Family Home Left To Burn

[TreeGuy]

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#104651

Wow, this is a tragic story, especially this time of year! Thankfully everyone got out alive. I just couldn't imagine just having to stand there watching your own house burn down knowing that nobody is coming to save it. No fire protection probably = no insurance.

[gardengirl]

Tragic indeed. I think there are more people in that type of situation than you would think. If you are in a rural area, that might be the way it is.

I have to say it seems bit *bleep* that the firemen went out there to ensure the people's safety, but were not allowed to try to save the house. Bad for everyone involved.

[cjszalka]

We live up here too. No fire protection = really expensive fire insurance. It means that we choose to live rural and that is the trade off. We live in the beauty of the forest but we pay through the nose to do so and we know that if there is a fire, there is a possibility that we might lose our home. I have see many houses burn down in Peachland within the fire district. If the fire is within fire season when the forest can be compromised then there are forest fire fighters dispatched. It is something you learn to live with, you have a fire plan for yourself, your family and as a community. A lot of us have our own equipment and keep our properties cleared of fire hazards such as a lot of dead fall and dead wood. Some people could not live like this and I get that, but for us, we love where we live and are grateful for not having to experience the devastion of a fire.

[WhatThe]

So what, becAuse its outside a line drawn on a map there's no fire department service? *bleep* are those folks paying taxes for?

[Oxl3y]

So what, becAuse its outside a line drawn on a map there's no fire department service? *bleep* are those folks paying taxes for?

Roads, electricity? If that area has no fire service I doubt they even have hydrants. How would you even propose they fight the fire? Old fashioned bucket brigade?

[WeatherWoman]

So what, becAuse its outside a line drawn on a map there's no fire department service? *bleep* are those folks paying taxes for?

Their tax may not go to fire services?

[Bsuds]

Their tax may not go to fire services?

Exactly, or they would be covered.

[Lore]

Roads, electricity? If that area has no fire service I doubt they even have hydrants. How would you even propose they fight the fire? Old fashioned bucket brigade?

Your right, no fire hydrants and very expensive insurance.
My mom lives out there and the people who live out there
know that their house will just be left to burn.

[Tori_K]

Probably the biggest issue for the fire department is since it's outside their protection area, their own insurance doesn't cover them. They are willing to assume that cost/risk when life is in danger, but until that point comes it's part of the risk taken when the homeowner knowingly lives outside the protection area.

[westbankkid]

Probably the biggest issue for the fire department is since it's outside their protection area, their own insurance doesn't cover them. They are willing to assume that cost/risk when life is in danger, but until that point comes it's part of the risk taken when the homeowner knowingly lives outside the protection area.

Some homeowners have signed an agreement with the closest fire department to pay an hourly rate if there is a fire...Not all departments will do this tho

[southernfrau]

That part of Trepanier doesn't belong to Peachland even, it belongs to Regional District and West Kelowna. As far as I know they don't pay taxes to Peachland even, but to the Regional. I could be wrong on that but that is what I know from a friend who used to live up there. When the 2009 fire hit, those up there fell under evacuation orders as they were in the Glenrosa map area and the robodialer phoned thinking they were Glenrosa to evacuate. Yes the insurance I know of for one house was well over 4000 for the year. Like a log house is very hard to get insurance for also, and many years ago, banks wouldn't even give a mortgage to build one, fire risk...
Recently the Peachland Fire and the municipality did a contract to cover Brent Rd to the south of town for fire protection. They have been back and forth for years, Brent going into Summerland catchment and back to Peachland again. Maybe the owners up Trepanier should get together and see if they can cut a deal for service.

[sassybee]

Does any body know whose house it was? I have friends up that way.

[bob vernon]

If you live out in the country like that, you probably don't have an organized fire protection area. And your taxes are therefore lower. When anyone moves to a rural, or even semi-rural area, check to find out if the property is part of a protection area. If it's not, your fire insurance will be higher than folks inside a protection area.

And yes, somebody from the fire protection area probably went out there to observe the fire. But if he called out the fire department, who was going to pay for their time? There is a line on the map, and like it or not, the people on one side of the line have a fire department and the ones outside the line don't. The headline writer of this story, of course, had to sensationalize the story.

[logman]

Boo-hoo. I know who's house it was. Wheel chair ramps and all. Karma may have bit him in the butt . I'm sure his disability would have paid for the fire insurance, unless he took cash instead. Suck it.

[sassybee]

Pretty obvious now which house it WAS. And good point you made. It's also been for sale for a loooong time I understand.