Did you know that cooking is the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries? Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires and scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries.
This year our kitchens have become a true beehive of family activity, in addition to cooking, many are serving extra-duty as remote offices and classrooms. With more eating-in and holiday cooking ahead, the most dangerous room of the house will be busier than ever this fall! Appropriately, Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen™ was selected as the 2020 theme for National Fire Prevention Week. Follow the recommendations below to keep your family safe at home this season and all year round!
Some content: National Fire Protection Association
In the event of a fire or other disaster, would you be able to remember all your possessions? Having an up-to-date home inventory will help you get your insurance claim settled faster, verify losses for your income tax return and help you purchase the correct amount of insurance.
While spending more time at home and preparing for the change of season, September is a perfect month to take stock of what you’ve got!
Once you’ve started your inventory, keep going even if you can’t get it all done immediately. It’s better to have an incomplete inventory than nothing at all! A simple pencil and paper will suffice, but technology can make creating a home inventory much easier.
Your home inventory is only useful if it’s accurate and you can access it to provide information to your insurance company in case of fire, theft or other destructive disaster. Regardless of the medium you’ve used to create your list, keep it backed up and in a safe place.
This year Rhode Islanders were warned of one of the busiest hurricane and tropical storm seasons in recent history. Experts note that due to significant sea level rise and coastal development, tropical storms need not make a direct hit to wreak havoc on our region with storm surge and flooding.
Now, during the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, emergency planning presents additional challenges for everyone which makes it more important than ever to have a solid plan. Public health and emergency response professionals have advice to help you safely prepare, evacuate, and shelter for severe storms while protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.
PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON:
PREPARE TO EVACUATE:
STAYING WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY:
POST STORM SAFETY
Whether caused by lighting, high winds or an overloaded power grid, extreme summer weather can trigger power outages— will you be ready when the lights go out? A lengthy power outage that affects your home can also threaten your family’s safety or damage your property.
Source: Nationwide Insurance ©2020
It’s the zenith of summer and the mercury is likewise at its seasonal peak. As we have recently experienced, a heat wave — 3 or more straight days with temperatures above 90 degrees — can pose a danger and cause serious health issues. Here are some summer heat safety tips to help protect yourself and your loved ones as you enjoy the season.
Source: Nationwide Insurance ©2020
Follow us on Facebook this month, where our #TipTuesday series will debunk the 4 most popular #LightningMyths including:
At any given time on our planet Earth, there are 1,800 thunderstorms in progress—and with them comes lightning. Your standard homeowners and business insurance policies, and the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy cover damages—such as a fire—that results from a lightning strike. Some policies also provide coverage for the damage caused by power surges. However, bodily harm from lightning isn’t easily remedied. Here are some steps you can take to prevent the dangerous effects of lightning and to keep your family safe.
An LPS provides a specified path on which lightning can travel. A rooftop network of lightning rods or air terminals is connected to a series of down conductors, which carry the current down to a grounding network. In that way, the system safely directs the destructive power of the lightning strike into the ground, which leaves the structure of your home or business and its contents undamaged. Installing a LPS is not a “do-it-yourself” project—contract a UL-listed lightning protection specialist to install the system in accordance with national safety standards.
Electrical surges from lightning can enter a structure via power transmission lines and cause electrical fires as well as damage to your building’s electrical system, your appliances and your home electronics. Regular power strips offer little surge protection. To assure the best safeguards, UL-listed surge protection devices (SPDs) should be installed to filter and dissipate damaging electrical discharges. Most electric utilities will rent or sell a surge device for the electric meter to “clamp down” on incoming surges; licensed electricians can install similar protection. To protect valuable electronics like computers, home entertainment centers, gaming systems and smart home technology, install UL-listed transient voltage surge suppressors–and consider unplugging expensive electronics when you know a storm is approaching. More information from National Grid
Although fly-away vacations will likely be on hold this summer, you may still get-away to the great outdoors with a family road-trip or pleasure-cruise. But, before you pull out of your driveway or cast off of the dock, check out these tips to prevent burglary and ensure that you’ll have a happy homecoming!
No matter the precautions taken to prevent theft, sometimes the unexpected still happens. In the event thieves break into your house, steal your personal items or damage your home, home insurance may be able to help you.
With National Safe Boating Week (May 16-22) days away, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) reminds boat owners to secure the right type and amount of coverage for their recreational vessel.
Beyond covering a boat owner in the event of theft, boat insurance policies typically provide coverage to repair a boat if it is accidentally damaged or destroyed due to a collision or because the boat struck a submerged object. Property damage to a boat caused by vandalism, a windstorm, or lightning are also covered under most boat insurance policies.
Boat insurers typically assess risk and price their policies based on differing factors. For instance, a boat owner’s operational experience can play a large role in determining a prospective policyholder’s eligibility for coverage and what they will pay for a policy. The boat’s make, model, age and value often influence the cost of a boat insurance policy, too. In addition, boat insurers want to know the boat’s primary cruising areas, also known as navigational territories.
The I.I.I. counsels boat owners to focus on three lesser-known but important issues when either buying or renewing a boat insurance policy.
Other coverages incorporated into boat insurance policies may include:
With a basic knowledge of how boat insurance may help protect you, your boat and others, you can set sail knowing you have the best policy in place.
Content Source: Insurance Information Institute (iii.org)