This month, communities across the nation will celebrate, honor, and thank peace officers for their service and sacrifice. National Police Week is May 10 – 16 and Peace Officer Memorial Day is May 15; and although most events will be virtual, the spirit of gratitude is sure to be stronger than ever.
During these days of COVID-19, peace officers are on the front lines all day, every day. They are keeping communities safe, patrolling and responding to emergencies, all while covering for colleagues who’ve fallen sick, risking infection personally and oftentimes working overtime or without PPE.
Their heroism on the coronavirus front lines is plenty to celebrate—but it’s worth remembering (and celebrating) all the ways they serve and protect us, and the reason they joined the force in the first place.
Call of Duty
The motto of the Minneapolis Police Department is “To Protect with Courage, To Serve with Compassion.” The NYPD’s is “Fidelis ad Mortem (Faithful unto death).” In Los Angeles, the LAPD’s is “To Protect and to Serve,” and in Texas, the Houston Police Department’s is “Order through law, justice with mercy.”
These mottos speak to the sense of duty that draws these everyday heroes to law enforcement. It’s a profession that demands integrity, honor, intelligence, and a commitment to justice and fairness—and perhaps more importantly, a call to serve a community greater than themselves.
What Do Peace Officers Do?
In simplest terms, their job is to fight and prevent crime, as well as to maintain law and order. However, their duties span a range of responsibilities, including:
Conducting patrol duties on foot or by car, bicycle or motorcycle
Responding to calls to assist at incidents such as criminal activity, domestic disputes, fires, and public disorder
Attending collision scenes, vehicle checkpoints and vehicle offenses
Saving lives
Delivering death and hospital messages to families
Conducting initial investigations, gathering evidence, taking statements and conducting arrests
Searching personal property, individuals, vehicles, premises, and land
Preparing crime reports and presenting case files to senior officers
Attending and giving evidence in court and at other hearings
Building and maintaining community relations, including advice and support in areas such as crime prevention and personal safety
Serving at All Levels
Officers may also choose to work in specialized bureaus or divisions, including the State Troopers, Crimes Against Children, Crimes Against the Elderly, Sheriff Deputies, SWAT, Narcotics, Patrol Officers, Dispatchers and more.
Special law enforcement units exist within local/county agencies, state agencies, and at the federal level. From local police and highway patrol to the FBI, Department of the Coast Guard, and U.S. Secret Service, law enforcement officers serve at every level of government.
In Remembrance
With duty comes risk, and unfortunately every year we learn of those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice. Every May 15, for Peace Officers Memorial Day, flags are flown at half-mast as the nation pays tribute to those who’ve fallen. You can join the observance by using #PeaceOfficersMemorialDay on social media and sharing your thanks.
Thank an Officer
Besides thanking an officer in person (from 6+ feet away), there are a number of ways you can thank and help them—read our tips here.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
If you have a teen who will be driving soon, consider taking advantage of this extra time at home and teaching them the rules of the road. Preparation and knowledge always make a safer driver, and this extra time means your teen can learn in a no-rush environment and absorb the material at their own speed.
Remember that you have more influence on your teen than you may think. Share your driving experiences with them—lessons learned, close calls, even your mistakes. Stress safety as the top priority, always.
Here’s how you can prep your young driver for the road.
The Rules of the Road
The first step is for them to become familiarized with the basic laws and rules of driving. Look into driver education courses online. Classes are interactive and teach traffic laws, safe driving techniques, and the dangers and risks of the road.
Your state’s DMV website should also have plenty of resources, such as driver handbooks, driving tutorials, and sample written tests.
Tour the Vehicle
To help your teen get a feel for the vehicle, take them through all the features and controls—both inside and outside the car. First, inside:
Location of owner’s manual, registration and insurance card
Dashboard controls
Windshield wipers
Seat belts, airbags, and other safety features
Steering wheel & seat adjustment
Headlights, low beams, fog lights, and high beams
Turn signals
Emergency/parking brake
Gas and brake pedals (and ABS)
Cruise control
Mirrors — location & adjustments
Emergency lights & warning indicator lights
Ignition
Next, take a tour around the outside of the vehicle:
Overview of the engine, including the battery and 5 important fluids (engine oil, coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid)
Tires — reading PSI and correct inflation
Location of safety items such as spare tire, jack, jumper cables, chains and emergency roadside kit (bonus: teach them how to change a tire)
Taillights & brake lights
Remember to also explain things such as vehicle maintenance schedules (check the owner’s manual), safety ratings, and what to do in roadside emergencies.
