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Update on sprinklers
Aug. 24th, 2023 11:17 amIt turns out the missing sprinklers and other fire fighting equipment was stolen by a known thief located in Kamloops.
So. The bummer[1] of this is that in an effort to put the best spin on the fact that the Fire Service's equipment was going missing, a local authority[2] implied that locals were helping themselves to fire fighting equipment to save their own homes, which is an understandable thing to do if that is what is being done. Because it turned out to not be that, effectively the LA accused local people of selfishness and stupidity to no purpose. Smoooooooth.
[1] - the impetus is to use "ironically" - but somehow that seems too elevated for this melodrama of errors
[2] - talking head for same
So. The bummer[1] of this is that in an effort to put the best spin on the fact that the Fire Service's equipment was going missing, a local authority[2] implied that locals were helping themselves to fire fighting equipment to save their own homes, which is an understandable thing to do if that is what is being done. Because it turned out to not be that, effectively the LA accused local people of selfishness and stupidity to no purpose. Smoooooooth.
[1] - the impetus is to use "ironically" - but somehow that seems too elevated for this melodrama of errors
[2] - talking head for same
During all the hooha of the Kelowna and Shuswap fires there has been a good example of how having regular updates from a personable figure sooths the freaked-out public.
The Kelowna fire (McDougal Lake) is across several jurisdictions: Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Lake Country, and this group of communities is often working on common projects. A lot of people were evacuated quickly, and there are a lot of people looking for information. The Kelowna area has held regular press conferences, and they have centered their presentation around the fire chief out of West Kelowna, probably because his jurisdiction was hit first and hit hardest, but really because he had a very good on-screen presence. Here is an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vscFbthwTDo
There don't seem to have been the stories of unrest from the public in the Kelowna area. In the Shuswap, however, a lot of disruptive behaviour has occurred. An example is that there is a particular bridge, The Scotch Creek Bridge, which is crucial as the only way out, and vulnerable because mostly wooden. The pumps and sprinklers keeping it safe have had to be set up three times because people keep "liberating" the equipment. I think it is because the fire moved so fast across jurisdictions that normally don't need to behave in a concerted manner that the act of getting soothing information out to the public lagged (quite seriously), and then the spokespeople were uncomfortable and off-putting. I can't find the example I was looking for (apparently no one found his presentation worthy of a clip on youtube), but here is a less egregious example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhmrdTzRwL8
The lack of information and the "don't question the experts" attitude seems to have left a lot of rural people feeling abandoned. Several people have appeared on TV asking "where is everyone?" There has been video of a lot of houses burnt to the ground. Thus there has been a huge DIY movement for the Shuswap fire with people sending over supplies to areas that are not under order/alert but are cut-off because the road they need is in a no-go zone. The DIYers are meeting resistance from police, and things are getting very ... er ... very.
An additional impetus for DIY is Lytton. The place burned to the ground two years ago, and rebuilding has not started. In fact, getting approval for insurance and/or grant assistance is still in process. AND THEN there was the recent example of Enterprise (a town) near Yellowknife. Evacuated and "allowed" to burn to the ground, except for some DIYers who broke into the fire hall, found the keys, and used the trucks to save their own house and some of their neighbours' houses.
Maybe the difference is rural and urban. Urban areas seem to get more help (bigger tax base, so makes sense), and rural areas are pushed down the list of priorities because fewer people. It makes fiscal sense, but it does mean that rural people feel that the penalties for disobedience are not as bad as the benefits of trusting.
Well. This didn't go where I expected. This is why I HATE writing essay outlines. I have no idea what my paper is going to be about until I write it. I usually need to go back and recast my thesis statement and whatnot. I ain't gonna do that this time because I still think that some of the compliance experienced by the Kelowna area has to do with having regular communication from someone who takes the time to make things personal by telling us that one of his fire fighters missed his becoming a Canadian Citizen ceremony in order to stay in the fight, so they brought the ceremony to the fire fighter by zoom. Warms your heart, doesn't it? That pleasant approval rubs off on the person who brought you that story, and permeates the rest of the message they are sharing. Shuswap could take a page.
