Emergency Board-Up and Tarping After Fire Damage

Emergency board-up and tarping are the first protective measures applied to a fire-damaged structure before any restoration work begins. These services secure open structural breaches — blown-out windows, collapsed roof sections, failed doors — against weather intrusion, unauthorized entry, and secondary damage. This page covers what board-up and tarping services involve, how they are executed, which fire scenarios require them, and how property owners and insurers determine which approach applies.

Definition and scope

Emergency board-up refers to the installation of rigid panel materials, typically 5/8-inch plywood or OSB (oriented strand board), over structural openings created or exposed by fire damage. Tarping refers to the placement of heavy-duty polyethylene or reinforced woven poly sheeting over compromised roof areas to prevent water infiltration before permanent repairs can begin.

Both services fall under the category of emergency mitigation — a defined phase in the fire damage restoration process overview that precedes structural assessment, debris removal, and remediation. The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) classifies mitigation as a discrete service category separate from restoration under its S700 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration. Board-up and tarping are generally documented as mitigation line items in insurance claims, a distinction that affects how coverage is applied.

Scope boundaries are defined by structural exposure: any opening that allows rain, wind, animals, or unauthorized persons to enter the structure falls within the service boundary. This includes window openings, doorframes, roof decking breaches larger than 1 square foot, and wall sections compromised by partial collapse.

How it works

The board-up and tarping process follows a sequence with distinct operational phases:

1. Hazard assessment — Technicians evaluate structural stability before entering. OSHA's General Industry Standard 29 CFR 1910.132 (OSHA PPE standards) requires workers to use appropriate personal protective equipment in environments with overhead collapse risk, sharp debris, and residual combustion hazards.
2. Measurement and inventory — All breaches are measured and catalogued, typically using a standardized estimating platform such as Xactimate, which generates line-item documentation acceptable to insurance carriers.
3. Material staging — Plywood panels are cut to fit window and door openings. Roof tarps are selected based on span; standard contractor-grade tarps run 6 mil to 10 mil thickness, while heavy-duty polyethylene used in prolonged exposures runs 12 mil or higher.
4. Attachment and anchoring — Boards are screwed or nailed into intact framing members. Roof tarps are secured with battens — wood strips that run across the tarp surface — fastened with screws through the tarp into the roof deck. This method, recommended in FEMA's Mitigation Assessment Team guidelines, prevents wind uplift without requiring penetration of interior ceilings.
5. Documentation — Photo documentation of every opening before and after closure is standard practice for both insurance claims and fire damage assessment continuity.

Board-up and tarping are compared directly in terms of function: board-up addresses vertical openings (walls, windows, doors) and blocks physical entry, while tarping addresses horizontal or sloped surfaces (roofs, floor breaches) and blocks precipitation. The two are often deployed simultaneously on the same structure.

Common scenarios

Certain fire events produce predictable breach patterns:

Kitchen and utility fires — Typically limited to one room. Window glazing may crack or blow out from heat expansion. Board-up scope is usually 1 to 3 openings. More detail on this fire type appears at kitchen fire damage restoration.

Electrical fires in walls or attics — Firefighters frequently cut access holes in roofing and wall assemblies during suppression. Attic breaches require tarping across areas that may span 100 square feet or more.

Wildfire and exterior structure fires — Roof assemblies are the primary loss point. A structure with a burned roof may require tarping across the full roof plane before any interior work can be assessed. Wildfire damage restoration scenarios often involve large-format tarping staged across multiple adjacent structures.

Multi-family buildings — A single fire unit may require board-up across 8 to 15 openings to prevent spread of smoke and weather intrusion into adjacent uninvolved units. See multi-family and apartment fire damage restoration for context on shared-wall scenarios.

In all cases, secondary water damage from firefighting efforts — a distinct damage category covered at water damage from firefighting efforts — can compound if roof tarping is delayed beyond 24 hours post-event.

Decision boundaries

Three variables determine the type and extent of board-up and tarping required:

Structural integrity — If the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) or a licensed structural engineer classifies a structure as unsafe for entry, aerial or perimeter-only tarping may be the only legally permissible option. Entry-dependent board-up cannot proceed under active structural failure conditions.

Ownership and access authority — Board-up requires authorization from the property owner or a documented representative. In cases where a property is under municipal condemnation order, local building departments — operating under the International Building Code (IBC), as published by the International Code Council — may independently order or contract emergency securing of the premises.

Insurance coverage classification — Most standard homeowner policies under ISO form HO-3 cover emergency mitigation as part of the "Additional Coverages" provision, but coverage limits and pre-authorization requirements vary by carrier. Costs and coverage interactions are detailed at fire damage restoration costs and fire damage insurance claims and restoration.

The choice between temporary and reinforced board-up follows exposure duration: temporary board-up (standard 5/8-inch plywood, no weatherstripping) is appropriate for 0–14 days. Reinforced or lockable board-up systems, using steel security panels or framed plywood with weatherproof sealing, are appropriate for structures that will remain unsecured beyond 14 days pending permit approval or insurance adjustment.

References

• IICRC S700 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 – Personal Protective Equipment
• FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team Program
• International Code Council – International Building Code (IBC)
• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)