Nelson business owners are getting proactive and fire aware ahead of the year’s wildfire season following a Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Business event held yesterday, Wednesday June 5.
At the event, Rob Leland, the City of Nelson’s Wildfire Resilience Program Coordinator, highlighted the known and less known risks with wildfires for Nelson and outlined various mitigation efforts the community should undertake.
Crystal Petrie, an insurance broker with HUB International, also spoke at the event, offering insurance suggestions and advice to business owners.
The BC Government’s 2024 outlook indicates the province is facing another active wildfire season. According to Petrie, the 2023 wildfire season saw 24,000 evacuation orders issued and about 500 structure fires.
Leland explained that more than 90 per cent of homes damaged or destroyed by wildfires are ignited by embers. He emphasized the importance of removing combustibles within 1.5 metres of any building.
For business owners, this means ensuring items like pallets, cardboard, and garbage are not stored directly beside a structure.
“Just ask yourself, could this catch fire? If it could, don’t stack it up. Wood piles and pallets stacked up behind businesses might not be movable in the event of a wildfire. Don’t stack kindling up against the house—you don’t want to burn down.” said Leland.
Leland also advised that grass should be kept moist and under 10 cm during wildfire season and lower branches of trees should be removed to prevent embers from igniting them.
Gutters should also be kept free of debris, and grass should be cleared from under and around decks, as decks were a major cause of structure losses in the 2023 Kelowna fires, according to Leland.
Business owners are strongly encouraged to review their insurance policies to ensure their business interruption coverage includes evacuation orders and indirect losses.
“Business interruption is typically meant to cover losses due to an insured peril, such as fire, water, or wind,” stated Petrie. “Evacuation is not always covered under these policies, and it’s crucial that if the whole town of Nelson is evacuated for three weeks, you’re not losing that revenue.”
Petrie warned that incorrect or outdated policies are useless and advised businesses to consult their insurance brokers to ensure comprehensive coverage.
“My advice is if you’re going to have the wrong insurance, you might as well not have insurance at all. Don’t pay premiums if the coverage isn’t right. If it’s not accurate, it won’t help in a claim.”
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