This discussion educates the listener on the underlying factors which lead to these manipulations and provides the contractor with some well-thought-out rebuttals. While there are no cheat codes that will eliminate the squid games, restorers will find it refreshing to know that resources are being created and advanced regain and maintain sustainable claims practices.

The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 77 includes these guests and appearances:

• Tony Yost (St. Paul, MN)
• David Dickerson (San Francisco, CA)
• Ben Justesen (Moses Lake, WA)
• Kelley Dolan
• Gordy Powell
• Mark Springer
• Katie Smith
• Ed Cross
• David Watts
• Roger Howson 

Sponsors of The DYOJO Podcast:

​* Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Join your fellow intentional restorers at the RIA 2022 International Restoration Convention and Industry Expo, April 11-13 at the Peppermill Casino in Reno, NV. Let them know The DYOJO sent you.

* Restoration Technical Institute (RTI) provides world-class training. Designed for those who serve the Restoration, Cleaning and Industries related to the Built Environment.

* Office Services by Brandi, LLC provides unparalleled personalized bookkeeping services to a broad range of clients in many states. Brandi will help tackle the never-ending list to be done in the restoration industry by handling the R&M billings, collections and many other key areas to take the burden off the owners.

THURSDAYS are for The DYOJO Podcast

New episodes of The DYOJO Podcast are released on Thursdays 9am PST via video through YouTube and/or audio is distributed through platforms such as Apple, Spotify, Google, etc. Learn more by visiting our website - www.thedyojo.com/podcast

We resume our series, The Xactimate Sessions. We are discussing the mindset and habits that have helped your peers in the insurance claims industry to elevate their scoping, estimating, and project management game. File 006 introduces the audience to Joyce Gabriel, a talented general manager for a full-service restoration company based in Tacoma, WA.

​Listeners will remember when Joyce joined us for podcast episode 52 to discuss some of the powerful tools she has learned for connecting with and interacting with your team. Joyce rejoins the podcast and helps us explore the mindset and habits for effectively training your employees to understand and utilize the Xactimate estimating software. ​

Are you interested in a contractor to contractor roundtable discussion about program, third-party administrator (TPA), and preferred vendor work? Please fill out the survey on the FoCKED webpage to express your interest. If we have enough entries, we will continue our work to set up a moderated discussion in an environment where restoration contractors can ask their peers honest questions about their wins and losses in this realm. ​

What is fire chasing?​ In its broadest application, fire chasing would apply to any contractor showing up to a fire-damaged structure without being invited. In the extreme opposition to chasing a fire damage loss, the detractors would have you believe that the only ethical approach to such a project would be via the invite of the agent, adjuster, and/or the client. This is laughable at best given that so many of these same people likely would lambast preferred vendor or third-party administrator (TPA) work, which is where the majority of these magical invites come from. 

If you turn to the internet for an answer to the question of whether fire damage chasing is ethical or good business practice, you are in for a variety of opinions. Whether you are growing your career or growing your business, you must always remember one key thing – it’s your DANG journey. No one is going to walk it for you. No commenter on social media, no coach, no consultant, no author, and certainly no mediocre podcast host, is going to take the direct hits when you fail or feel the wins as deeply as you do when you succeed.
While it is smart to seek and take in good counsel on any element of business that may be new to you, I think it is important to consider a few universal questions:

• Is this legal?
• Is this ethical?
• Is this the right thing for me?
• Do I understand the upsides and downsides of pursuing this strategy?
• Do I have the resources to pursue this and/or can I afford not to try (i.e. am I willing to allow someone else to fill the void)?
• Who can help me shorten my DANG learning curve on this topic?
• If I have sought counsel, does my chosen counsel have real experience with executing on the particular aspect of business that I am considering?

​Providing for your family and growing your business is a battle. No one should look down on another person for trying to do either of these things. In my opinion, fire chasing is not a dirty methodology. Obviously, some people do it in less than reputable ways and it is important for members of the industry to address this. Bad actors are bad for your reputation in a local market and the perception of the industry as a whole.

• To be fair, the practice of fire chasing is not looked at in a positive light by everyone.
• To be fair, some home and business owners will curse you out and swear that they will tell everyone on Facebook about your shady practices.
• To be fair, some fire department personnel and community members will not be receptive to your efforts.

This is an excerpt of an article that was published by Cleaning and Restoration (C&R) Magazine, please read the full article for additional information and context.

Additional Resources from The DYOJO 

• Our article on The Format for Fire Damage Restoration Estimates was the number one read article in Restoration and Remediation (R&R) Magazine
• The accompanying video was also the most viewed video on R&R Magazine 
• Check out our latest book, So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? 
  

According to our guest, Roger Howson, and his organization Claims Dispute Resolution:

This is a introductory video for the upcoming episode of The DYOJO Podcast addressing the topic of insurance appraisals for property damage claims with special guest Roger Howson. Our audience will benefit from hearing many perspectives on this topic as well as topics that intersect with this issue including:

• Contractors illegally acting as public adjusters
  
• Assignment of benefits (AOB)
  
• Proper damage assessments and estimating
  
• Insurance negotiations
  
• Potential pitfalls of appraisals
• Keeping yourself out of court 
• Getting paid as a contractor