There were more than wedding bells ringing during a wedding held at the historic First Presbyterian Church in Spokane, Washington.

Fire alarms also rang in the middle of the Saturday afternoon ceremony, causing 350 guests to scramble from the church as 45 firefighters swarmed the building in search of the fire source.

Church officials called ServiceMaster Crisis and Cleaning Services by Altmeyer in Spokane at about 5 p.m. A crew arrived at the church within 30 minutes, even before the fire engines had departed.

Luckily, the electrical fire had caused no major structural harm to the hundred-year-old building, but there was substantial smoke damage throughout the church. Church officials wanted the building cleaned and ready for Sunday services to be held on schedule the following morning.

Wade and Karen Altmeyer, owners of the ServiceMaster franchise, had their work cut out for them. They were quickly joined by ServiceMaster Market Manager Doug Brown.

"We responded extremely quickly and with a large force response," says Karen Altmeyer. "We got right to work, and were sensitive to the church organization's priorities."

By about 1 a.m., the Altmeyers and their crew had wiped down pews, cleaned and re-cleaned carpets, windows, and virtually every square inch of the sanctuary and adjacent areas. The only problem that remained was what to do about the new, 4,400-pipe organ valued at $650,000. The massive pipes of the organ dominated the front of the church, and the Altmeyers knew that cleaning the organ would be a very sensitive matter.

Fortunately, ServiceMaster has not only a vast franchise network, but also a separate division, ServiceMaster Recovery Management, that responds only to commercial losses on a national basis to serve as an extension of the franchise when needed.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, Doug Brown placed a telephone call to ServiceMaster Recovery Management. Within 30 minutes, Steve Losorwith, ServiceMaster National Property Loss Recovery Manager, was on the phone to Brown.

Losorwith's expertise in similar situations proved very beneficial in this case. Losorwith immediately knew that improper cleaning or handling of the organ could possibly void the manufacturer's warranty, or create additional damage. Losorwith also knew that since water had not been used in the sanctuary, there was minimal need for concern about HCL damage; however, normal tests for chlorides would be conducted.

Losorwith was able to communicate all this information to the disaster site at 2:30 in the morning. In the end, the church contacted the organ manufacturer for specialized attention, and Sunday morning church services were held as scheduled just a few hours after the fire.

"I am still amazed and very thankful that our congregation was able to worship on Sunday morning," Keith Kristin, First Presbyterian Church Business Administrator, wrote in a letter to the Altmeyers. "That was only made possible because of your ability to immediately react in force to the situation. I know that you and your crew were here into the early morning hours wiping down the pews and cleaning carpets and windows over and over again. That portion of the recovery was so well done that some members never knew that morning that we had a fire the afternoon before." "Our prompt response and willingness to listen to the customer were the keys to success in this disaster," Karen Altmeyer said. "We had a lot of communication with the church staff, and really listened to what they needed. And, having a resource like ServiceMaster Recovery Management available, even at 2 a.m., was also important."

During the next several weeks, ServiceMaster completed the cleaning and restoration in the other areas of the large church.

In the end, it was a "happily ever after" scenario for the church and for the newly married couple whose ceremony was so unceremoniously interrupted!