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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
6 Wednesday, May 8, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Insurers protect against wildfire The American West is in the grip of a cycle of catastrophic wildfires that has taken dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of homes and racked up bil- lions of dollars in suppression costs. Few communities are more aware of the dangers of wild- fire than Sisters, where 15 years of major fires have led to evacuations, economic disrup- tion and summers filled with anxiety whenever lightning strikes. Tammy Taylor of Bisnett Insurance in Sisters notes that several carriers offer services through a company called Wildfire Defense Systems that can provide protection and peace of mind to Sisters-area residents who live under the threat of wildfire. With fire seasons growing longer and fire behavior more extreme, national firefight- ing resources are stretched to their limits. Private-sector fire- fighting resources provided by insurers are assisting home- owners in protecting properties against the increasing threat of wildfire. <In this era of climate change, we are all asking what can be done to combat these rapidly escalating wild- fire conditions,= says David Torgerson, president of Wild- fire Defense Systems (WDS). <The insurer wildfire programs that WDS serves are doing just that by providing quali- fied firefighters and engines to increase the survivability of policyholder properties.= The bottom line for WDS: <We help people,= Torgerson said. That help comes when peo- ple9s entire way of life is under existential threat. When wildfire looms over properties insured by provid- ers the company serves, WDS firefighters and engines are dispatched and go into action to prepare those properties to survive the onslaught. Mitigation actions include closing windows and garage doors, moving firewood piles away from the home, clearing debris from under wood decks, clearing gutters, and removing debris from rooftops. WDS Insurance Engines may set up and operate sprinkler systems, apply retardant firebreaks or apply fire-blocking gel to structures. After the fire sweeps through the area, WDS will return to policyholder homes to make sure no spot fires are smoldering. These services are not an exclusive perk for the wealthy and famous. <More than 90 percent of the homes in the insurer wild- fire programs that WDS serves are average-value properties,= Torgerson notes. <Any home- owner who wishes to have these services in their policy can contact their insurance agent and choose from more than a dozen insurers offer- ing this service with their policies.= As Torgerson sees it, these companies are stepping up to be good citizens, providing <a real and tangible contribution to the wildfire challenges we face. The insurance companies who have committed to this effort should be recognized for contributing in part to solutions and serving their policyholders.= WDS firefighters and engines provide a valuable asset in an environment where resources are continually stretched to their limits. Since 2008, WDS has responded to more than 550 wildfires on behalf of the insur- ance industry and their policy- holders. All WDS firefighters are trained and certified under the National Wildfire Coordi- nating Group (NWCG). WDS coordinates with Incident Command on wild- fires to ensure safe and respon- sible activity in the fire zone. WDS is proud to proclaim an outstanding safety record on all wildfire operations since the company9s inception. The private sector resources are not supplanting public agency firefighters; they sim- ply provide one additional ele- ment in a broad effort to pre- vent loss. Many mitigation steps can be taken by homeowners themselves in preparation for fire season. WDS believes that when it comes to fighting the growing menace of wildfire, more is better. More resources avail- able at no additional cost to taxpayers is better; more pro- tection at no additional cost to an insurance policyholder is better; more trained, quali- fied, experienced and well- equipped personnel on a wild- fire is better. He notes that WDS is pre- cisely aligned with the impera- tive for all firefighters to be fully qualified and to coor- dinate through the Incident Command structure. <We need to have coordina- tion 4 and the Incident Com- mand provides those opportu- nities,= Torgerson says. <We9re all in this together.= Arts association to host studio tour The third annual Artists9 Studio Tour, sponsored by the Sisters Arts Association, will take place June 29 and 30 in the studios of nearly 30 Sisters-area artists. This year, the artists of the SAA expanded the tour from a one-day event to two days, Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The two-day event will allow visitors to see more studios and meet more artists than would be possible in a single day. People can pace their visits to take time to get to know the art and the artists. <This is based on the experience of other studio tours from around the coun- try,= said Bob Burgess, SAA Board Chair. <The more relaxed the pace, the greater the quality of artist-customer relationships and art sales.= Dennis Schmidling added, <As we grow this event, visi- tors will plan longer visits to our community. This will help our participating artists, gal- leries, and our community.= This is a driving tour, and it runs from Tumalo into Sisters and out toward the neighborhoods of Eagle Crest and Squaw Creek Canyon Estates. Hayden Homes is partnering with Sisters Arts Association to allow some Bend artists, who show their work in Sisters, to set up tem- porary studios for the week- end in the model home at 1310 W. Hill Ave. in Sisters. At her Tumalo studio, Danae Bennett Miller will demonstrate the process that she uses to create life- sized sculptures like the ones recently installed at the Sisters Barclay round- about. Mel Archer9s fused glass impressionist paint- ings are on the far end of the tour, overlooking the Middle Deschutes. In between are painters Winnie Givot, JoAnn Burgess, Sandy Melchiori, and many more. There is no charge for art-lovers to take the tour. Directions will be available on the SAA website (www. sistersartsassociation.org) and brochures will be avail- able in SAA member galler- ies in late May. Have a story idea for The Nugget? We’d love to hear it! Send an email to editor@nuggetnews.com Looking for good news? DID YOU KNOW? 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