It happens in an instant. A stray baseball from the neighbor's yard, a severe Edmonton summer hailstorm, or the terrifying sound of a storefront break-in at 3:00 AM. One second your property is secure; the next, you are staring at a gaping hole, shattered glass across your floor, and the harsh Alberta weather rushing inside.
A shattered window or door is one of the most stressful property emergencies you can face. Your immediate concerns are overwhelming: Is my family safe? Is my commercial inventory exposed to theft? Will my pipes freeze before morning?
At Anbes Glass and Windows, our 24/7 emergency response team has seen it all. We know that in the chaos of a glass emergency, property owners often make rushed decisions or dangerous DIY attempts to secure the perimeter.
We created this comprehensive emergency protocol to guide Edmonton homeowners and business operators through exactly what to do—and what not to do—when disaster strikes, ensuring your property is secured rapidly, safely, and professionally.
🚨 STOP: Do You Have an Active Glass Emergency?
If your property is currently exposed, do not wait. Our emergency dispatch is active 24/7 for both residential and commercial properties in the Greater Edmonton Area.
📞 Call the 24/7 Rapid Response Line: +1 (825) 865-7875The First 15 Minutes: Your Emergency Action Plan
Before you reach for the duct tape and a garbage bag, follow these critical safety steps to protect yourself and mitigate further damage.
Secure Children, Pets, and Customers
Shattered glass travels surprisingly far. Micro-shards that are invisible to the naked eye can easily embed in paws, bare feet, or shoes. Immediately evacuate the room and quarantine the area. If this is a commercial storefront, redirect foot traffic and place physical barriers or wet-floor signs around the impact zone.
Assess the Cause (And Call Authorities if Necessary)
If the breakage was caused by vandalism, a break-in, or a vehicle collision, do not touch anything. Retreat to a safe location and call the Edmonton Police Service. You will need a police report number to process your commercial or home insurance claim properly.
Document the Damage
Before any cleanup begins, use your smartphone to take wide-angle photos of the entire window/door, as well as close-ups of the broken glass, damaged frames, and any interior property damage (like water damage from a storm or stolen inventory). Your insurance adjuster will demand this documentation.
Call the Professionals
Call a certified 24-hour glass repair service. Do not attempt to pull large, jagged shards of glass out of the frame yourself. The remaining glass is structurally compromised and acts like a guillotine—the slightest pressure can cause the rest of the pane to collapse on your arms.
How the Anbes Emergency Response Works
Whether you are protecting a family home in the suburbs or securing a high-value retail storefront downtown, our protocol is designed to eliminate liability and restore security instantly.
🏡 Residential Homes
When a patio door or bedroom window shatters in the dead of winter, freezing pipes become an imminent threat.
- Rapid Dispatch: We arrive equipped with heavy-duty safety gear to clear the hazard.
- Thermal Board-Up: If the glass is a custom size that requires fabrication, we perform a professional, weather-tight board-up to keep the Edmonton cold out and secure the lock points.
- Fast-Track Fabrication: We measure the exact dimensions and order your replacement Low-E Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) immediately.
🏢 Commercial Storefronts
A breached storefront means halted operations, exposed inventory, and massive public liability if a customer gets cut.
- Immediate Securitization: We extract dangerous hanging shards and sweep the public right-of-way.
- Heavy-Duty Board-Up: We install thick, reinforced plywood barriers that cannot be kicked in, allowing you to lock up and leave your business safely.
- Code-Compliant Replacement: We replace commercial glass with mandatory Laminated or Tempered Safety Glass to ensure you meet all Alberta building codes.
The Reality of the "Board-Up": Why Custom Glass Takes Time
One of the most common questions we receive is: "Why can't you just put the new glass in right now?"
It is a vital question. Unlike the 1970s, modern windows are not just single, flat pieces of glass cut to size on the back of a truck. Today’s windows are highly engineered Insulated Glass Units (IGUs).
If your double-pane patio door shatters, the replacement unit must be custom-manufactured in a facility. It requires precise cutting of two safety-rated panes, sealing them together with an airtight spacer, injecting insulating Argon gas into the vacuum chamber, and applying a Low-E metallic coating.
Program Our Number Into Your Phone Now
Emergencies don't happen on a schedule. Whether it is noon on a Tuesday or 4:00 AM on Christmas Eve, Edmonton property owners trust Anbes Glass and Windows to restore safety, security, and peace of mind.
Anbes Glass and Windows
12710 117 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5M 3H1
Serving the Greater Edmonton Area 24/7/365