Claims Top Tips for Fire Prevention Week.
October 06, 2019
With Fire Prevention Week running October 6-12, it's a great time of year to remind ourselves of how we can put in place simple, effective plans and routines which will keep our families and friends safe and protect our homes from fire hazard.
The National Safety Council confirms deaths from home fires in the U.S are steadily decreasing with 5,200 deaths in 1980 down to 2,710 in 2017. However, a fire in any home or business is traumatic, which is why Goodville is so focused on prevention and sharing simple ways to prevent this type of incident from happening.
Mike Zimmerman, VP of Claims, also head of the loss prevention group at Goodville, said: "We see so many homeowner claims from fire loss, where if some simple prevention practices were in place it would have limited the amount of fire damage to the home or could have prevented the fire altogether." So Goodville, as part of Fire Prevention Week, sets a goal to help educate the community in routines and the practices which can protect family, friends and their homes. Keep reading to see the top fire prevention tips from our Claims team.
Claims Top Fire Prevention Tips:
Tip 1 from James Tobias, Senior Claims Representative
The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Don't walk away from grease on the stovetop, or leave a wooden cutting board on the burner. If you leave the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
Tip 2 from Lisa Hoover - Senior Claims Representative
A useful fire prevention tip is to regularly clean the lint from the dryer including the dryer vent pipe. The most common cause of dryer fires is the buildup of lint. Simple prevention is to clean the lint screen before every use of the dryer and make sure the vent pipe is clear as this reduces the chance of fire and maintains the efficiency of your dryer.
Tip 3 from Robin Shelton - Claims Representative I
Have a fire escape plan that all family members (residents) are aware of and practice the plan twice a year. A fire can quickly spread so when the smoke alarm sounds it's important to use that time to get out. Having a fire escape plan prepared that all family members know will save valuable time.
Tip 4 from Rocky Parise - Field Property Claims Representative
Avoid overloading electrical sockets and always make sure your iron is unplugged after you freshen up your family's clothes before your Holiday dinner/party! You do not need a flame to start a fire. Fires can start when heat builds up near things that burn. So leaving an iron on, or overloading an electrical socket could cause heat to build up and catch other items like a cloth or paper on fire.
Tip 5 from Susan Davis - Claims Representative III
As part of your escape plan, always plan to have two ways to escape! Know and practice two ways to escape from every room of your home!
Tip 6 From Jeff Markle - Property Claims Manager
Always add fresh batteries to your smoke alarm and test it twice a year. Make Fire Prevention Week one of those times a year to replace batteries and test your smoke alarm. They are a key part of any home fire escape plan, providing early warnings so you have time to escape.
You can see more fire prevention tips on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Additional Resources
https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/emergency-preparedness/fire
This blog entry is created for information purposes only. Any viewpoint or sponsorship of outside parties involved in the blog entry does not necessarily represent Goodville’s stance as a company. The blog should not be used as a substitute for professional advice.