Come To Kelowna Guys Here We Go Again

[CJM91]

That b, baby, b ref was only a huzzah for idle machines/idle men and women this fire season. No disrespect for peoples' plight or property was meant. Gosh, no! Hope that's understood! Been close enough to wildfires to shut windows against the smoke and watch the helis bucket and the slurry bombers...well...bomb the slurry. They're the best and I hope everyone gets to go home real soon.

That was a dumb remark, no matter how you try to spin it now. BBB puts property and lives at risk and I think your comments DO show disrespect. As someone else remarked "just because lots of folks are out of work is no reason to wish for a disaster".

 

Helilog56 hit the nail on the head, especially with #43.

 

Think it through before hitting POST . . . .

[transquebecniece]

That was a dumb remark, no matter how you tryyou to spin it now. BBB puts property and lives at risk and I think your comments DO show disrespect. As someone else remarked "just because lots of folks are out of work is no reason to wish for a disaster".

 

Helilog56 hit the nail on the head, especially with #43.

 

Think it through before hitting POST . . . .

Ahmmmm, I meant no disrespect or wish for disaster no matter how you try to spin it. Not having been to these specific geographic locations in BC, I did not know how heavily residential and/or commercial they are. Now I know. Bad choice of words; my mistake and duly noted. Safety all and home soon.

[Hello-bird]

With regards to insurance i remember the last go around here in Kelowna quite well as do most of us from media coverage. How some (or all?) insurance companies were trying to pay out 75 cents on the dollar until shamed by media coverage to pay out policy claims in full. I find it quite ironic HB that you stated that the "risk" would be higher and thus policy holders would pay higher premiums. Wouldn't the fire remove most of the fuel which in my mind constitutes the risk, thus reducing the risk. If rates do go up, it sounds to me like an attempt on the part of the insurance companies to unfairly recoup their losses. But an insurance company wouldn't to that, would they? What ever kind of insurance it is, it is in the best interest of the insurance company to deny or withhold partial payment in order to maximize profits. So as a few others have mentioned, just because something is "insured" doesn't mean it's just fine to have it go up in smoke. Having gone though something similar in the past i can tell you that there are things that money can't replace and those are the most "valuable" things of all, even if you're lucky and persistent enough to get the cash out of your insurance company.

 

Hey L3,

 

The risk is higher. Simply because this is the second major fire to rip through Kelowna in this decade. Regardless whether a large percentage of the fuel has been burned or not. I can see your point, but to the insurance company, apparent decrease in fuel is irrelevant.

 

*Premiums increase in anticipation of potential future loss.*

 

It would be kind of like if an earth quake hit twice in an area (ie: San Francisco), and seismologists assured the public that the tectonic plates would not shift for another 1000 years... insurance companies would still consider that area high risk as the potential or "chance" is greater, simply because of the immediate history (physical proof) of the area.

 

I don't know what the fine print might have been on those home insurance policies. Unfortunately, many people don't read through every stipulation on their insurance policies. I do know that "insurance" is a business, and if there are loop holes that they can use in claims they will. Not necessarily because they are the bad guy/scammer/interested in getting rich (my Dad sure didn't get rich). But because they are sticking to what they are selling. Because they are a business (sometimes even a small family business).

 

Unfortunately because a vast majority of the population share WTF was that!!! sentiments: re: "It's all insured, there's no rush to put anything out," insurance companies can often be a bit 'hard ball,' so to speak. Because often many people see it as an opportunity to get more than they had before. Opportunity for work, opportunity for more stuff (because hey, the insurance company doesn't know if you had a mac book pro or the basic model... and they don't know if you had an ipod or a walkman... So why not upgrade?

 

You can thank this mentality for raising your premiums as well...

 

It's important to be very (VERY) aware of what you are purchasing and that you are well informed and get the exact coverage that you want. It's also very important to be proactive in finding an insurance broker that you can trust, and who has your best interest at heart. They do exist.

 

Bit of a chore, but it's a great idea to document (video if possible) all valuables. Have jewelry appraised, and just document everything of value. Keep documentation in a safe deposit box. If you have receipts from anything expensive (like computers, electronics etc...) put them in their too. The more the better.

 

 

*Video document EVERYTHING.

*Save ALL of receipts.

*Put them in a safe deposit box.

*Read your policy. (home, car, life)

*Find a broker that has your best interest at heart.

 

 

Watched a bit of footage last night on the news. Very grateful too all those in a position to help. & very best thoughts to all involved.

xo.

[Hello-bird]

Please forgive spelling errors on last post...

 

 

[Hello-bird]

Oh, and I meant to add.....A$$hole !!????

 

Hey, you're singing a nice song !!

Good beat, easy to dance to. I give it a 10.

[CJM91]

Ahmmmm, I meant no disrespect or wish for disaster no matter how you try to spin it. Not having been to these specific geographic locations in BC, I did not know how heavily residential and/or commercial they are. Now I know. Bad choice of words; my mistake and duly noted. Safety all and home soon.

Spin? This seems pretty factual to me: "BBB puts property and lives at risk and I think your comments DO show disrespect." Whatever.

 

Three homes lost and 4000 evacuees didn't give you a sense that this wasn't moose pasture north of 60? And if it was?

 

Anyway, I think the point's been made and duly noted as you said. I'll give it a rest.

 

Cheers . . . . .

[Hello-bird]

uh... um...

... never mind.

[Over-Talk]

For your info,

There are 3 fires near Kelowna.......all on the west side of the lake.

 

Glenrosa and Rose Valley fires are VERY close to residential areas.

Judging by the aerial photos I saw on the web, only hard work by air and ground forces saved a lot of houses that all lost their back-yards.

 

Terrace Mtn fire is out of town several miles, but getting very big.

 

Yesterday's Hall Rd fire was right in the heart of the City, in a beautiful suburban green-space.

Fast aerial and ground attack put that one out early.

 

The whole valley is forecast to be hot, dry and breezy all week.

It ain't over yet !!

Great work, be careful out there guys.

[Hello-bird]

Glenrosa:

 

More than 11,000 residents evacuated.

Another 6,000 residents of the Bear Creek, Shannon Woods, West Kelowna Estates, Crystal Springs and Brookhaven neighbourhoods remain on alert (Monday).

 

The most dangerous fire started Saturday afternoon in Glenrosa and spread quickly...

was about four square kilometres in size (Monday morning).

 

Crews were able to get heavy machinery into one section and excavate a partial fireguard on Sunday, leaving the fire about 40 per cent contained (Monday morning), said Bojahra. Fire crews planned to continuing attacking that fire on the ground (Monday), but expected to be hampered by the smoke and difficult terrain.

 

 

 

Rose Valley and Terrace Mountain fires:

 

Near the Rose Valley Dam: 1.5 square kilometres in size on Monday morning. The fire was threatening homes in the area, which were under an evacuation order, and the area was affected by road closures.

 

Fire officials said they have put fire retardant around 90 per cent of that blaze, but the steep terrain made it too dangerous to fight the fire from the ground, and the swirling wind and smoke made it difficult for helicopters and air tankers to battle it from the air.

 

A third fire at Terrace Mountain, near Fintry, grew rapidly overnight to 8.5 square kilometres as it jumped a creek and spread to the south (Monday morning).

 

That fire was very dangerous and was only being fought from the air because of the rough terrain, but it was not immediately threatening any structures or the community of Fintry.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...st-fire020.html

[3BX2]

My Glenrosa House is still standing ! ! .

 

A HUGE Thanks to all Aircrew and ground firefighters for their tireless efforts :up: