by California Casualty | Firefighters, Safety |
There are many more combustible materials in today’s homes than in years past, which means a spark or small fire can engulf a house in less than five minutes.
Smoke alarms are a critical first line of defense against catastrophic loss. To keep your family and home safe, follow these tips on installing alarms correctly, testing them, and ensuring that they’re properly maintained and cleaned.
Step 1: Installation
First, you should know that there are two types of smoke alarms: ionization and photoelectric. The first is more responsive to flaming fires, the second to smoldering fires. For best protection, use both types or a hybrid of the two. When it comes time to install them, remember to:
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- Install alarms inside each bedroom as well as outside sleeping areas and on every level of your home, including the basement.
- Choose alarms that display the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
- Install wall-mounted alarms 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling, and ceiling-mounted models at least 4 inches from the closest wall.
- To avoid false alarms, place the units more than 10 feet from cooking appliances and 3 feet from bathrooms (shower steam can trigger them).
- Smoke alarms in the basement should be positioned on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs leading to the next floor.
- For pitched ceilings, place alarm within 3 feet of the peak but not within the apex.
- Never paint smoke alarms or adhere stickers or decorations, as this can disable them.
- Don’t install alarms near doors, ducts, or windows where drafts might decrease their sensitivity.
- If possible, interconnect your smoke alarms using hard-wiring or wireless technology. This extra safety measure enables all the alarms to sound at once when any single one is triggered. Note that they must be from the same manufacturer.
Step 2: Testing
Be sure to keep the manufacturer’s instructions so you can properly test them and use for reference.
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- While using ear protection, test alarms at least once a month using the “test” button. This ensures that your alarms have reliable power.
- Never test your alarm with real smoke or exhaust.
- Make sure you know what kind of batteries your smoke alarms have. Some units have non-replaceable 10-year batteries; others have batteries that need to be replaced every 6-12 months. For the latter, always have fresh replacement batteries on hand.
- Always replace batteries following the manufacturer’s instructions. If it specifies a particular battery, use that exact one or the alarm might not work properly.
Step 3: Maintenance & Cleaning
Smoke alarm safety depends on regular maintenance and cleaning. Do the following to ensure yours stay in proper working order.
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- Maintain a monthly testing schedule and log your maintenance activities, along with any notes.
- If the alarm chirps, that means the battery is low and you should replace it right away.
- Clean alarms by gently vacuuming the outside of the unit with a soft brush attachment. You can also use a can of clean compressed air (sold at office supply stores).
- Never use water, solvents or cleaners on your alarm.
For more tips on home fire safety, be sure to read our Home Fire Safety Tips from Firefighters and check out this handy infographic.
Finally, make sure your family has a fire escape plan in place and that everyone understands and can follow it in an emergency. Use the National Fire Protection Association’s easy-to-use template here.
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in 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.
by California Casualty | News |
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 Field Marketing Manager, Stephanie Whitmore.
Stephanie has been with us for 4 years and works remotely in the Field for Santa Clara County in California.
Let’s get to know Steph!
What made you want to work as a Field Marketing Manager for California Casualty?
California Casualty’s commitment to America’s Heroes transforms words of appreciation into actions.
Many companies claim their dedication and service to customers, but CalCas shows it every day and makes it a practice to go above and beyond expectations.
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part of my job is discovering new ways to serve our customers that supports CalCas’ dedication to excellence. I love that we prioritize our members’ needs about just providing outstanding products and customer service!
Not only do we serve incredible people, but we have an amazing team as well. I can say with no reservation that California Casualty’s leadership at every level embodies the mission of the company and dedication to our customers. Being a part of CalCas, rather it be employee or customer, means you are part of the California Casualty family and are treated as such.
What have you learned in your position at California Casualty?
It has truly been a welcomed epiphany to learn about the challenges that our group members face that the general public may not be aware of. This knowledge has inspired new ideas on how I can be an asset to them professionally and personally. The term “American Heroes” is an understatement to our amazing customers.
What are your favorite activities to do outside of the office?
I am dedicated to personal wellness, an avid athlete, and love to support others.
As a member of “United in Stride”, I am blessed to serve visually impaired athletes as a Guide Runner to allow those with disabilities to experience the same therapeutic joy that I have from a run on the trails or a local race. I also have partnered with organizations that support young athletes to teach trail running safety and etiquette.
It’s been an honor to be a podcast guest and motivational speaker on wellness, and personal goal achievement and perseverance and am driven to welcome more opportunities to support others, educate, and hopefully inspire.
Anything else you would like the audience to know about you?
My first degree was in Criminal Law as I had an initial interest in fulltime law enforcement. As my career took a different path, I was able to serve as Reserve Police Officer for a city department and was promoted to Sergeant prior to my retirement as RPO. The experiences and education from that time have been a true asset to my role in serving first responders.
I am currently writing a book on personal growth and experiences through ultrarunning and triathlon, specifically my Ironman completions.