The Kelowna fire (McDougal Lake) is across several jurisdictions: Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Lake Country, and this group of communities is often working on common projects. A lot of people were evacuated quickly, and there are a lot of people looking for information. The Kelowna area has held regular press conferences, and they have centered their presentation around the fire chief out of West Kelowna, probably because his jurisdiction was hit first and hit hardest, but really because he had a very good on-screen presence. Here is an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vscFbthwTDo
There don't seem to have been the stories of unrest from the public in the Kelowna area. In the Shuswap, however, a lot of disruptive behaviour has occurred. An example is that there is a particular bridge, The Scotch Creek Bridge, which is crucial as the only way out, and vulnerable because mostly wooden. The pumps and sprinklers keeping it safe have had to be set up three times because people keep "liberating" the equipment. I think it is because the fire moved so fast across jurisdictions that normally don't need to behave in a concerted manner that the act of getting soothing information out to the public lagged (quite seriously), and then the spokespeople were uncomfortable and off-putting. I can't find the example I was looking for (apparently no one found his presentation worthy of a clip on youtube), but here is a less egregious example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhmrdTzRwL8
The lack of information and the "don't question the experts" attitude seems to have left a lot of rural people feeling abandoned. Several people have appeared on TV asking "where is everyone?" There has been video of a lot of houses burnt to the ground. Thus there has been a huge DIY movement for the Shuswap fire with people sending over supplies to areas that are not under order/alert but are cut-off because the road they need is in a no-go zone. The DIYers are meeting resistance from police, and things are getting very ... er ... very.
An additional impetus for DIY is Lytton. The place burned to the ground two years ago, and rebuilding has not started. In fact, getting approval for insurance and/or grant assistance is still in process. AND THEN there was the recent example of Enterprise (a town) near Yellowknife. Evacuated and "allowed" to burn to the ground, except for some DIYers who broke into the fire hall, found the keys, and used the trucks to save their own house and some of their neighbours' houses.
Maybe the difference is rural and urban. Urban areas seem to get more help (bigger tax base, so makes sense), and rural areas are pushed down the list of priorities because fewer people. It makes fiscal sense, but it does mean that rural people feel that the penalties for disobedience are not as bad as the benefits of trusting.
Well. This didn't go where I expected. This is why I HATE writing essay outlines. I have no idea what my paper is going to be about until I write it. I usually need to go back and recast my thesis statement and whatnot. I ain't gonna do that this time because I still think that some of the compliance experienced by the Kelowna area has to do with having regular communication from someone who takes the time to make things personal by telling us that one of his fire fighters missed his becoming a Canadian Citizen ceremony in order to stay in the fight, so they brought the ceremony to the fire fighter by zoom. Warms your heart, doesn't it? That pleasant approval rubs off on the person who brought you that story, and permeates the rest of the message they are sharing. Shuswap could take a page.
FireSmoke Canada
Aug. 8th, 2023 11:33 amI think I've shared this before, but I want to again:
https://firesmoke.ca/
This shows all the fires in North America, plus their smoke. It shows where the smoke is, and then shows where the smoke is likely to go next.
Currently it is trending towards Alberta, and so I have the doors and windows open because warm outside air is better than the same temperature air inside.
I wish it showed the rest of the world, too.
https://firesmoke.ca/
This shows all the fires in North America, plus their smoke. It shows where the smoke is, and then shows where the smoke is likely to go next.
Currently it is trending towards Alberta, and so I have the doors and windows open because warm outside air is better than the same temperature air inside.
I wish it showed the rest of the world, too.
! Zero Wildfires !
Dec. 7th, 2021 06:37 pmToday BC has achieved zero wildfires burning:
https://governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/f0ac328d88c74d07aa2ee385abe2a41b
https://governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/f0ac328d88c74d07aa2ee385abe2a41b
Lytton BC has burned.
Jul. 1st, 2021 10:24 amStill scrambling to be sure that everyone made it out safe, but buildings are lost:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-lytton-july-1-2021-1.6087311
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-lytton-july-1-2021-1.6087311
