Boarding Up Your Property After a Fire or Break-In

What Property and Facility Managers Need to Know About Securing a Damaged Building

Everyone knows what an ambulance chaser is, but I was astonished to learn that there are fire chasers as well. If you ever have a fire at one of your properties, you may be shocked to learn about it from a restoration contractor. I do not know how they find you and get your number, but they will tell you anything to get permission to board up the property and take care of the damage. They are commissioned salespeople, and their company might be great or might be terrible—but you definitely do not want to make any big decisions until you have had time to think. Finding and vetting a contractor that performs board-ups correctly is best done ahead of time.

The goal is not simply to cover the opening. A professional board-up should:

Prevent unauthorized entry
Protect tenants, employees, visitors, and emergency personnel
Reduce exposure to rain, wind, animals, and debris
Preserve evidence when a crime or fire investigation is underway
Avoid unnecessary damage to window frames, doors, masonry, and finished surfaces
Create a documented, temporary security solution until permanent repairs can be made For property and facility managers, knowing what a proper board-up looks like can help protect the building—and the owner—from avoidable losses.

Do Not Enter Until the Property Has Been Released

After a fire, the fire department or another public agency may restrict access because of structural instability, active utilities, hazardous materials, or an ongoing investigation. After a break-in, law enforcement may need to photograph the scene, collect fingerprints, review video, or preserve other evidence.

Do not allow a board-up contractor, maintenance employee, or other vendor to begin moving debris or altering the opening until the appropriate authority has released the affected area.

Confirm that the fire department, police department, building official, or investigator has released the area.
Ask whether anything must remain untouched.
Photograph the damage from a safe location.
Notify the property owner and insurance carrier.
Record who authorized the board-up and when.
Keep tenants and unauthorized personnel away from the damaged area.

Important: A rushed response that destroys evidence or exposes people to unsafe conditions can create problems far more serious than the original broken window.

Pro Tip: Lead, asbestos, and other hazardous materials can become airborne during a fire. Review the Hazardous Materials blog and arrange appropriate testing before allowing tenants into the affect space to retrieve their belongings.

Document the Property Before It Is Boarded

Wide photographs showing the room, storefront, or building elevation
Close-up photographs of broken glass, damaged locks, door hardware, frames, and surrounding finishes
Signs of forced entry
Smoke, soot, heat, or water damage
Property that may have been damaged, disturbed, or stolen
Temporary hazards and access restrictions
The completed board-up from both the exterior and interior

Write down the date, time, location, people present, and reason for the board-up. Save police reports, fire department incident numbers, contractor reports, invoices, access logs, and communications with the owner and insurance company.

A Board-Up Must Be Secure From the Outside

One of the most common board-up mistakes is installing plywood with screws that can be removed from the exterior. If the screw heads are accessible, an intruder may be able to remove the plywood with an ordinary drill or screwdriver. The opening may look covered, but the property is not truly secure.

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Wrong: Exposed Screws on the Exterior

The plywood may be easily removed
The property remains vulnerable to trespass, theft, vandalism, and repeat break-ins.
The board-up may give managers and tenants a false sense of security.
Repeated removal can damage the opening and surrounding materials.

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Secure: Braced from the Interior

A stronger method uses plywood on the outside and an interior brace secured with bolts. From outside, only the smooth, rounded heads of the carriage bolts are visible. Because there are no exterior screw heads or nuts to grip, the assembly is much more difficult to remove from the street side.

The interior bracing distributes pressure across the opening and allows the board-up to be secured without relying solely on exterior screws. The exact method must be selected for the opening, surrounding materials, security risk, and site conditions.

An Inexperienced Contractor Can Cause Enormous Damage

A board-up is supposed to prevent additional damage—not create it.

An inexperienced contractor may begin drilling wherever it is easiest without considering what will eventually need to be repaired or replaced. Drilling into window frames, storefront systems, finished masonry, decorative trim, waterproofing assemblies, or exterior cladding can turn a temporary security measure into a major repair project.

Damage may include:

Holes drilled into reusable window frames
Cracked or split wood trim
Damaged aluminum storefront systems
Chipped brick, stone, tile, or concrete
Penetrated flashing or waterproofing
Damage to historic finishes
Broken seals around windows and doors
Water intrusion through unnecessary penetrations
Electrical, plumbing, or other concealed components being struck
Voided warranties on windows, doors, or building-envelope systems

A careless board-up can cost far more to repair than the broken glass that caused the emergency call. Before drilling, the contractor should understand how the opening is constructed, identify the surrounding materials, and choose a fastening method that provides security while minimizing permanent damage.

