by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
October is National Fire Safety Month – and we wanted to share some tips for keeping your home safe from fire. Thankfully, we have a lot of Firefighters (and some other really smart people) on our Facebook page – and I asked them to share their tips with us!
Here’s what they came up with:
- Keep debris and brush away from your home
- Always have a water supply handy near a burn pile
- Don’t leave burning candles unattended
- Create home escape routes and a safe meeting place, and practice them!
- keep dryer vents cleaned out
- test smoke alarms regularly
- keep fully charged ABC fire extinguishers handy
- eliminate extension cords
- turn ceiling vent fans off when leaving the room
- turn off the stove 🙂
- check for frayed/worn wiring
- keep space heaters away from flammable items
- don’t let candle tins burn too long
- don’t leave flammable materials near the stove
And last, but not least – don’t play with matches!
Thanks to all our wonderful Facebook Fans for helping me out!
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info |
When it comes to auto insurance, you probably consider coverage that will pay you back if your car is damaged. What you might not think about is auto insurance covering damages to others if you’re at fault in an accident. If you are determined liable for damage to the others’ property, or even bodily injury, your auto policy should help protect you against financial disaster.
Every state has a required minimum level of insurance for damages you may be liable for in an accident. Many insurance providers tout cheap rates based on the “state minimum” levels. The tough reality is that these minimums have not been reviewed in many years and do not accurately reflect the costs of today’s automobiles.
California Casualty is working to address such issues before there’s a problem.
One of our customers illuminates the issue.  She was determined at fault in a multi-car accident. Her property damage liability limit was $25k. During the claim settlement process, we advised her that it was possible her minimum coverage might not cover all the damage – and she might be responsible for the remaining balance.  The customer was frantic with worry she’d owe thousands of dollars in additional damages – out of pocket.
Fortunately for her, our claims team was able to settle for an amount that fell within the customer’s coverage limits.
California Casualty is here to help you make the right choices. We’ll help you evaluate your current liability coverage amounts. Hopefully you never find yourself in a situation where you’re liable for significant property damage or bodily injury.
Will you be able to rest easy knowing that the insurance policy you chose has you covered?
by California Casualty | Firefighters, Peace Officers |
September 11, 2001 was day that would have been remembered for its beautiful weather. Then, at 8:46 a.m., 5 hijackers crashed American Airlines flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, and our worlds changed forever.
In the chaos that followed, the first responders of New York City and Washington, D.C. rushed headlong into the burning buildings in an attempt to save the people trapped inside, despite knowing the immense danger they were placing themselves in. Over the course of that day, a total of 411 first responders were killed – 341 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 10 paramedics.
We wanted to take some time today to share some sites with stories to remember and honor these heroes, check out the links below to read more about a few of the people who went above and beyond the call of duty on that day:
5 Heroes to Remember
Firefighters Remember the Spirit of a Fallen Hero
List of Fallen Firefighters
NYPD Angels – Moira Smith’s Story
by California Casualty | Safety |
Emergencies can strike when you least expect them, which is why we encourage all our customers to take steps to be prepared in the event an unexpected disaster strikes. That’s why we wanted to share FEMA’s efforts to help you prepare this month.
This September not only marks the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, it is also National Preparedness Month (NPM), which focuses this year on “A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.”
During September, we will remember those lost, honor our first responders, and renew our commitment to preparedness.
How can you participate? Go to Ready.gov to learn more. There, you can access kits, information, and guides to help you prepare your family for an emergency. There’s even a section for pet owners!
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
Hurricane season is here, and with it comes the risk of damaging storms in coastal areas. While your primary goal should be emergency supplies and an evacuation plan to keep you and your family safe, there are also some steps to take to protect your home from catastrophic damage.
One of the biggest keys to protecting your home from damage is to secure the windows. Why is this important? For one, once the windows shatter, the high winds enter the house, wreaking havoc and causing interior damage. The most important reason is that as hurricane winds blow into the house, it creates upward pressure on the roof. This pressure may be enough to blow the roof off – which will likely lead to the total destruction of your home.
The ideal way to protect your windows is to install heavy duty wood or metal storm shutters. This can be quite an investment, but one that will pay off in protection, as well as the ability to quickly respond to the threat. Alternatively, you can use marine plywood attached to your home’s exterior. It is recommended that you have these pieces purchased, cut, and pre-drilled/ready to install before a hurricane watch is in place. If you wait until danger is bearing down on you, it may be too late.
Some other tips to protect your home during a hurricane:
- Remove dead trees or tree limbs on your property
- Be aware if your home is in a storm surge danger area
- Create a “safe room” in your house
- Keep battery powered radios, flashlights, and extra batteries on hand.
