Ruch, Ore.– The Applegate Valley Fire District took to Facebook to warn residents, after it was alerted to a possible scam in Ruch. Officials said someone is going door to door, selling commercial equipment for thousands of dollars.
“To tell our residents that smoke alarms are not effective, and we know that they are, I take that personal,” Operations Chief Chris Wolfard said.
Wolfard told NBC5 News the possible scam was brought to his attention by a resident. He said a salesman was targeting specific houses, selling a high-end fire protection system.
“I called the salesman,” Wolfard said. “I tried to ask him some questions about his system, and he insisted he was too busy to talk, that he was on the road, and heading to another appointment.”
Wolfard said he’s still waiting on a call back. That, along with some other observations, makes him uneasy about the man.
“He’s from out of state, he doesn’t even live in Oregon, he’s just passing through,” Wolfard said. “He’s selling something that you cannot buy anywhere else, it’s not available local, that’s a red flag.”
Another concern Wolfard had was the man’s disregard of his questions.
“He’s not working with fire departments or trying to meet a fire code,” Wolfard said. “Him downplaying the importance, or the effectiveness of your standard smoke alarms is probably the biggest red flag.”
Wolfard said the resident who called him also reported the man’s asking price for the service.
“Almost $2,600 for his house,” Wolfard said.
The salesman is reportedly handing out pamphlets with a cartoon dog named ‘Flash the Fire Dog.’
“A character that is very similar to ‘Sparky the Fire Dog,’ but its not Sparky on his literature,” Wolfard said. “If there’s something better out there than smoke alarms and sprinkler systems, we’d know about it, and we’d be pushing for it.”
The only things you need to protect your home are a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector.
If you need either one, contact your local fire department.
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