Red spray paint is appearing on blighted, vacant Jeannette buildings not as an act of vandalism, but as a safety precaution for first responders.

The markings — a square containing either an X or a slash mark — alert emergency crews to dangers inside, such as a collapsed floor or missing roof, said fire Chief Bill Frye. The task is providing him with an inventory of buildings that could be up for demolition if funding is found.

As of Wednesday morning, he tagged 71 structures in just two weeks.

“I went through four cans (of spray paint) last week alone,” he said.

Frye is inspecting dilapidated properties as he has time, either examining the inside if the structure is open or checking around the outside to glean as much information as possible about the interior. It is a time-consuming task, but one that has importance on a couple of fronts.

Frye is applying for grants for demolition and to create a plan for the city’s blighted properties. Having the inventory ready to go would facilitate the process, he said.

Plus, emergency responders will know the status of a problem property ahead of time. When Frye tags a structure, he enters the information and address into a smartphone application that sends alerts to firefighters when they’re dispatched that way.

“Our guys pulling up at 3 o’clock in the morning, a property may look OK from the outside … and they walk in, there’s no floor there,” Frye said.

A property like that has been marked with a red X on Clay Avenue. The markings mean hazards exist inside, but firefighters have to take into consideration the proximity of other buildings or the likelihood that someone might be inside when attacking a blaze. Letters accompanying the marks mean that a floor or roof is open, there has been a collapse or the structure was the site of a previous fire.

Mayor Curtis Antoniak praised Frye’s work.

“I am very happy that Chief Frye is taking all the necessary steps with protecting all our first responders,” Antoniak said. “Chief Frye is a true asset to our city and its residents.”

On Wednesday, Frye marked abandoned homes on South 13th Street and Penn Avenue with red Xs. Just looking at the deteriorated outside was enough to know the inside likely could pose a danger to first responders, Frye said.

Greensburg enacted a similar program three years ago.

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