected by your insurer at claim finalisation, leaving you liable for the cost of compliant rework.