Go for a Spin
If your teen has done well on the above, has a learner’s permit, and is covered by your insurance, it might be time for them to start practicing (depending on your city’s current stay at home orders).
Although streets should be relatively quiet, start first in a large, empty parking lot. Be sure to give directions in a clear, calm voice, and well in advance. Answer questions calmly and informatively. Give your teen time to learn at a comfortable pace. Take your time and gradually increase driving practice time.
Your state’s DMV should have lesson plans online for practice sessions. But in general, lessons start with the basics of starting the vehicle, making adjustments to controls, moving forward, stopping, backing up and turning, before moving on to lane changes, intersections, and practicing in traffic. Advanced lessons include parallel parking, freeway driving, and parking on hills.
Take the Pledge
Teen drivers are involved in more collisions than any other age group. Risk factors include distracted driving, risky behaviors behind the wheel, driving inexperience, and lack of maturity.
You can reinforce the responsibility and privilege of safe driving by signing a safe driving contract with your teen (samples here and here). You can also lead by example by joining your teen in taking a pledge against distracted driving:sign up for the National Safety Council’s Just Drivecampaign or California Casualty’s Keep on Coursecampaign.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
We have amazing employees at California Casualty. The Employee Spotlight is a new series aiming to highlight those talented individuals that make up our successful company culture and community. From human resource recruiters and learning and development trainers to claims adjusters, marketers, customer support specialists, partner relations, sales representatives, and beyond; each week, we’ll highlight a new team member, so you can get to know us better and see how our employees make us who we are as a company.
This edition of the Employee Spotlight will feature our Underwriting Team Manager, Hillary Brewer
Hillary has been with us for 20 years (yes, 20!) and is based in our Colorado office.
Let’s get to learn Hillary!
What made you want to work in Underwriting at California Casualty?
I became interested in Underwriting as soon as I started with California Casualty as a Customer Service Representative. I just think that risk analysis and risk management are very interesting topics!
What is your favorite part about your job?
I have the privilege of being a team manager to a fabulous group of people, including Underwriting Service Representatives and Underwriting Assistants. They all work so hard to produce quality work that supports our customers as well as other departments within the company.
I also get to work side-by-side with great CalCas leaders. Seeing their efforts is very inspiring to me. It’s also very fulfilling to be a part of changes that affect the company positively.
I love my job! I love working for a company that always does its best for its customers and for its employees. In some ways (that are good!) working for California Casualty feels like working with family.
I’m given the opportunity to do what I do best every single day.
What have you learned in your position at California Casualty?
What haven’t I learned at California Casualty?! Everything I know about the insurance industry, I’ve learned from my different positions here.
In addition to learning on the job, I have also had the opportunity to advance my education through secular classes. I have obtained 3 insurance designations so far, and keep working toward more knowledge.
What are your favorite activities to do outside of the office?
I enjoy long walks in the mountains and spending time with friends and family.
Anything else you would like the audience to know about you?
I have two cats and one cat-sized dog.
I like to cook and to bake, and have recently tried to master the art of making the perfect cupcake. While I have not been very successful in my cupcake-related endeavors, I am not giving up!
I also enjoy cross-stitching little gifts to give to my friends. 🙂
If you want to learn more about Hillary or are interested in a career at California Casualty, connect with her on LinkedIn! Or visit our careers page at https://www.calcas.com/careers
Even before the coronavirus began its swift spread across the globe, the World Health Organization had declared 2020 the ‘International Year of the Nurse and Midwife,’ and the American Nurses Association (ANA) named it ‘Year of the Nurse.’ The annual observance of Nurses Week—from May 6-12—has been extended from one week to the entire month.
These designations underscore something we’re acutely aware of these days:Nurses are an incredibly important pillar of our health system, and we rely on them every day for compassionate, skilled, expert healthcare.
We also trust them immensely:For 18 years in a row, the vast majority of Americans have rated nurses as the most honest and ethical of professions.
The Many Ways Nurses Keep Us Healthy
Most people know nurses as the trusted health professional they see for health exams, emergency visits, chronic conditions, and life events such as maternity and cancer care. However, many don’t know the vast range of roles nurses play throughout the health care system—or that, numbering almost 4 million, they comprise the largest segment of health care workers in America.
This annual observance celebrating nurses is a great opportunity to highlight some of those many roles that nurses play in advancing the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and our country at large.
Direct patient care — Every day across the country, nurses care for and treat patients in a range of care settings. Although there’s no such thing as a “typical” day for a nurse, their job entails administering medications, managing IVs and other interventions, observing and recording patients’ conditions, advocating for and educating patients and their families, and providing advice, guidance and emotional support. They work in inpatient care settings, primary care, prenatal care, schools and universities, outpatient settings, palliative and hospice care, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics, and more.
