It’s Simple – Fire Belongs in the Fireplace

I just feel I have to post this, especially after the horrific fire in Stamford, CT, only minutes from our office, on Christmas day this past week.

This terrible tragedy, in which five family members perished, is now being blamed on embers from the fireplace. When I first heard this, I tried to imagine how embers in a fireplace could cause such an inferno to erupt. I could only think of two possibilities: either the firebox have failed in the fireplace itself, or someone had mishandled the embers. Sadly, my second guess seems to be the right one.

According to reports from fire investigators, preliminarily, ashes and embers were removed from the fireplace, placed in a bag, and set in or near a mud room in the house. It is heartbreaking. Anyone who is familiar with the workings of a fireplace knows that THAT is where the fire belongs. And embers are still fire, albeit hidden, smoldering within a charred piece of wood, just waiting for the opportunity to light up again.

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Photos from  Northern Suburb News

This story has saddened our entire community here in Pound Ridge, New York. Personally, I simply can’t believe this has happened again. I say that because my family has personal experience with just such a situation.

A number of years ago  my father owned a ski condo in Windham, NY. It was in the middle of a row of units, a wood frame structure in the snowy woods that we loved to escape to when we could for relaxing weekends or holidays. As time went on, and we all became busy with our lives, he started to rent it out, now and then, to folks who enjoyed the skiing on the nearby mountain. One such family from Brooklyn rented it and ended up proving that they had little or no experience with a fireplace. Evidently, after having a lovely fire in the hearth one night, someone decided that they needed to shovel out the red hot embers from the fireplace. They were placed in a bag, then into a plastic garbage can outside, which was then set back into its normal place, right next to the outer wall of the building. Some time in the night the renters were running out for their lives as fire consumed the downstairs bathroom, the upstairs bathroom above it and out the roof. We lost a third of the unit. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. To this day I cannot fathom what would seem logical about the actions that lead up to this fire.

And if you think this is an isolated incident, it’s not. The next year my husband and I arrived late one night to stay in the now-repaired unit. We were tired, but did notice before we went to bed that the place seemed to be a mess, with dirt all over the counter. Blaming the last family members who had stayed, we resolved to sleep and clean in the morning. When we awoke the next day, we realized that the entire inside of the unit was covered with a film of soot. After what had happened the year before, I was frantic, but realized there was no sign of fire in our unit.

We cleaned up and, confused, exited to head out for the day, at which time my husband told me to come look at the unit on the end of the line of townhouses. It was almost completely gone, burned by fire. Astonishingly, we came to find out that the very same scenario had occurred, with renters removing embers and setting the place on fire. In this instance, though, a pregnant woman almost did not make it out. After that, all of the owners invested in metal garbage cans, and we posted a notice on the hearth with detailed instructions for all future renters.

Ok, I am a city girl at heart. I was born in NYC, but I’ve lived in a house with a fireplace since I was 9 years old. Still, I cannot understand why someone would work to remove hot, burning ash or pieces of wood from a place that is specifically built for it. It can be cleaned down the road, when all the contents are cooled and the heat completely dissipated. Nobody will fault you for having a dirty fireplace. Just leave it to burn down where it belongs and where it is safe.

My heart goes out to this couple for all they have lost. I’m not sure I could survive it myself and there are no words befitting the situation. If it is even possible, may they find peace one day.

Be safe.

No NY Insurance? No NY License Plates. It’s that simple.

We’ve had a couple of our customers in the last week get caught up because of this rule. Both recently moved out of state and we did our best to explain to them that you cannot have New York  State license plates unless you have at least the minimum New York State liability insurance coverage for the registration attached to those plates.

I was asked by one customer how the average New Yorker would know this information if they are not told by their insurance representative (something we do regularly, and did do in both of these situations). Unfortunately, it’s hard to answer that question without seeming unfeeling or rude. But the answer is simply that, having registered the vehicle in the state,  you are required to be aware of the rules, someone else telling you not withstanding. I am subject to them myself.

I would say we explain this to someone at least 10 times in any given week. The response is always the same. It’s black and white. No insurance, no plates. Keep the plates and cancel the insurance and you get fined and a suspension letter from DMV for your license and that registration.

In the two instances I refer to, both customers moved out of state. We told them AND emailed them what needed to be done. We can’t come to their homes and take the plates from them forcibly. They chose, instead to keep the NY plates, but wrote insurance coverage in their new states of residence. The first asked us to cancel her policy which we did, at her earnest request, only now to find out she held onto her plates and now she has the nasty DMV Suspension letter. The fact that she HAS now turned in her plates should render the situation moot and clear it up, but it’s no fun to receive that letter. The second wrote coverage in the new state, but the current NYS coverage is still in force. So having not turned in their plates, they is still paying for two policies. Nobody wants to do that either. Now those plates need to be mailed back to New York and, once that is done, the coverage can be canceled.

Here’s a link to the New York State DMV page explaining what you need to do about your license plates.

