Fire & Smoke Restoration.
S700 Protocols & Soot Classification.

ANSI/IICRC S700 is the consensus industry standard for professional fire and smoke damage restoration. It establishes the protocol for fire-loss assessment, smoke residue classification, structural cleaning sequence, deodorization, contents pack-out, and the documentation a restoration firm produces for the insurance claim. S700 is administered by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification — the same body that publishes S500 (water) and S520 (mold). DRR's project managers and lead technicians hold IICRC FSRT (Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician) certifications and operate to S700 on every fire scope.

Protein residue (greasy, semi-transparent, kitchen / cooking fires), wet smoke (slow-burning, low-heat, sticky, smeary — synthetics like plastic and rubber), dry smoke (fast-burning, high-heat, powdery — paper and wood fires), and fuel-oil soot (puffback events from oil-burning HVAC). Each type requires a different cleaning chemistry and sequence — applying the wrong chemistry can permanently set the residue into the substrate. The IICRC FSRT-certified lead technician classifies the soot type within the first hour on-site and locks it into the field log.

Protein and wet smoke residues require alkaline chemistry (degreasers, surfactants) and physical agitation. Dry smoke responds to chemical sponges and dry-soot vacuuming first, then mild detergent. Fuel-oil soot requires solvent cleaning followed by encapsulation. Mixing chemistry types — for example, applying a degreaser to dry smoke — can spread the residue and embed it in porous materials. The S700 protocol is sequence-sensitive: classify, dry-clean, wet-clean, deodorize, in that order, with chemistry chosen by classification.

Three deodorization technologies layered for different molecule types. HEPA air scrubbing removes fine particulate odor carriers from the air. Thermal fogging vaporizes a deodorant solvent that penetrates the same micro-fissures the smoke originally entered, neutralizing odor at the molecular level. Ozone (O3) is an oxidizer that breaks down volatile organic compounds, including the long-chain hydrocarbons in smoke odor — but it is also a lung irritant above 0.1 ppm, so reoccupancy requires documented decay time after the ozone cycle ends. DRR uses all three on substantial fire losses and documents each cycle's run time in the project file.

Contents pack-out — physically removing affected belongings to a controlled cleaning facility — is required when the on-site environment can't support cleaning (no power, structural compromise, ongoing smoke/odor in the building) OR when the contents need ultrasonic, ozone, or other equipment-based cleaning that can't be done in-place. S700 requires a complete pre-pack inventory with photos and condition notes, a chain-of-custody document for every shipped container, and a post-clean inventory at return. DRR runs pack-out via dedicated content-restoration trailers with bar-code chain-of-custody.

Some contents are non-salvageable per S700 — generally items where smoke or heat penetration is irreversible, where cleaning cost exceeds replacement value, or where the item is consumable (food, opened personal-care products, medications). Heavily charred items, melted plastics, and items in direct heat contact during the fire are typically total losses. DRR's content inventory marks each item Restorable / Consumable / Non-Salvageable so the carrier can process replacement-cost claims line by line — same Xactimate discipline used on the structural scope.

Almost every fire creates a secondary water loss from suppression. The S700 protocol coordinates with S500 from the first hour: extract standing water and dry the structure before soot cleaning, because cleaning soot off a wet substrate spreads it. Untreated suppression water also escalates from Cat 1 to Cat 2 within 24-48 hours due to smoke-fouled debris in the water — at which point S500 Cat 2 disposal protocols apply to the demolition waste. DRR runs S500 + S700 on the same project under one project manager rather than as sequential contractor handoffs.

Highly variable, but a useful frame: emergency stabilization (board-up, tarp, content lock-down) happens within the first 24 hours. Structural drying after suppression water runs 3-7 days depending on Class. Soot cleaning and deodorization runs 5-14 days for a single floor; longer for multi-floor or whole-building. Contents pack-out, off-site cleaning, and return runs in parallel and can take 4-12 weeks for substantial inventories. Reconstruction follows the cleaning phase — drywall, paint, finishes, depending on scope. A small fire might wrap in a month; a hotel high-rise can run 30+ days like the case study on /authority/case-studies.

S700-aligned: classified soot type from the first day's field log, photo timeline of every affected room before / during / after, log of every chemistry used by area, deodorization cycle records (HEPA hours, thermal-fogging volume, ozone runtime), pack-out inventory and chain-of-custody, post-clean ATP / surface-sample results when applicable, and the Xactimate scope mapping every line item back to the field record. DRR delivers the full packet as a single deliverable — see /authority/xactimate-scoping for the broader claim-documentation reference.

Yes — wildfire smoke intrusion (HVAC contamination, soot deposition through windows / vents) falls under S700 even though the fire never entered the structure. Phoenix-area portfolios occasionally see this from regional wildfire events. The protocol is the same: classify the residue, clean systematically, deodorize, and verify clearance. The HVAC system requires special attention because wildfire smoke deposits onto coil and duct surfaces and continues releasing odor after the visible smoke dissipates.