October 28, 2007
California brings back vivid memories of the forest fire that hit BC in 2003. I was in Kelowna when the lightning strike hit south of us and started the forest fire after a very dry season.
Silk FM was on the radio saying that smoke was inhibiting the fighting and evaluation of the fire. I immediately called Silk and told them we had advanced imaging applications that were simple and would give forestry unihibited sight through the smoke.
Silk called back and told me forestry said thanks, they have things under control. Five days later, hell came to town and we had to evacuate 1/3 of Kelowna’s population.
To this day it is hard for me to fathom that I was the only one that saw the fire through the smoke that filled the valley. My government fought the fire at costs of millions a day and they were blinded by the smoke.
Regardless of attempts to help, even as a volunteer I never got a call back. After the fire there was a fire inquiry because our fire budget was 50 million when the costs were billions.
I presented at the Fire Inquiry and showed them the unobstructed sight we employed to see the fire from start to raging through the end of Kelowna. The visual information silenced the 3 members of the panel because sight of the fire versus millions a day blind.
The BC Government completed the Firestorm 2003 Public Inquiry and edited me, my information as well as my presentation out of the public inquiry. The minister responsible told me that the entire inquiry was based on audio alone and that during my presentation they lost the audio feed. The visual information you are about to see was left out as well because this was an audio public inquiry.
The BC Liberal Government was negligent in editing a public inquiry. The reason they did it is because they didn’t respond to calls that we could help them with equipment they only used behind the fire.
On the 22nd of August, 2003 Kelowna evacuated 1/3 of their population while Kelowna fire fighters waited for the hell to come down the valley.
I was on Gyro Beach because it was the best vantage point for imaging through the smoke.
While I was imaging on the beach, CTV news set up to interview Premier Gordon Cambell. The premier’s entourage including the premier came over to see the fire through the smoke giving them a visual their fire fighters didn’t have.
My information may save lives, property, environment, toxic emissions, etc but it could not do that after it embarrassed a political party. I informed the premier’s office of their negligence in producing an edited inquiry.
California is burning and 4 years after the public inquiry, California is denied the ability to simply give their fire command sight of their objective. I am ashamed to be sitting here when we could be helping.
This is the domino effect of a political party putting itself before service. It is more than an administrative bump, it is negligent.
I don’t care what “party” you support, we need to get the job done.
California, let us help.
Take a look at the links to see what your were missing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvLa8kkXLzg