We at our agency are going to look for a way to make sure our insureds are even more informed on this subject in the future. Even though we feel we do a good job of explaining the issue, we still end up being the ones blamed in the end. I think it’s the result of an unpleasant societal shift of blame by a majority of the populace. Perhaps we will add a new notice to be given to all of our customers, regardless of the status of their auto coverage. We will come up with something, I’m sure of that. In the meantime, remember: No insurance, No plates. Plates & No Insurance? Nasty notice or overpaying.

Happy Halloween (almost!)

Avalon Agency Window

We’re looking forward to Halloween! Here in town, children come and trick-or-treat at the local businesses. We bought over 2000 Dum Dum lollipops and can’t wait to greet all the witches and super heroes that come to our door.

Tips for Saving your Water Damaged Items

Hurricane Irene and her tropcial storm chasers ran through the northeast recently, leaving a lot of damage in their wake.

Check out these tips from FEMA about how to salvage water-damaged photos and other items.

Click the Photo for the FEMA Link

Here’s another handy link, with info on salvaging your clothing items.

Click the flooded house for the eHow Link

 From what we hear, FEMA is offering low interest loans to those who have flood damage and whose insurance is not covering that damage. If you need to file a claim, go to their web site at www.fema.gov and fill out the application. You may need to file a claim with your insurance company and obtain a declination of coverage as well.

 

Row, row, row your Boat Insurance

When you think about Boat Insurance, what’s the first type of loss that comes to mind?

Sinking, of course. And this happens, probably more often than people realize. I was once told by an Ocean Marine guy at one of my companies that one cargo ship goes down, on average, every day somewhere in the world. I also have a close friend whose 28 foot Thompson sank AT THE DOCK. And this occurred because of a faulty .75 cent hose clamp.

The sea is a wild and wooly place. In February of 2010, a friend from our local firehouse was on board the S.V. Concordia when a sudden vertical wind blast capsized this beautiful ship. Luckily all those on board survived, but not before having to spend 40 hours in life boats. Click the picture for the story. It’s quite the tale.

After the recent hurricane blew through our area, we happened to head down to Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, Connecticut in search of a car show. The show had been cancelled, but we did get some pictures of these boats, on land, that had suffered from some other perils that many boat owners might not take into consideration.

Pretty obvious. This is a total loss by fire here. Boat fires can happen on land or on the water. We can’t know where this one occurred.

I think the wind got  hold of this sailboat, and not in the positive, life affirming way its owner was planning on.

We’ve insured some of our customers boats for many years, with no incident. However, some of the claims we have seen include a dinghy floating out to sea, a $150,000 boat washed away by a storm and found later on the shoreline of an island, and something as simple as a sea tow.

These crafts often are a big investment, financially. They can also be a very important part of a lifestyle and the source of much enjoyment for their owners. When things go awry, I want to be able to tell someone they are covered. Hey, that’s what I do. I insure boats.

Hurricane Irene

It’s difficult to sit here and say how surprised we all are by the ferocity of the hurricane, what with all the advanced warning we had for days on end. But I can say that none of us expected the extent of the damage that we are seeing. Two days gone, and we are still without power at home, and without communications at our office. Thankfully, my brother lives outside the damage area and I am sitting in his living room now, able to run my office remotely because of the beauty of modern technology.

The claims are, of course, coming in. Clients with trees on their homes, water in their houses, and various other losses not unexpected. We in this town have to count ourselves lucky though. Much worse has occurred both north and south of us. A relative living in a cottage in Rye lost almost everything he owns to over 4 feet of water, including his car which is now totaled. The water was up over the front hood. And a friend’s daughter lost her entire house in Catskill to the raging waters.

Windham, New York, our old ski haunt, was hit pretty hard as well.

More to follow…unfortunately. Stay safe. Watch for downed trees and wires on the roads.

 

The Devastation of a Fire

Insurance has an interesting history. You can look back as far as King Hammurabi, and for property insurance the 1666 great fire of London sparked (no pun intended) the idea to offer this coverage for buildings and  homes. Fire was the primary peril covered, and American insurance companies followed the British model, albeit not for another hundred or so years. Seems the lives of those brave enough to venture to the new world were far too dangerous a risk for the companies at that time.

Because we have been involved in the volunteer emergency services since 1998 (fire and ems), fire stands out in our minds as a prevalent threat to homeowner’s and business owners alike. I think the average person not involved in firefighting may consider theft or weather damage as perils more likely to cause them a loss. It may just be a matter of perspective, but having both the insurance and the fire service experience under our belts, we can’t help but put fire at the top of the list.

I won’t bore you with the ins and outs of Homeowner’s Insurance. I will show you where we spent a good many hours last evening, however.

The call came in around 3:30. Structure fire.  I am ems, my husband is fire. So he left and I waited for the VAC to be called. We were, eventually, and I rode the ambulance to the scene. We stood watch over the firemen, as there was nobody in the  house, no victims. But firemen can get very tired, dehydrated, etc, and we are there for what we call “rehab”. We’re there just in case a man goes down on the job.

