Serving South Bend, IN and Surrounding Areas.
First Response Portfolio Pieces

First Response Portfolio Pieces

We are the leading disaster restoration contractor in Michiana so while you might not currently see a light at the end of the tunnel, our experience and training prove to us time and time again that clients know they can trust First Response after a disaster.  Here are just a few examples of some of the fire restoration, water restoration, and mold remediation projects First Response has worked on since 2019. 

Basement Fire Causes Damage to Multiple Floors

A fire in this family’s finished basement caused severe smoke and soot damage throughout all three levels of the home in Osceola, Indiana.  The basement was hardly recognizable and years of collectibles were destroyed.  

First Response was called in the middle of the night to perform the emergency board up to secure to property and the next day began to pick up the pieces of what was left of this family’s home.

First Response worked with their insurance company on an approved scope of work for the damages to get the home back to its pre-loss condition.  Due to the amount of collectibles and personal belonging on-site, First Response was able to carefully package all their personal property for storage and cleaning at our state of the art facility in South Bend.  This allowed their damaged items to be cleaned and safely stored all while under 24/7 security.  First Response was able to work with the homeowners to improve the layout of their home to help accommodate their current needs during the fire restoration project.  You can definitely see an amazing transformation with the final results!

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Massive Fire Rips Through Main Level of Home

This home was engulfed in flames after a fire and caused significant damage throughout this home in South Bend, Indiana.  First Response was selected the perform the fire and smoke restoration based on their online customer reviews and experience in the industry.  Due to the damage of the fire, we needed to basically rebuild the entire home from the inside-out as it was gutted down to the studs throughout. 

The homeowner, who had 45+ years of construction experience himself, went through every detail of the home to ensure the work was done to his standards.  With a close eye on all facets of the project, this homeowner was very pleased with the craftsmanship of First Response and the level of detail his home was given.

Fire Causes Roof to Collapse

A fire completely destroyed the roof of this home which then collapsed and caused considerable damage both inside and out of this South Bend, Indiana home.  First Response was referred to the homeowner through their insurance company and First Response was able to perform fire and smoke restoration.   First Response was able to help recreate the design of the home prior to the fire while also updating their kitchen and giving it a more modern feel.  First Response professionally cleaned all the homeowner’s personal property while the construction process took place and safely return their item once the fire restoration was complete.  You can’t argue with the final results!

Attached Garage Fire Causes Significant Damage to Home

A fire that started in the attached garage made its way through the home and completely destroyed a large portion of this Mishawaka, Indiana home.  The homeowner was very skeptical of contractors due to some poor experiences in the past and wanted to make sure she fully trusted whomever was going to be working on the fire restoration.  She decided to use First Response after speaking with our owner, meeting our project personnel, and speaking to some of our previous customers.  She could not have been happier with her decision.

First Response was able to work with the homeowner to redesign her home to better fit the needs of herself and her children.  She was the type of person who always looked out for others, even before herself, so it was great to be able to look out for her for a change.  

Small Fire Sets Off Sprinkler System Throughout Hospital

After a small fire to a coffee maker activated the sprinkler system in this Michiana hospital, water negatively impacted 30+ patient rooms along with a waiting area and break rooms on multiple levels.  First Response was called on a Saturday morning and had boots on the ground within an hour to begin the water restoration process.  Due to the nature of the areas affected, the hospital unable to just close their doors or make accommodations during the drying process.  First Response had to work around the clock to help expedite the drying process to help ensure the patients could be treated properly while the drying took place.

First Response was able to rely on their Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) Training to ensure that they could properly dry the affected areas while being sure to not stir up debris that could harm the recovering patients.  Due to First Response’s attention to detail and extensive training, they are the preferred restoration contractor for nearly every major hospital network in Michiana.  At the conclusion of the project each individual room was air sampled multiple times by a third party industrial hygienist and First Response passed all the tests.

500,000 sq/ft Storage Warehouse Affected 6 Days Before Auction

After a fire caused significant smoke and soot damage throughout a 500,000 sq/ft storage warehouse, First Response was brought in to help salvage a difficult situation with some tight timelines.  One of the biggest money-making events of the year for this business was their annual “yard sale” where this warehouse was housing over 25,000 items that were scheduled to be auctioned off in only 6 days.  With no time for delay, First Response immediately began cleaning the affected items so they would be ready for the auction.  The owner said that is 60% of the items could be ready by the time the auction started that would be considered a “win: in his book.  First Response took on the challenge and had 100% of the items cleaned with a day to spare. Upon final inspection, First Response cleaned over 25,000 items in a 5 day period, all to the satisfaction of our client so the auction could go on as scheduled.

Fungal Growth Spreading Through HVAC System

When a local university discovered the HVAC system had been spreading fungal growth throughout one of their on-campus buildings, there was no hesitation to call First Response to help.  First Response’s experience with large project mold remediation and attention to detail  made them the easy choice for this project.  First Response met with top university decision makers on day 1 to come up with a plan and schedule for the project.

Throughout the project there were multiple air samplings to test the mold spores inside to ensure First Response’s mold remediation efforts exceeded industry standards  and the environment was safe for both faculty and students to reenter the buildings and resume classes.

Hurricane Irma: Hospital System in Jacksonville, FL Requests First Response for Assistance

First Response was called in by an industry partner to help assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Jacksonville, FL.  First Response was dispatched and ran multiple projects all while ensuring that our home market of Michiana was still taken care of.  Among some of the projects that First Response was asked to assist within Florida were multiple condominiums, St. Augustine City Hall Building, Stein Mart, St. Vincent Hospital, The Lightner Museum, and a number of other small businesses that were negatively impacted by hurricane floodwaters.