Nothing in my twenty-year-plus claims career could have prepared me for Fort Mac. I’ve experienced a variety of CAT claims as a front-line adjuster and manager working hailstorms, windstorms, floods, and fires.
However, I’ve never seen anything like the wildfires in Fort McMurray. In my role as the Fort Mac CAT Team Leader I did everything, from searching out lodging for our adjusters and ensuring they were fed, to keeping the team safe.
Generally speaking, CATS require ‘boots on the ground’ within a very short period of time. The unusual thing about the Fort Mac CAT was that the fires continued to burn, creating new destruction daily. The whole industry watched and waited as the story unfolded.
During our wait for the city to grant access for insurance adjusters, we worked hard at coordinating our preliminary adjusting services on the open files. We organized getting funds to insureds for ALE (Additional Living Expenses), and helped arrange temporary living accommodations and started the paperwork for all files.
Adjusters from Calgary and also out of province adjusters came to assist our Edmonton and Fort Mac offices. We worked tirelessly during this period. The Edmonton office was open seven days a week to meet insureds.
The after-hour call center volume was exhausting. We requested extra help, and adjusters from across Canada supported the CAT by taking calls from insureds who needed a friendly voice and advice on what to do.
The City of Fort McMurray had a controlled and layered admittance plan. As we waited, it was getting increasingly difficult to find a place to stay. The Province, under the Emergency Measures Act, took our original location. We finally secured a location at an oilfield workers’ camp.
We arrived at our first camp, approximately 35 minutes southeast of Fort McMurray. The accommodations were clean but extremely small, which didn’t make for ideal working conditions. The cafeteria seemed like the best workplace alternative. However, we were asked to leave as it was a designated eating area. Eighty percent of our staff were female and the camp was mostly male. After three nights of escorting the adjusters in and out of the cafeteria and other areas for safety reasons, we managed to secure our original condos inside the City of Fort McMurray.
Once we received approval to enter the City, we were all registered – and part of that process included wearing colourful wristbands. The city set up numerous checkpoints to allow access to different parts of the City.
Our team worked long hours, day and night, and had to put up with extreme conditions: few places to find food, fuel etc. The adjusters cut through the difficulties and successfully managed hundreds of claims.
In our ever-changing business, I find that everything involves a learning curve. In Fort McMurray, we had to certify every adjuster for using a breathing mask. This required outside certification and some stinging eyes, noses and throats.
The most important take away for this experience was the resilience of our staff. They handled themselves in an exemplary manner in the face of this tragedy. We are very proud of the work our staff performed in the Fort Mac Cat.