BALTIMORE — Starting today, Baltimore City officials will identify unsafe vacant homes by pinning a reflective red diamond to them.
The program, called the Unsafe Vacant Marking Initiative, was launched today by the city's fire department. Firefighters will hit the street for 2 hours every Wednesday to post the 12-by-12 markers.
City leaders announced the program Monday afternoon, without notifying local media in advance that they would be starting it today.
The initiative is aimed at helping first responders identify vacant buildings, in light of the three firefighters who were killed in a vacant house fire on South Stricker Street three months ago.
The city fire department said they have more than 800 of the red signs in stock, and have identified about 500 vacant properties - just a small fraction of the city's more than 14,000 vacant and abandoned buildings.
City leaders say more than 92 percent of the vacants are privately owned. WMAR has extensively covered the problem of blight in the city, including the difference between "vacant" and "abandoned" homes.
Fire crews and Mayor Brandon Scott hope the new initiative will help keep first responders safe while on the scene in some of the city's most blighted areas.
Fire Chief Niles Ford noted:
“It has to be determined fairly quickly whether it’s safe to enter a structure. We have just a few moments to decide to fight a fire internally or externally.”