Pro Tip: Before authorizing a board-up, ask the contractor exactly where they intend to drill and how the plywood will be secured. If the answer is unclear, or the plan is simply to drive screws into the window frame, stop and request a better method.

Use Materials Appropriate for the Opening

The plywood, bolts, bracing, and other materials should be appropriate for the size and location of the opening. A professional contractor should consider:

The dimensions and condition of the opening
Whether the opening is accessible from the ground
Wind and weather exposure
The risk of trespass or vandalism
Whether the property is occupied
Fire and emergency-egress requirements
The expected duration of the temporary board-up
Whether the opening is part of a storefront or building-envelope system
Whether historic or specialty materials must be protected

Plywood should cover the entire opening and should not leave gaps that allow hands, tools, rain, or animals to enter. Sharp edges, loose glass, protruding fasteners, and unstable materials must also be addressed.

Do Not Block Required Exits or Emergency Access

Securing the property cannot come at the expense of life safety. Board-up work must not improperly block:

Required exits
Fire department access
Fire-protection equipment
Utility shutoffs
Emergency escape and rescue openings
Accessible routes
Occupied tenant pathways

If the building remains occupied, the property manager should coordinate with the fire department, building official, security personnel, and other qualified professionals as appropriate. If safe egress cannot be maintained, portions of the building may need to remain unoccupied until a suitable solution is established.

Broken Glass Requires More Than Plywood

A damaged opening may contain loose glass above the frame, fragments embedded in flooring, or sharp pieces hidden in landscaping and personal property. The work plan should address:

Unstable glass that may fall
Broken glass on sidewalks and public pathways
Glass inside occupied areas
Contaminated furnishings or merchandise
Protection for tenants and employees
Safe disposal and documentation
Temporary barriers while cleanup is underway

Simply installing plywood over unstable glass can leave a serious hazard behind the board.

Protect the Property From Weather and Water

Boarding may discourage entry, but it does not automatically make the building weather-tight. After a fire or break-in, managers should evaluate whether the opening needs additional temporary weather protection.

Inspect the perimeter of the boarded opening.
Check roofs, parapets, flashing, skylights, doors, thresholds, and open wall cavities.
Evaluate interior areas and electrical equipment exposed to water.
Monitor temporary protection before and after storms.

Coordinate With the Insurance Company

Notify the owner’s insurance carrier or broker as soon as reasonably possible. Ask what documentation is required and whether the carrier wants to inspect the opening before damaged materials are discarded.

Keep records of:

The initial damage
Emergency authorization
Board-up methods and materials
Labor and equipment
Broken-glass cleanup
Temporary weather protection
Security services
Follow-up inspections
Additional damage discovered after the opening was covered

Emergency work should be documented carefully, but it should not be unnecessarily expanded. The purpose is to stabilize and protect the property until the permanent repair scope can be evaluated.

Inspect the Board-Up Regularly

A temporary board-up should not be installed and forgotten. Assign someone to inspect it regularly and after:

High winds or heavy rain
Reports of trespassing
Police, fire department, or contractor access
Additional vandalism
Movement of building materials
Changes in occupancy

Look for loose plywood, exposed gaps, water entry, damaged bolts, attempted removal, unstable glass, and new damage around the opening. Document each inspection and any corrective work.

Property Manager’s Emergency Board-Up Checklist

The affected area has been released by the appropriate authority.
The original damage has been photographed and documented.
The property owner and insurance carrier have been notified.
Loose glass and immediate hazards have been addressed.
The plywood completely covers the opening.
Fasteners cannot be easily removed from outside.
Interior bracing has been used when appropriate.
Only smooth, rounded bolt heads are exposed on the exterior.
The contractor has avoided unnecessary drilling into window frames and finished building materials.
Required exits and emergency access remain available.
Weather protection has been evaluated.
The completed work has been photographed inside and outside.
A schedule has been established for inspection and permanent repair.

Final Thoughts

After a fire or break-in, property managers are under pressure to act quickly. Speed is important, but a fast board-up that is insecure or destructive is not a successful emergency response.

The building must first be released and documented. The opening must then be secured in a way that resists removal from outside, protects people and property, and avoids unnecessary damage to window frames and surrounding finishes.

The best board-up contractors understand that their job is temporary stabilization. They secure the property while preserving as much of the original building as possible.

Our Approach: Fire & Water Damage Recovery provides 24/7 emergency response for Bay Area property and facility managers. Because we do not perform reconstruction, we have no incentive to make the permanent repair project larger than necessary. Our focus is on securing the property, limiting additional damage, documenting the conditions, and helping the manager and owner plan the next responsible step.