Protecting Homes and Communities from Wildfire

In 2017 I had the opportunity to discover that many of the contractor quotes for people who were insured  were $200,000 - $300,000 more than their maximum payout on their insurance policy.  A house that cost $300,000 to build when they got the policy in 2017 cost between $500,000 - $700,00 to rebuild. Because of this insurance gap small towns often die. Insured families take their cheque and move on to somewhere they can afford. Rebuilding doesn't always happen. 

Some districts are now requesting expensive testing for asbestos be done before you are even allowed to clear the site and take debris to the dump. All your scrap metal and burned insulation may need specialized handling procedures and it costs more than you think.

After the wildfire in Lytton wildfire victims are still waiting 2 years later to rebuild.  

Lilliane Graie a resident of Lytton was quoted $1,686 a day from AEW for digging a two-meter trench.

"I was told that I had to pay $16,000 because the anthropologists have to come and supervise because there might be artifacts underneath," she said.  It remains to be seen what will happen if anything is found.  Home insurance doesn't include coverage for things buried in the ground, according to Insurance Bureau of Canada vice-president Aaron Sutherland.  

After a fire the land survey office often wants new surveys done to verify the land plot in case any posts (which are often wooden) have burned. You may also discover that your land, isn't your land and that the original building was not quite in the right place. Another expensive bill you may not have planned for.

Some people who had minor fire damage spent up to 6 months waiting for trades to fix what was a relatively minor problem under insurance after the Elephant Hill Wildfire.  Trades would drive 2 hours from Kamloops to Loon Lake, and back charging for the driving time. In an 8 hour day only 4 hours of work would get done dragging projects out for ages. If you think trades will just come and stay with you for weeks think again. They have families too. 

Some people discovered the government simply didn't want their home so close to the water or near a creek any longer and would not approve the rebuilding of their home since the foundation was destroyed. Set backs in some cases present major problems for people at the base of a hill or people who don't have the option of moving the building. The only option is to apply for a variance and that costs more money.

Even if you ARE able to build, triple pane windows, thicker walls, greener buildings and high efficiency insulation is a LOT more expensive to install than the way your building was first built. Prepare for some building code sticker shock. While these things come from a place of good intentions, they are not always practical or cheap options for wildfire victims. In 2023 the City of Vancouver average permit fees for just a simple condo is $157k alone. That's before the material costs, labor. It is no wonder housing has become so expensive.

With destabilization of the slopes mudslides often follow wildfires so the government will sometimes do a geotechnical survey and may decide your property it at risk of a land slide - if this happens your only choice is to build a berm before they will issue a permit. (which must be engineered, requires geotechnical surveys and assessments that are not cheap)

It was too dangerous for firefighters and other government agents to enter but don't expect them to come and take down all the burned trees on your property before you do. They likely won't take down burned trees on crown land near your property either that threaten any new building sites. Dropping burned trees is VERY dangerous and paying someone to remove them is very costly. If you are in a wilderness setting the removal costs can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. My property required over 300 trees removed after the fire.

So you read in the paper that the federal government handing out millions in disaster relief... sounds good right?  If this is your second residence, or if the government deems your loss something you could have insured then you likely will not qualify for any disaster relief. Even if you do it won't be enough to rebuild. Each case is different but most of the funds go from the Federal government to the municipal and provincial government to pay off the large firefighting bill, performing geotechnical surveys, invasive plant species surveys and government infrastructure repair. Residents see a very small portion of that money if any at all and you have to apply for it. The cost of the Elephant Hill Firefighting bill alone was over $649,000,000. 

EMBER ARMOR WILDFIRE PROTECTION SPRINKLERS coupled with a local fire department or community volunteers looking out for YOUR best interests during a fire event. Protect your investment and your family's history if it is a multigenerational owned property. When you have this much to loose it is an easy choice to make. Don't think it won't happen to you. Thousands of BC and Alberta residents have lost everything in the last decade due to wildfire. It is the cheapest form of risk mitigation you can get.