Fire Restoration Services of New England Celebrates 30th Anniversary; From a Pioneering Small Company to an Industry Leader.

NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1998--Fire Restoration Services of New England in Norwood, Mass., the area's leading firm of its type, celebrates its 30th anniversary in November.

Started in 1968 with a $2,000 loan and a list of house-cleaning customers, the company today restores almost 1,000 area homes and businesses each year damaged by fire, smoke, soot, or water.

In the early years, the company, then called A&B Professional Cleaning, did general home and office cleaning. After gaining experience in fabric care and restoration, the company switched to restoring fire, smoke, soot and water damage exclusively. Its sister company, Carpet/Concepts, was founded in 1973.

A big break occurred in 1975 when the National Park Service hired Fire Restoration Services of New England to restore the John F. Kennedy birthplace in Brookline, Mass., which had been extensively damaged by a firebombing.

"We've worked for many large universities, schools, hotels and retailers -- and even the old Boston Garden. We were also involved in the restoration of the Public Broadcast System in Washington, D.C., following a major high-fire," said president and founder James V. Barrett.

"But most of our customers are homeowners who've had mishaps like kitchen fires, broken washing-machine hoses and oil-burner `puff-backs' and want to have their house livable again as soon as possible."

The organization serves Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Southern New Hampshire.

Using specialized techniques, equipment and materials, they restore building interiors and exteriors, plus furniture, carpets, personal possessions and electronics.

Barrett credits the company's growth to fast, professional service at competitive prices. Fire Restoration Services of New England and Carpet/Concepts both guarantee that customers will be satisfied with their services.

Additionally, the firm has forged a strong relationship with the insurance industry and is on the approved list of most major insurance companies. Hundreds of insurance agents also have referred their customers to the company.

The company is a member of the National Institute of Disaster Restoration (NIDR), New England Institute of Restoration and Cleaning (NEIRC), and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) -- trade organizations that keep their members current with information on the latest restoration techniques. Barrett, a Certified Restorer, is past president of the NIDR and the NEIRC and is recognized as one of New England's top restoration experts.

Today, the company uses high-tech procedures like ionization, ultrasonics and freeze-drying plus restorative drying using the science of psychrometry.

"Many of our customers are surprised how well we can restore severely damaged possessions like furniture, carpets, and antiques," Barrett says. "When we clean or restore these items, they are just as good as they were -- sometimes even better than they were before the loss."

More information about Fire Restoration Services of New England is available on its Web site at www.firerestore.com or by calling 781-769-5080 or 800-649-5080.

For information about Carpet/Concepts, view its Web site at www.carpetconcepts.com or call 781-762-0003 or 800-287-0003.

Restorers Use High-Tech Procedures to Save Items that Couldn't Be Saved Before

Ionization-- Ozone gas (O3) is an active form of oxygen that safely deodorizes surfaces and kills bacteria. It is generated by an ionization machine. Like magic, the odor disappears--completely and permanently.

On-site dry cleaning-- Since soiled upholstery and fixed draperies can't be brought to the dry cleaners, restorers bring dry cleaning to the site.

Ultrasonic cleaning-- This is used for items that can be immersed. It's an invaluable process for hard-to-clean items like jewelry, figurines, hummels, crystal and mini-blinds.

Freeze drying-- This process is used for restoring wet books, documents and valuable papers.

Restorative drying techniques use state-of-the-art extraction, evaporation and dehumidification techniques to restore buildings and contents to a pre-loss condition. Psychrometry is the science of drying, measuring and analyzing the relationship between air, humidity and temperature and their effects on various materials.

Blasting techniques-- Restorers can clean building exteriors and interiors using machines that blast cleaning materials such as baking soda, sponge particles, ice crystals or a mixture of water and chemicals.