Santa Rosa, Calif. – Jeff Okrepki wants to make one thing clear.
Yes, his house burned to the ground after he fled the flaming wall with his wife, their toddler, two dogs and a few belongings they packed into their car. But no, Okrepkie insisted, he was not a fireman Affected.
“I'm a survivor,” he said. “It sounds kind of harsh, but it helps my mental state to think about myself … I survived something that a lot of people haven't.”
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Okrepki and his wife lost their home and almost everything they owned 2017 Tubbs FireIt transformed a vast swath of wine country, including Santa Rosa Middle class coffee park neighborhood – Pile of cinders and ashes. At that time, it was A very destructive forest fire In California History. Soon, it may just take third place A still burning Los Angeles County inferno Top of the list.
Okrepkie, 45, a commercial real estate agent, was displaced by bad luck. He was elected to the Santa Rosa City Council by popular vote several years later. She became an advocate for wildfire survivors, their champion, and a clearinghouse of recovery tips through the exam and her life experience.
“How can you keep this information and not share it?” He returned during a conversation this week a few blocks from City Hall and a short drive from the subdivision, nearly 2½ years after the fire ravaged him. “It doesn't seem nearly as selfish.”
The October weekend that changed Okrepki's life forever began with what is now a blessed normality.
He and his wife, Stephanie, attended a wedding on Saturday, and it's a good time to be single for adults. Their son is almost 2 and recently “started scaling the walls,” so on Sunday his crib was turned into “a big boy bed.” After making it, Okrelie took a picture because they were all so excited.
The rest happened in a flash.
Statements a Fire in Napa40 miles away. His wife nods in front of the television news. Okrepki sleeps. His sister calls him and wakes him up with words Another fire, in Calistoga16 miles away and spread in powerful winds.
A short time later, flames jumped Highway 101 and its six lanes into Coffey Park. Stephanie Okrepki stepped out with her son, the family's black lab mix, and their Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Jeff stayed back and grabbed what he could, spitting sparks until a giant volcano landed at his feet. He left.
He distributes his wildfire wisdom into two parts: before and after the cataclysmic attack.

Jeff Okrepki, second from left, talks with a neighbor as he stands outside his rebuilt home in Coffey Park, Santa Rosa.
(Eric Risberg/Associated Press)
Okrepkie suggested starting with a list of things to seize before being forced to. Find out what you can get your hands on in five minutes or less, and start with the “things important to your life” – passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance policies, wills, trusts. Expand the list to items you can imagine in 10, 15, and 30 minutes.
Focus on things that are irreplaceable — “a casket with your parents, wedding rings” — or have sentimental value, Okrepki said. clothes, shoes, underwear, pet food; Those types of items can be purchased later.
Okrepki regrets leaving behind the photo of his grandparents, which his late grandmother carried everywhere. His wife lost the military fatigues her father was wearing when he was killed in Iraq, although the couple recovered his dog tags and a “challenge coin.”
If you lose your home, Okrepkie continued, don't wait to find temporary housing. “Once you have somewhere confirmed, start calling apartments,” he advises. And if it's unfurnished, make do with used or donated items. “When you go back to your house and you start spending on the dining room table … it looks good in your house,” Okrepke said.
Beyond that, he advised patiently.
Take as much time as necessary to list your losses for insurance purposes. If you collect up to $700,000 and spend 10 hours compiling a complete list, that costs up to $70,000 per hour. “It's a good-paying job,” Okrepki said. “Think like that.”
Also, carefully document every interaction with your insurance company, he said. You may deal with several adjusters, some of whom may go before your claim is settled. It's important to have written proof of what was said or promised so you don't have to start over with someone new every time.
When it comes to rebuilding — if that's your plan — don't rush. Yes, Okrepki said, there is an understandable motivation to return home as quickly as possible. But he cautioned against making hasty decisions — in part, because rules and regulations can change, affecting what and how you can rebuild. “If you're in a hurry, you can do something to fit into a box that's suddenly gotten bigger after three weeks.”
He's glad he bought his new home from a “mass builder” — a developer who goes through the permitting and legal process, then offers buyers a variety of floor plans and options — rather than going it alone with a private architect and builder.
“Most people have never built a house,” Okrepkie said. “They bought an existing house. So they don't know what goes together. 'Yeah, we have this and this and this and this.' Understanding is much easier when you have limited choices.
Through this, Okrepki said, creating and nurturing a sense of community is essential.
“I could sit here and tell you my whole fire story,” he said over lunch at a cantina in downtown Santa Rosa, “and you'd understand.” But even the most well-intentioned and compassionate person cannot relate “as you do.”
A friend started a group, jokingly called “Wine Wednesdays,” where survivors gathered — originally on camp chairs set up amid the rubble — to drink beer and wine to “talk to each other,” Okrepki said. “There is no holding back and complaining. Just have conversations.
His activism on behalf of the burned neighborhood led to a seat on the City Planning Commission, resulting in Okrepki's election to the Santa Rosa City Council in 2022.
As someone with experience on both sides of disaster — as a survivor of wildfires and as a government official dealing with the aftermath — he has plenty of advice for those in public office.
“Be careful with your messaging because people can take things personally,” Okrepkie said. “Don't call the homeless… we have a home. It burned.”
Be patient. Very patient. Even after months and years pass and the initial shock wears off, you encounter people still struggling with the worst experience of their lives. “Be careful not to be too dismissive,” Okrepie said, or you'll come across as callous.
Don't be afraid to act boldly if your actions can backfire, he continued. “There's always a fear with the elect, 'Am I going to offend a lot of people?' I don't think there is a more altruistic thing you can do than stick your neck out for people who have lost everything.
At the very least, don't treat survivors like they're looking for anything more than they already have.
“We're not asking to build mansions,” Okrepki said over his taco salad. “If you have a car that you really like and someone hits it, you're not going to be like, 'I want a Maserati.'
It's pretty straightforward, he suggested. Be considerate. Be kind.