Suffolk lawmakers push new crackdown on ‘fire chasers’ accused of preying on homeowners in crisis

Suffolk lawmakers are hoping to rein in so-called “fire chasers” — private board-up crews accused of preying on traumatized families by pushing them into costly contracts before the smoke even clears.

These businesses, often arriving to the scene of a devastating fire as fast as first responders, with clipboards in hand, pressure homeowners into signing contracts to board up the burnt-out homes on the spot, according to lawmakers and fire officials.

But what’s sold as a “necessary” emergency service can leave homeowners, at arguably their most vulnerable moments, unknowingly staring down bills that often run into the thousands. 3

“Homeowners are absolutely pressured into having their homes boarded up because these guys present it as a ‘must,’” one local firefighter, who requested a