Research — Nurse researchers are scientists who design and conduct studies looking at health, illness, and healthcare, aimed at improving health outcomes and delivery of care. They work in hospitals, medical clinics, and research laboratories, as well as in academic settings where they often teach.
Informatics — In this unique field, nurses blend nursing science with expertise in information technology and analytics to improve nursing practice and patient safety. Nurse informaticists are health tech innovators who create and maintain the digital health systems used by consumers, medical professionals, and public health officials.
Population Health — Population health focuses on the ways that health systems, organizations, and local agencies collaborate to drive better health outcomes at the community level. Nurses, with so much time and experience in direct patient care, readily see the patterns of health behaviors and disparities. They leverage this expertise to positively influence their patients and communities’ health in roles such as health coaches and educators, care coordinators, care navigators, and care managers.
Administration and leadership — As leaders and executives, nurses are advancing improvements to healthcare at the highest levels. Bringing their clinical expertise and management experience to bear, they are transforming care delivery and improving patient safety through their leadership roles within healthcare facilities, hospitals, institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, health systems, and private companies.
As the nation honors and thanks nurses throughout the month of May (and beyond!), join the movement and thank the nurses in your life for their many contributions to our health, well-being, and safety. For ideas on how to help them out during this time of crisis, check out these tips.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
While we’ve all had some extra time at home to tidy up our houses and yards, we can’t forget about our vehicles! It feels like forever since we’ve been out on the road, and we’ve really missed our cars. Although we aren’t driving nearly as often right now, we will be soon, and that is why it is important to make sure our cars are clean and running properly.
Make sure your car is in prime condition for the next time you are behind the wheel by following our interior and exterior Spring Cleaning Car Care Checklist:
Cleaning the Interior
Remove Trash: Cars fill up quickly when you have kids and are always on the go; receipts, water bottles, wrappers, etc. Make sure the first thing you do is pick up all of the trash on the inside and place a bag that can serve as a trashcan for the next time you have to throw something away.
Shake out Mats: Remove all large pieces of trash or debris from the floor mats of your car. After, take all of the mats out of your car and shake them out in an open area, and then lay them in a clean spot. To make cleaning easier in the future, look into purchasing heavy-duty rubber mats.
Clean Vents and Ducts: The best way to do this is with pressurized air, but if you don’t have it you can use a dusting cloth or a wet wipes
Vacuum: Try and get every part of your vehicle that you can, this includes floorboards, seats, under the seats, trunk, cup holders, and any other space that is large enough. Don’t forget to vacuum the floor mats before putting them back in your car as well.
Organize: If you have certain items that you keep in your car at all times, like blankets, umbrellas, chairs, sports equipment, reusable shopping bags, coolers, etc. Take these out, make sure each item is clean and has a special place that will not cause clutter or take up too much space when you put it back in your car after it’s been vacuumed. Placing organization bins in your trunk can help out with this.
Wipe Down: Use awet wipe or dusting cloth to clean and wipe down your dash, front console, and anywhere else that dirt can hide. And then if you would like to go an extra step you can detail your dash by using a microfiber cloth and some polish or dashboard wipes to make your steering wheel and dash shine.
Change Air Freshener: After your car is clean from top to bottom change out your air freshener to a nice spring scent and you are good to go!
Now that your car is clean on the inside, it’s time to make sure everything is up and running properly on the outside.
Cleaning & Checking the Exterior:
Get an Oil Change: You should change your oil about every 5,000 miles depending on the year, make, and model of your vehicle and your own personal driving habits. This will help keep your engine clean and running properly.
Check the Air Filter: Air filters should be changed at least every 15,000 miles. Air filters are inexpensive and will help you increase your gas mileage, reduce emissions, and allow more air to flow to your engine to help it run smoothly and prolong it’s life.
Check Your Tires: If a car has been sitting for long periods of time, especially in colder weather, pressure can slowly leak out of your tires, so it is important to check your air pressure and make sure you have the right amount. While you are checking the pressure look at the tread on your tires, if it is low consider getting new tires altogether.
Buy New Wipers: Spring is rainy season for most of the US, and when you are driving in the middle of a spring storm, it is important that your windshield wipers do their job. You should replace them once a year, so spring is the perfect reminder.
Go Through the Car Wash: Dust, mud, pollen, bugs, and rain residue are all commonly found on cars in the spring. Make your car look shiny and new by taking it through the car wash and getting a polish or by giving it your own wipe down at home! Pro tip: don’t forget the tires!
Drive safe!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