I have broken 7 national records since I began my ultrarunner career in the Fall of 2013. The 100 mile and 100K distance continue to be a strength of mine. Ironically, I never ran track or cross country and hated running. My athletic focus while in school and college was always basketball. I didn’t start running (at any distance) until I was in my 30’s and have been a distance runner for less than 8 years.
I’m vegan and my passion for advocating for animal rights and protecting the environment continues to grow.
Dyslexia runs in my family and I struggle on occasion with this, especially numbers. As an adult, I went back to school for another degree and graduated with a 3.99 GPA (my only A was in Accounting…not surprisingly haha).
Most of my career up to this point was in nonprofit management and I was selected as a national presenter and leader for the National Alliance of Drug Endangered Children, after pioneering efforts in multiple counties in Iowa and chairing the state Steering Committee for the state of Iowa.
I was a certified Challenge Course instructor and leader for the only certified Challenge Course (ropes course, rock climbing wall, tower swing, etc) in Iowa and lead groups through team-building and trust obstacles as well as post-activity discussion and processing.
If you want to learn more about Stephanie 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
by California Casualty | Safety |
Bullies have always been around. But whereas bullying used to happen mostly on school campuses and in classrooms, it’s now followed students to their remote and virtual lives.
As children and teens go to classes online, and their main line of communication is via social media, it’s important to know that, as a parent, there are steps you can take to educate yourself and your child and better protect them.
What Is It?
Cyberbullying is the use of technology to intentionally humiliate, intimidate, embarrass, threaten, or harass another person. It can include online threats, aggressive messages, or posts of photos or videos meant to humiliate. Cyberbullies often share personal or private information about their targets (often called doxing), or post false, harmful, or negative information, all designed to cause embarrassment or intimidation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful behavior.
Cyberspace: Where Anything Goes
The expansion of social interaction into the virtual space means that cyberbullying is:
- Persistent – The 24/7 nature of our virtual world means bullying can happen anytime and anywhere.
- Permanent – Once something is shared on the internet, it can be hard to delete. And even if it is removed, it can already have caused immense damage while live.
- Hard to detect – The online nature of cyberbullying makes it much harder for adults to detect than when it happens in person.
- Anonymous – Victims of cyberbullies might not even know who is targeting them, adding anxiety, mistrust, and confusion to an already hurtful interchange. And as anyone familiar with trolls knows, anonymity often breeds an extra layer of viciousness.
- Can spread to a large audience – Attacks can reach a very large audience in a short period of time, making it difficult to contain the spread.
Where Does It Occur?
Cyberbullying can happen wherever there is online social interaction. The most common places are:
- Social media such as Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram
- Direct messaging, instant messaging, and online chatting on various platforms
- Text messaging on mobile devices, online apps, or tablets
- Email
- Online gaming communities
- Online chat rooms, message boards, and other forums
What You Can Do
As a parent, you have tools at your disposal to help protect your child.
- Talk about it. Have the cyberbullying conversation early – communication is key in detecting and addressing it. Kids may be reluctant to talk but making sure they know you’re available and ready to help may allay their fears. Make sure to help them set expectations, know what to look for, and be alert to red flags.
- Set rules. Just as you protect them in the physical world, make sure you’re establishing guidelines and boundaries in the virtual world. Stress the importance of privacy protection, password security, and discernment of who to friend or not. Set hours that technology can be used and when it should be turned off.
- Set parental controls – Set up parental access for your kids’ cell phones, social networking sites, text history, etc. As your child gets older, re-evaluate the rules and restrictions. Keep communication open and provide guidance in helping them become a critical thinker.
- Stay involved – Check in regularly. Even if your child is not being bullied themselves, they may well be a witness to it. It’s important to stay engaged, not just for teachable moments but for the possible need to bring bullying behavior to teachers’ or school administrators’ attention.
- Documentation – If you suspect your child is being bullied, document the evidence. Record details, including: saving URLs where bullying occurred; printing emails, posts, or webpages; taking screenshots of bullying, and saving texts or messages.
Victim, Witness, or Bully?
Cyberbullying affects not only the bully and their victim, but also witnesses. Here’s some final advice to help your kid no matter where they are in the dynamic.
- If your child is being bullied – In addition to the tips above, remember to offer a safe and supportive space for them to share their feelings and experience. Let them know that it is not their fault, they are not alone, and bullying is never okay. Work with their teacher and school administrators and ask about the school’s bullying prevention policy and protocol.
- If your child has witnessed bullying – Let them know they can make a difference by: not engaging in bullying behavior (no matter how “minor” it seems), reporting it, and reaching out to and supporting the victims. Remind them they can trust parents, teachers, school counselors, and other adults, and should reach out to them right away.
- If your child is being a bully – First, remember that bullying is a behavior, and behaviors can be changed. You’ll need to talk with them, ask about their feelings, and explore reasons for their behavior. You may wish to involve a school counselor or a children’s therapist. Discuss expectations and consequences, and practice positive feedback and patience as your child works on their behavior.
