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My town needs help.
We had a single story house burn well over a year ago. It was abondon at the time it burnt. Now the property is on tax sale and we doubt if anyone will buy it even if someone does it will be a year before they can take it over.
The problem is children are going in and out of it all time. The town has little or no money to clean it up. I had them contact EMA thought they could help. They told the town to have my fire department burn it the rest of the way up. The head of the EMA is a paid firefighter he has to know we can't do that. Air pollution laws,two houses and a garage within a few few make impossible. I have contacted the fire marshel and he said have the town contact the health department. So thats my next step, Does anyone know of anything else we can do before a child is hurt?
The first picture is just after we were paged. The other two are for reference and were taken a day or so ago. Any help could save a child.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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It is not the town's liability. The homeowner or the insurance company who insured the property at the time of the loss. Now even if it was abandoned, unless your town took control of it due to property tax seizure, then your town would be liable.
Now past the liability crap. Contact your local excavation contractor. And ask if they will donate 15 or 20 minutes of loader or backhoe time to knock down the rear burn't section. Then contact your local building supply company and ask them if they have any plywood to donate to secure the remaining building. Most have plenty of damaged materials from delivery or weather that would be willing to donate to the safety project. It is a write off for them. Advertise in the local paper for what you are doing and promote the FD to have a work detail and board the place up. Couple hours and your done.
If done correctly, kids won't be going in and out anymore.
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Permalink Reply by John Dobson on
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I am not sure if we even have a inspector.
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So the homeowner and their insurance company is off the hook for board up?
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The town knows its not there liabilty, They just want to protect the children. I think the homeowner is or was in prison in another state and would not have any money to clean it up, No insurance.
We have had farmers bring in bulldozers and backhoes in past but as of now I don't know of any. Most would not touch it without the owners permission anyway.
I question why we put these out all of the way sometimes. I guess for cause and there be a methcook somewhere inside. But most of the the time we just leave a big mess.
As for the cause no power, no gas, clear night. Ah the cigar smoking mouse strikes again.
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We put them out for the cause/origin determination. But if you were to just let them burn as you indicated... how would you know if the interior was hiding other things, like a person?
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Permalink Reply by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on
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Call CPS - Child Protective Services - over and over and over... especially when the children are in the buildling. People can call to report "suspicion" of child in danger.
Report children in danger. They will need to send the police.
4-5 calls like that and CPS will make the town remove it as a public safety hazard.
CPS has the power to get the court behind them ina matter of hours, getting the building status placed under a court order.
And they will talk to the parents about lack of supervision for the kids.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Koontz on
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I like the excavator idea. If that doesn't work, the board up should, or, what, we've done before, is call a local fencing supplier or builder, and see if you can work out a donation for chainlink fencing to be put up around the whole building. If that doesn't work, put it up and bill the property owner. Seems the easiest would be to turn it into some training time and burn it. We've burned buildings with houses on either side. Just make sure before you light it off that all exposures are well protected, and you have manpower enough to contain the fire. Its not as bad as it sounds. Three engines, and 6 firefighters can do it. Make it a joint exercise if you need to, get your neighboring dept's involved. Easy way to have some fun playing firefighter, and make new friends
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Here it's up to the health department to condem a property.
FETC thats why we put then out too, You just never know.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Oomkes on
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The town has little or no money to clean it up?
Do they have the money for the liability if someone gets hurt in there? They will be liable, because they know it is a hazard.
My township just took action on a similar situation. House was repoed, nobody would do anything with it, so they are knocking it down and adding the bill to the property taxes. Whoever buys the lot has to pay for it.
But if your town doesn't have the money, you've\they've got some serious issues. This isn't a major expense. I could knock it down in a couple hours with a skid steer, a demo company can knock it down and haul it away in that amount of time.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Daniel Orr on
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Burn it the rest of the way down as a controlled Training exercise not a demolition project. Air quality will issue you a permit for Training but not demolition..
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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I agree, whatever happened to parents teaching their children not to go where they don't belong? They just wait til the kids get hurt and then line up to get paid.
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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Perhaps you could get the town council to condemn the house and have it bulldozed.
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