Fires are always tragic but even more so when lives are lost. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Jonathan Murt and Sasha Zuro. Their lives were cut short in a building fire in the SunRidge community this past Sunday. Wallace Miller, the Somerset County Coroner concluded that both died from smoke inhalation. Click the link to read the story from the Post-Gazette.
I (Abe) was on site in 1993 when the fire, no injuries, in building O occurred. My sensory memories came flowing back like it was yesterday. The heat, the flames, the smell, the overwhelming true sense of helplessness as co-workers watched the firefighters do their best to save the building.
From the lessons learned living through that experience we wanted to share some very important information. First, condominium associations at Seven Springs and Hidden Valley BOTH have polices in place for mandatory cycles of cleaning and inspecting fireplaces. If the buildings have a sprinkler system they too are routinely checked. Smoke alarms were installed according to building codes. Fire hydrants are many and may be found easily.
Condominiums themselves are a unique type of housing. The associations maintain insurance for the exterior of the building. Homeowners are responsible for what is referred to as an HO6 policy which takes care of the "interior space" as defined in your By-Laws.
Several clauses should be carefully reviewed when purchasing this type of "content" insurance. Recognizing where the master policy ends and your responsibility begins is vitally imperative! Some may go to the inside or outside of a wall which can make a huge cost difference in what your are responsible for paying!
In deed ensuring that your replacement value number is current with today's market value is a must. Rising prices of goods and services can make a policy severely lacking when it comes time to reconstruct what was there. Costs of appliances, cabinets, flooring, fixtures are no where near what they were 20 years ago and they all add up quickly!
Another clause that should be carefully reviewed in case of fire or water damage is often referred to as "Loss of Use." As we are in a resort the dollar value given for staying in a hotel or similar property until yours has been renovated or rebuilt may fall short in actual needed compensation. Think about peak holiday times and how challenging it is to rent a place let alone finding a deal to meet a $100 a night pay out!
On a side note PLEASE always turn off your main water line when you leave your property. We can share way too many stories of frozen pipes bursting! And unfortunately when that happens it usually takes a day or two before anyone notices the water running out of the building! Then ceilings are down and your neighbors have a new attitude about you!
And while we are talking about an ounce of prevention... Take your phone, camera, or cam corder through your place (shooting pictures/video) so you can document WHAT is inside! Make sure you keep in a safe place model numbers and their codes for all of the fun stuff you have for easier replacement if need be.
To be on safe side have your fireplace checked out by a qualified chimney sweep, especially if you are not in the condo cycle! Our web site has listings for local contractors.
Within a year the SunRidge structure will be repaired. Repaired to the point that you will be hard pressed to tell which building was so severely damaged. Repairing or better said, healing the hearts of family and friends of Jonathan and Sasha will be a much longer process. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them.
