Fires at multifamily properties are more common than people realize. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that fire departments responded to an average of 106,700 multifamily residential building fires each year.
When a fire occurs, property owners are suddenly faced with many urgent and overwhelm-ing decisions. The hours immediately following are some of the most critical, yet it can be difficult to know where to begin. Every decision has a direct impact on the speed, cost and overall success of the recovery.
Identifying vulnerabilities, establishing a recovery plan and building relationships with the right partners before an emergency occurs can reduce disruption, minimize additional loss and help protect the long-term performance of the asset.
Fires may be unpredictable, but your response doesn’t have to be.
Identifying Your Property’s Vulnerabilities
Every property carries unique risk based on its location, design and age. By understanding these vulnerabilities in advance, owners can plan ahead, minimize potential losses and re-duce the time it takes to recover if a fire does occur. Conducting a formal property risk as-sessment at least once a year helps to identify issues and address them before they con-tribute to an incident.
While some fire risks are obvious, others can be easier to overlook without regular inspec-tions and maintenance. Owners should evaluate key areas of the property, including sea-sonal hazards such as Christmas trees and outdoor grills, as well as critical building sys-tems like fire suppression, HVAC and electrical infrastructure. Regular maintenance of life safety systems is essential. Sprinklers, fire alarms and fire extinguishers should be routinely inspected, tested and kept up to date to ensure they are operating properly when needed.
Owners should be mindful of the risks of deferred maintenance. Delaying critical repairs not only increases the likelihood of severe damage but also complicates the insurance claim, as carriers may deny or reduce coverage if they determine that neglect contributed to the loss. By recognizing and addressing vulnerabilities, owners protect both the property and its financial performance.
Responding to a Fire
Before reconstruction can begin, the immediate priorities are stabilizing the site, life safety repairs, securing the building, coordinating with insurance carriers and emergency re-sponders and establishing a clear path forward.
In the aftermath of a fire, owners are often navigating unfamiliar decisions under significant pressure. From a general contractor’s perspective, responsiveness, clear communication and helping clients navigate uncertainty are just as important as technical expertise. In a crisis, property owners need to feel confident they have the right team representing their best interest.
Once a fire occurs, there are important steps to take to properly address the building’s needs and support affected residents. First, obtain approval from the local fire department to gain access to the damaged structure. Then, request a copy of the fire report. Once the fire department or fire marshal has completed its initial investigation and released control of the scene, emergency stabilization and mitigation work can begin, including securing the structure for residents’ safety.
That may include boarding up doors and windows, removing dangerous debris, installing temporary fencing around the perimeter of the damaged structure and organizing a security patrol for an additional layer of protection.
The next step is assembling your team of professionals. Owners should contact their in-surance carrier to begin the insurance claim process while also identifying key partners in-cluding a general contractor, public adjuster, architect and engineer.
Early documentation is essential during this stage. Photos, videos and detailed notes of the damage help establish a clear record and support communication between all parties in-volved.
Owners should also coordinate with local building officials to understand inspection re-quirements, permitting needs and the path forward for reconstruction. Once the building is safe and approved to enter the damaged areas, teams can assist with retrieving resident be-longings.
The timeline for recovery depends on the severity of damage and the complexity of any re-quired reconstruction. While some repairs may be completed within a few months, larger projects can take a year or more. Many owners make the mistake of pausing until insurance money arrives, but mitigation and planning should start immediately to preserve momen-tum, prevent further deterioration and protect your ability to maximize business interrup-tion coverage.
The final step is completing required inspections and receiving approval from local authori-ties before residents can return. Once repairs meet all applicable code and requirements and the property is safe for residents to return, the certificate of occupancy can be issued.
The Recovery Following a Catastrophe
Recovering from a fire does not end when residents return and a certificate of occupancy is issued. Every event, whether large or small, reveals valuable lessons about property vulner-abilities, communication gaps and system weaknesses. Owners who apply those lessons and plan proactively are better positioned to reduce losses, accelerate recovery and protect both residents and revenue.
To summarize past learnings and prepare strategically for an incident, owners should de-velop property-specific playbooks that outline step-by-step actions for different disaster scenarios.
These plans include communication protocols, resource checklists and key vendor con-tacts. To ensure everyone understands their role during a crisis, conduct regular fire drills with on-site staff to reduce confusion and improve resident safety if an incident occurs.
Formalizing relationships with general contractors, adjusters and emergency service pro-viders before disaster strikes helps ensure a team is on call for quicker response.
Technology can also play an important role in resident communication, leveraging mass-communication apps for owners to share timely updates, reduce confusion and give resi-dents clear direction.
Other tools, such as drone monitoring for proactive inspections and insurance tracking software, can help teams stay organized. Sharing real-time updates during the event and progress reports following an event helps keep residents informed about damage assess-ments, repair timelines and restoration efforts.
Recovery requires more than repairing buildings. It demands coordination across residents, insurers, municipalities and contractors to efficiently reconstruct a damaged structure and restore homes for residents as quickly and safely as possible.
Rich Trepanier is president of Austin, Texas-based Gage Commercial Construction.