REDMOND, OR-- Redmond Fire and Rescue is creating a new program to help people secure their property after a fire. "Current practice is: once we’re done, the fire’s put out, everybody’s safe and good to go and has a place to stay, the residence is left unsecured, unfortunately," says Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney, "Insurance companies, they don’t come out the same day an incident happens and so the property can stay open. It can create a safety hazard in the community." He hopes this new Board-Up Service Roster will ease some stress at an already traumatic time, "We’re trying to help the citizens. They’ve just had a horrible day, a horrible experience with their home catching on fire. We don’t want to leave it unsecured, just for the safety of the community and the safety of the items still within their home."

Mooney says a handful of areas in the Valley have similar board-up programs, but it’s the first of its kind in our region. "It establishes a roster with vetted contractors that we’re going to vet and make sure they have the adequate equipment, adequate personnel and the ability to respond within the timeframe we’ve established to come out and secure the property." The department is now looking for contractors to sign up. "With this program, we can call a special number and say, ‘Hey, we need board-up services. Who’s next on the roster?’ They’ll tell us whatever company is next up; that company’s required to call us within 15 minutes. Once they give us a response time, we can tell them what the needs are, ‘we have a couple doors that need to be secured, the roof needs to be secured temporarily and windows need to be boarded up’."

Contractors interested in signing up must complete a Request for Proposal packet available at Redmond Fire’s website or administration office.