California fire victim launches app to help others with insurance claims
MARIPOSA — Jessie Fischer is taking her misfortune and turning it into motivation to help others who have suffered a similar loss because of a devastating wildfire.
It was July 4, 2024, when the French Fire sparked in Mariposa County and eventually destroyed her rental property in the popular Yosemite tourist town.
"There is a lot of frustration that happened and I really turned that into motivation to educate myself and become part of a wildfire community," Fischer said.
Fischer lost another rental property in 2017 to the Atlas Fire in Napa County. That's when she learned how traumatizing the insurance process could be for victims trying to pick up the pieces and she wanted to make it easier for others.
She harnessed artificial intelligence and worked with developers to design a website and app that would make the process of insurance claims easier for those who had already lost so much. Home Inventory Pro is now live and aims to do just that.
"It's super simple to use. You take a video of your space, and within minutes, all the items — like what the item is, the room, the pricing estimates and category — are automatically uploaded into a spreadsheet," Fischer said. "So it really takes away that difficulty."
The resource is only $15 a year and that's because the developers want to make it easily accessible to as many people as possible. Fischer has also taken it upon herself to start working with local officials in Mariposa County and combining resources with Cal Fire to educate the public on the very best way to protect against the unthinkable. She's taking what was a tragedy and letting it motivate her to make things better for others.
"I think there are many things out of our control that happen and the way that we react to it, is all we can do," Fischer said. "The idea of that we can continuously improve and build things to help when these inevitable things happen is really inspiring."
You can hear more about Jessie's story and how she's helping improve things for others.
