BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Council gave final approval Monday to legislation designed to keep unauthorized individuals away from active fire scenes, following a deadly blaze that exposed vulnerable homeowners to aggressive solicitation from restoration companies.
The emergency scene bill stems from a massive fire on Keswick Road that destroyed 10 homes and killed two people. In the immediate aftermath, survivors were approached by restoration service companies offering to board up what remained of their properties.
Baltimore City Council passes emergency scene bill which bans fire solicitation during an active fire
"I have to admit that when I first put this bill in, it was because there are constituents that I have that were not comfortable with how they were approached by some of these companies to help them with their restoration of the house and we have also had constituents that have run out of insurance money because of the front end of what happens with hiring some of these restoration companies. So there is no doubt that that was the momentum behind the bill, but in really talking with the fire department and with so many others involved its really about keeping everybody safe," Councilwoman Ramos said.
According to Ramos, these encounters were particularly disturbing because they occurred during vulnerable moments for homeowners who had just lost their properties.
The new legislation aims to prevent similar situations in the future while still allowing restoration service companies to conduct their business operations. The bill focuses on maintaining safety at emergency scenes rather than restricting legitimate restoration work.
The measure now heads to the mayor for signature. If signed, the bill will take effect immediately.
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