In Northern Ontario they evacuate isolated communities when there are forest fires in their area. Usually the place they are evacuated to is Geraldton.

The Government of Ontario figured out a long time ago that it was safer simply to round up the people and move them than to depend on their ability to fight a fire around them.

They also figured out it was cheaper to let a village burn and pay the cost of rebuilding it than fighting to save it.

This next bit might sound like I really hate insurance companies, but it is not just simple hate.
It is more like cynicism.

Insurance companies seriously distort reality in the case of wildfires or forest fires, and they have enough money to influence politicians. The insurance industry is not afraid to spend on propaganda if it increases profits.

The insurance companies lose money when property is lost, but they do not pay for people who lose their lives trying to defend their property.
Insurance companies do not pay the cost of fighting the fires either.
When the Gov starts saying that people should remain in harm's way, to defend their homes from a fire, they are really saying that people should be risking their lives to protect the insurance industry's profits.

If the cost of fighting the fires was being born by the insurance, and if insurance executives were the ones risking their lives, they would likely be singing a far different tune to the politicians.

If you are in a fire zone and it is coming your way, bug out.
Houses can be rebuilt, you can't be rebuilt.

Let the firefighters who are trained in dealing with fires deal with it.
Even the Firefighters sometimes get caught by the fire (even with all their skills, training and experience).
You can bet Joe Household (with no experience, no training and no equipment) does not stand much of a chance if it turns bad.

What you can do is lobby your politicians to put more into fire protection.
Having a couple of good water bombers can make a huge difference.
Putting people to work brush clearing and creating fire breaks can make an incredible difference.



Edited by scafool (01/23/09 05:08 PM)
Edit Reason: grammar
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May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.