24/7 Water Damage Dispatch in Milwaukee, WI

What the dispatcher asks first

Three questions shape the response: whether the water is moving, whether the power is on and where the water comes from.

The first question is whether the water is still moving. A supply line that is still running, a sump that is still overflowing or a basement that is still taking storm water is a different call from a room that has stopped. The second is whether the power is on in the wet rooms, because that decides what the homeowner can safely do. The third is where the water appears to come from.

The answers are written in the file, so the scope starts from what the homeowner saw rather than from a later recollection.

• Is the water still moving or rising
• Is the power on in the wet rooms
• Where the water appears to come from
• Which rooms are wet and which floors are below
• Whether any repair has been started

The first steps while the caller waits

The first steps make the house safer: stop the source, switch off power to wet rooms and keep people out of the water.

The first steps are simple. Stop the source if it is safe to do so, by closing the nearest valve or the main shut-off. Switch off power to the wet rooms at the panel if the panel is dry and reachable. Keep children and pets out of standing water and do not wade in to check anything.

The homeowner should not touch a wet panel, and should leave the panel alone and say so when the call is made.

• Close the nearest valve or the main shut-off
• Switch off power to wet rooms at a dry panel
• Keep children and pets out of standing water
• Do not touch a wet panel
• Photograph the water line before moving anything

When a crew is sent and what it means

A crew is sent as soon as one is free, and the dispatcher says so plainly.

A crew is sent from the nearest free team. The dispatcher does not promise an arrival time, because the crew depends on what is free and where it is. The call is recorded with its time, and the homeowner is told when to expect a call back from the crew.

A call that describes a loss that is still growing is sent with priority over one that has stopped, and the dispatcher explains the order when asked.

• Calls are answered 24/7
• A crew is sent as soon as one is free
• No arrival time is promised on the phone
• The call is recorded with its time
• The homeowner is told when to expect contact

Calls about a service area outside the city

Calls from the suburbs are taken in the same way, and the ZIP decides which team is nearest.

The service list runs across Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Ozaukee County and Racine County. The dispatcher checks the ZIP on each call, and the nearest free team is sent. A ZIP outside the list is still taken and described, and the dispatcher says whether a crew can reach the address.

• Milwaukee County addresses are taken on the same line
• Waukesha County addresses are taken on the same line
• Ozaukee and Racine County addresses are taken too
• A ZIP outside the list is described, not refused
• The dispatcher says whether a crew can reach the address

Handing the call to the crew

The dispatcher hands the call to the crew with the notes, so the crew does not start from zero.

When a crew is sent, the dispatcher passes it the notes of the call: the address, the source, whether the power is on and the first steps already given. The crew starts from those notes, and it confirms them on arrival. A call that is handed over without notes costs the homeowner time.

The homeowner is told who is coming and when to expect a call back from the crew.

• The address, ZIP and source passed to the crew
• Whether the power is on in the wet rooms
• The first steps already given
• The crew confirms the notes on arrival
• The homeowner is told who is coming