News Release
How to Protect Against Looting During Fire Evacuations
Commissionaires BC offers advice
July 30, 2009, Kelowna, BC – Kelowna residents were appalled to learn that some people who were evacuated from their homes during the recent fires became double victims. They may have been lucky enough to avoid having their homes razed by fire, but many were not lucky enough to escape looters.
With fire season still in full force, in the face of a sudden evacuation what can Okanagan residents do to protect their homes from thieves?
Commissionaires BC is the biggest security company in Kelowna with over 250 employees. They operate a program called “HOUSEWATCH”, in which they monitor homes for local residents who are away for extended periods of time. Darrel O'Shaughnessy is Manager of the Southern Interior for Commissionaires BC. “Stealing from people who are evacuated from their homes under duress, seems like the lowest of the low, says Darrel, “but the unfortunate truth is that nothing will prevent determined thieves from stealing. The key thing is to plan ahead and take a few simple steps to protect your property, before you get that evacuation notice.”
Commissionaires BC offers the following tips for residents:
The first step to protecting your property is to think like a business owner when deciding what property to protect, because you cannot protect it all. Business owners realize that only about 2% - 3% of their assets are critical to their operation. The rest is replaceable. So, think “home continuity”, decide in advance what assets are “critical” to your family, and narrow down your most important assets to about 2% to 3%. Things like credit cards, jewellery, computer backup software, contracts, financial records, and personal information for your family.
During the summer when fire risk is the highest, consider storing valuable property at another location such as a safety deposit box in a bank. If you intend to store valuables at home, then purchase a suitably large storage safe that is fireproof, and attached securely to the concrete flooring in your basement
Create a property description log book. Details such as make, model, value, and serial number can be recorded for future reference. Be sure to store the log book in a safe place. You can also use home inventory software to keep track of valuable items.
Photographing your entire house and belongings is a very valuable method for assisting you in remembering all your property in order to file an insurance claim. Whether your home is completely destroyed by fire, or you are a victim of looters, you will find these photographs invaluable.
A digital camera is an excellent choice because you can take a huge number of photos at the cost of a single memory card. Store the memory card off site in your bank security deposit box or another suitable location. The photographs will provide a quick reference for describing and validating your losses to the insurance carrier. You can also supplement the photograph records with a property description log book. Details such as make, model, value, and serial number can be recorded for future reference. Again, store the log book in a safe place.
Protecting your vacant residence during an evacuation is very difficult because normal residential security, such as Neighborhood Watch, burglary alarm systems and pet dogs are not available to raise the alarm. But following these simple steps gives you the best chance to minimize your losses.
Commissionaires BC
Commissionaires BC is British Columbia’s largest security organization, providing private and public sector clients with complete security solutions. Commissionaires in BC protect air and sea ports, border crossings and government facilities. They work in hospitals, schools and commercial enterprises. Every security solution or professional service that Commissionaires BC provides, draws on the proven experience of highly trained former military and police personnel, who are the mainstay of its team of more than 1,600 professionals. More information at: www.commissionaires.bc.ca.
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Media Contacts:
Darrel J. O'Shaughnessy, Manager Southern Interior, Commissionaires BC
Cell 250 718 7500
Office 250 979 4775
oshaughnessy@commissionaires.bc.ca
Patricia Robitaille, PR Strategies Inc.
T 604 873 0080
probitaille@shaw.ca
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