We’ve been keeping a close eye on the wildfires raging in Colorado.
This is for a couple reasons. First and foremost, we like to know what’s happening in the ‘fire world.’ We have a big network of Firefighters and we work to stay in tune with what’s going on in their professional worlds. It’s part of the whole ‘understanding your profession’ promise. The better we know you and what you are up against, the better we can support you.
So, we’ve been watching. Updating our ‘Thank You Firefighters’twitter account with updates on the multiple fires raging across the country and the brave men and women out there fighting them- even as their own homes burn down.
It’s personal for us. We work with these firefighters.
This week, it got even more personal.
One of our service centers is in Colorado Springs.
As those of you in the area, or following the fires, know: The Waldo Canyon Fire is getting close to the Colorado Springs area. As it moves towards homes, fanned by heat and dry conditions, some Colorado Springs residents are being evacuated from their homes.
Our employees included.
This is the view from our service center:
Here in Kansas City, we know a thing or two about seasonal extreme weather.
So as we’ve followed the fires, some of the issues surrounding them are completely foreign to us.
For example: Media coverage of active wildfires.
If you can’t tell by now, I like to read Fire blogs. I’m a total social media nerd.
And a LOT of the Fire bloggers are not happy with the media stations in the areas surrounding these fires.
Why?
Because of pictures like this.
Some media stations are running footage–especially footage captured from the air–of actively burning homes.
The major risk? That families will find out that their home-their memories-have burned to the ground by watching the news.
Now, this is a complicated issue.
As a journalist by training, I know that whatever you shoot from the air is (legally speaking) usually fair game.
But what about ethically? Do people deserve to be alerted about the fate of their homes BEFORE they see the emotional footage on air? Can you imagine turning on the news after dinner, only to see your house engulfed in flames?
I can’t imagine.
So, we’re asking you. Where do you fall on this side of the debate? To air or not to air?
And of course, our thoughts go out to ALL of those affected–nationwide–by this devastating wildfire season. Please keep the safety of our firefighters in your thoughts, along with all of those displaced by these fires.
Update:
Here is a new series of pictures, showing the effect the wind changing has…
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!
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.
Carbon monoxide (CO) in your home can be a quiet, deadly killer. You can’t see or smell it, but in high enough levels, it can kill someone in moments. CO is produced whenever any fuel is burned – oil, gas, wood, charcoal, etc…Typically, the amount released into your home environment from well-maintained and properly operating appliances, but still hundreds of people die every year from CO poisoning.
Symptoms of CO poisoning:
dizziness
confusion
nausea
fainting
If you suspect CO poisoning – get to fresh air, and get an emergency room quickly. Be sure to let the doctor know you suspect CO poisoning.
Prevention is the best way to avoid CO Poisoning
Have your fuel burning appliances checked regularly
Don’t idle your car in your garage
Choose appliances that vent outside whenever possible
Follow all instructions on your fuel burning appliances
Install CO detectors
Don’t ignore any symptoms, especially if multiple members of the household experience them
This has been a difficult spring in terms of natural disasters – from devastating tornadoes to a large number of hail storms. Currently, we’re watching towns in the south being submerged under water, and rivers in flood stages that haven’t been seen in recent history.
Our hearts go out these families, and you can rest assured that we are doing everything we can to help our customers who have been affected by all of these disasters. For many, seeing the flooding (and with hurricane season bearing down on us) begs the question – “Am I covered if this happens to me?” This press release just came across my desk, and hopefully it will answer some of those questions.
CHICAGO—With hurricane season starting on June 1st, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) urges homeowners, business owners and renters who do not currently have flood insurance to buy it right away.
“Many insurance consumers do not realize that their standard homeowners policy does not cover flooding, and that flood insurance must be purchased separately,” said Don Griffin, PCI’s vice president, personal lines. “Flood insurance is sold through agents who sell policies on behalf of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If you have only a standard homeowners policy and suffer flooding from a hurricane, the flood damage will not be covered under that policy, so it is crucial to have flood insurance. Because NFIP policies don’t take effect for 30 days, the sooner people can buy flood insurance, the better.”
While having flood insurance in place is important in coastal areas, recent heavy rains have brought flooding to much of the nation’s heartland as well. Unfortunately, according to the NFIP, more than 50 percent of properties in high-risk areas remain unprotected by flood insurance, and in the northeast and Midwest, coverage rates are significantly lower. Even in coastal areas that live under constant threat of hurricanes or tropical storms, many homeowners or renters do not have this crucial coverage.
According to the NFIP, floods are the number-one natural disaster in the United States, and 75 percent of all federally declared disasters over the past five years have involved flooding. There is a 26 percent chance that a home will suffer flooding over the course of a 30-year mortgage, and U.S. flood losses have averaged $2.4 billion per year over the last decade.
“In any part of the country where flooding is a possibility, property owners and renters should absolutely make sure to protect themselves and their belongings by purchasing flood insurance,” Griffin said.
Individuals who currently have homeowners or renters insurance should talk to their agents to see if their insurers sell flood policies. They can also locate agents who sell flood policies through the agent locator on the NFIP website.
This is a topic that is very close to my heart – since last week I was awoken at 5:30am, after the coldest evening in nearly a decade in this area, to a very angry wife demanding to know why the shower wasn’t working.
I was immediately gripped by fear – what are we going to do? Are our pipes frozen? How do we prevent the pipes from bursting? What happens if they do? Do I have to go in to the CalCas office without a shower?
Prevention: An ounce of prevention here is worth a pound of cure. If you know it’s going to be very cold, leave your faucets open a very small amount to keep the water moving. Open your cabinets to expose plumbing to room temperature air. This will help prevent pipes from freezing…but what should you do when they DO freeze?
First – you should open your faucets, one at the very least. This is because as you heat up the pipes, it’s possible you’ll create steam. That steam needs a place to release to, especially since the expanding ice may already be stressing your plumbing.
Second – expose as many areas of plumbing as you can to warmed indoor air. Open up your cupboards and bathroom vanities (make sure you gather up any toxic materials if you have pets or little ones around the house).
Third – use a hairdryer or heat gun to warm the frozen pipes. Be very careful doing this, as even a hairdryer can get hot enough to cause burns. You can also try rubbing the pipes with a towel soaked in warm water.
You definitely want to be home when your pipes thaw because there’s always a chance a pipe has ruptured, which is something you can’t tell until the ice inside them has thawed.
You should also make yourself aware of the location of your main water shutoff valve and how to close it. If a pipe does burst, it can do a great deal of damage to your home very quickly.
Another question that is very important is “Does my homeowner’s/renter’s policy cover damage caused by frozen pipes.” The answer to that is, probably. However, coverage can vary from policy to policy and from state to state, so it’s vital you check your policy before anything happens!
For those that were concerned – a few minutes with a hairdryer got my pipes thawed, and, much to the relief of my coworkers here at CalCas, I was able to shower and make it in to the office.
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 