While the virtual world offers kids new, meaningful ways to interact and opportunities to learn, share, and grow, it also, unfortunately, provides fertile ground for bullying. By keeping lines of communication open with your child and setting guidelines and expectations, you can help protect them. If you’re a teacher, check out these tips for preventing bullying in the classroom – many of which can be applied virtually.
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.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Even while remote learning kids (and teachers) need a break. Are you looking for some fun and engaging activities to do with your students online?
Here are some easy Zoom games that can be played to get your class thinking, while having fun and getting to know their virtual classmates!
1. Go Find…(Great to get the wiggles out!)
– Set a timer for 20 seconds
– Give kids a description of an item- blue, spikey, round, stringy, etc.
– Tell them to go find something that matches the description
– Kids that don’t find anything or don’t make it in time are out
– Make descriptions harder or time shorter as you keep going
– Last one left is the winner
2. Pictionary
– Load Zoom’s whiteboard feature
– Send a private message to a child on what they will be drawing
– Set a timer
– Have the child start drawing
– Whoever guesses the drawing within the time frame gets a point!
– Most points wins
3. Name, Place, Animal, or Thing
– Say a Letter
– Kids must think of a Name, Place, Animal, or Thing that starts with that letter
– Whoever writes it in the chatbox first wins that round and gets a point
– Most points wins
4. Charades (Great to get the wiggles out!)
– Divide students into 2 teams
– Choose an activity (try using these Charades cards on Quizlet!)
– Private message the student who will be acting out the charade
– Set your timer
– Have the student act out the charade
– If their team can’t guess it within the time limit, the other team gets the chance to guess (or a point)
5. Zoom Out
– Choose a high-resolution color photo (4k pixels or more) of a common object or animal
– Zoom in really close to any part of the image
– Continue to Zoom out a little more every 30 seconds until someone guesses it
– First person to guess it right gets a point
– Most points wins
6. The Memory Game
– Make a tray full of random items (crayons, string, erasers, tape, pencils, snacks, etc.)
– Move the tray into view of the camera
– Give students 10-20 seconds to memorize the tray
– Move the tray out of sight and take away one item
– Move the tray back into view
– See who can name the missing item first
– Winner gets a point
– Most points wins
7. Simon Says (Great to get the wiggles out!)
– Make all students stand up
– Say, “Simon Says” and say an action
– All kids will repeat the action
– If you say to do an action without saying Simon says and kids do the action, they are out
– Last one standing is the winner
8. 4 Corners
– Students grab a piece of paper and a pen
– They will write a number 1-6 on their paper and hold it up
– Teacher will roll the dice
– When it lands on a number, the students who wrote that number are out
– Last one standing is the winner
9. Scattergories
– Use this free game generator
– Send each student a link
– Find the word that starts with all the categories
– Must start with the letter that is pictured
– Have students write their points down from each round
– Most points at the end wins
10. 5 Second Rule
– Download the app Tuku Tuku – 5 Second Challenge
– Share your screen
– Choose the order which students will play and start the game
– Ask students to give 3 answers to each category on-screen within 5 seconds
– Whoever can’t answer or reaches the time limit is out
– Winners move on to the next round
– Last one standing wins
BONUS GAME: Try a Virtual Escape Room!
These will run a little longer than the other virtual games (give at least 45 mins) and don’t necessarily have to be on Zoom, but are super fun and engaging for students. Here’s how they can play:
– Divide students into groups
– Look over and choose rooms from this kid-friendly list
– Assign each group a different room
– Team to escape first wins
What are you doing for brain breaks in your virtual classroom?
Let us know in the comments below! 🙂
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.
by California Casualty | Firefighters, Peace Officers |
Studies have shown that first responders are at a much greater risk to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than the general public due to their exposure to high levels of physical and emotional stress. Sadly, throughout their career, many first responders will develop anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues, that are oftentimes linked to suicide.
Mental health, a once-taboo subject for departments, is now becoming more normalized with the aid of department programs, advocacy campaigns, and initiatives that help educate and bring awareness to PTSD, depression, and other types of mental health issues commonly found in first responders.
September is Suicide Awareness Month. Do your part in helping decrease first responder suicide by learning how to spot the early signs of PTSD in your first responder friends, family members, or colleagues.
Early signs of PTSD to look out for include:
Intrusive Memories
- Memories of the traumatic event
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares or upsetting dreams
- Emotional reactions triggered by a reminder of the traumatic event
Eluding & Avoiding
- Not speaking of the event
- Avoiding people, places, or activities
Behavioral Changes
- Irritability
- Lack of Interest
- Feeling detached
- Memory problems
Physical Reactions
- Easily startled or frightened
- Trouble sleeping and concentrating
- Exhibiting self-destructive behavior
- Always being on guard
Over time, these symptoms can differ and vary in intensity.
If you or someone you know is struggling with any of these signs of PTSD or other mental health issues, you are not alone. Please reach out to a mental health professional. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to a professional, start by reaching out to a close colleague, family member, or friend.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
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.
