Forgive them their trespasses?

When I first tell people I am attending the National Demolition Association meetings or that several demolition contractors are members of the Construction Materials Recycling Association, many express common misconceptions about the industry--they think that all demo contractors just blow up everything and are crazy. I am fortunate to know many fun-loving people in the demolition industry, and they are hardly crazy

I enjoy explaining to my friends just what the demolition industry is really--like for example, that fewer than 1 percent of all buildings are imploded, much of the work is done by use of attachments on excavators (although the wrecking ball is still around), and these contractors are more worried about safety and recovering materials to save money than doing something crazy.

But concern for one's safety hasn't stopped a fringe element of modern society from trying to enter abandoned buildings for fun and "adventure." Calling themselves "urban explorers," these people, mostly young but available in all ages, like to enter society's bygone buildings to take pictures, wander around, and more ominously, vandalize or even set off explosives at the sites.

Why? We examine the issue in a feature starting on page 60, and how it is affecting demolition contractors. Of course, we condemn the actions, tactics and reasons these people give to trespass at will in dangerous places. But it is easy to sit in an office and write that. We also are calling for a national strategy from the federal government to overcome the sometimes local apathy and lethargy on the part of law enforcement officials to help stop the problem. This is all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

These sites are dangerous enough for trained demolition industry personnel to walk around on wearing full protective gear. To have untrained people with a little knowledge and a lot of attitude crawling around them is a recipe for serious injury or even death. As Michael Taylor, executive director of the National Demolition Association, says, "The demolition industry knows it is responsible for the sites when they are under our control. We do everything possible to control access and stop people from entering these sites. It costs money for security, and it appears on our bid sheets. It is stupid, dangerous and illegal for these people to be going into these buildings."

But there is little that can be done if someone really wants to get on a site. A simple fence and a no trespassing sign won't stop them.