Before I left for the VAC, I googled the house involved. It was a beautiful, contemporary A frame.

When I heard it come over the radio that the fire was through the roof, I knew the house was lost.

What the FD rolled up on

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Credit to www.lohud.com  and The Pound Ridge Fire Department for the photos of the fire.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation, of course. But it’s always so sad to see a beautiful home reduced to charcoal like this. It just punctuates the importance of keeping  your home insurance current. Make sure you have the right amount of coverage. Get your agent to come out and measure and do the math. You just never know.

Avalon Insurance

Good Gas Mileage for the 2013 Ford Taurus

I just ran across an article about the new 2013 Ford Taurus that states the new car will get 31 Miles per gallon.  This really caught my eye because the Taurus is a full size car.  Then I noticed that they are using a 4 cylinder engine to get to 31 mpg.  OK, now I’m thinking, this thing is going to be the slowest car on the road, after all we have been down the 4 cylinder road before.  Surprise, I may be wrong .  The 2.0 Turbo charged EcoBoost engine is rated at 237 horsepower and 250 foot pounds of torque coupled to a 6 speed double overdrive transmission.  That is pretty impressive when you consider a 1969 Ford Mustang with a 351 V8 car came with 250-290 horsepower.

The front end got a major update including a new trapezoid grill with operating shutters that close to help with fuel economy .  Other new technologies include front seats with massage, automatic high beams, rain sensing wipers, rearview camera, heated steering wheel and my favorite active park assist.  It even comes with Audi style LEB running lights.  MRSP estimates are between $25,000- $35,000

The Chevrolet Malibu also plans on using a 4 cylinder on 2013. Chevy will use a 2.4 liter engine with a 6 speed automatic trans-axel that produces 190 horsepower.    LS models should start at $22,000 MSRP.

In addition to great gas mileage, New York auto insurance rates for both of these cars should very reasonable.  I always consider overall cost of ownership before buying a new car including sticker price, fuel mileage, insurance costs, registration costs and ongoing maintenance costs.  

To steal on old phrase from Exxon, Happy Motoring!

Hit the Road – Commercial Trucking Insurance

We’ve just returned from our annual trek to South Carolina, a much needed rest that always begins and ends with a road trip along I-95. Being a major transit route for commercial traffic along the east coast of the US, we spend much of our time behind, in front of, or going around tractor-trailer combinations, “trucks” for short.  Since my husband is a former truck driver (who still maintains his CDL license to this day) I’ve learned much about the possible issues one of these behemoths of the road can face. I’ve learned to differentiate the smell of a tire burning off from that of the brakes locking up, and I now include in my lexicon the terms “jake brake” and sleeper cab.  Of course, as we go down the road, in the back of my mind is the insurance products we sell to cover these vehicles.  I always find myself looking at the names on the cabs and truck bodies. Is this an owner-operator? What are they hauling? Are all of their tires sound? (yes, I look)

Then, recently after a big storm hit our area, my mother came home and told quite the tale. She had been caught when the downpour hit, and pulled off the road, as she could not see far enough in front of her car to drive safely. Upon pulling into a Walmart lot, she found herself with a few other smart drivers, facing a parked big rig trailer, with no tractor on the front. You see these things here and there, usually waiting to be  picked up again, or storing goods temporarily for the place it is parked at. Either way, as she sat, her car being pelted by the deluge, a sudden bolt of lightning flashed and struck the trailer she was looking at. She told us that she sat, stunned, and watched as it immediately caught fire. Her car being a sufficient distance from it, and not being able to get back onto the road, she felt she had no choice but to stay where she was. A few minutes later, the fire department showed up and began fighting the blaze.

Of course, upon hearing this, my first reaction was to ask her if she had recoreded the sequence of events on her cell phone for my blog! I think my mother desperately needs a new cell phone, as hers is one of those that only makes phone calls. Imagine! Oh what a great video that would have been. Well, at least I have some pictures, which I went back and took after the fact.

As you can see, it was a total loss. I can’t tell if there was any cargo in the trailer, though my first guess is there was not. But it’s hard to say.  Considering how hot this must have burned, the cargo may have become smoke in the wind. Or the rain, as it were.

Of course, this blog is about insurance, and I do sell insurance. And I do wonder why the remains of this trailer are still sitting in the Walmart parking lot to this day. There are numerous ways it, and what may have been in it, could have been covered. What if it was a hazardous item? Was it covered under cargo insurance? In transit, comprehensive, off premises property? What about the clean up? Who’s on the hook for liability right now if some child decides the wreckage would make a great set of monkey bars?

There’s a lot to it. That’s why you need an insurance agent, like me. To sort it out. Still wish I had that video though.

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Summertime is Almost Here!

And with it comes vacation season. Hurray! It’s about time. We are all due some great weather and some rest and relaxation on a major scale after the winter we’ve had.

So book those flights, gas those cars (if you can afford the $4 plus price), pack your bags, and hit the road.

And that leads us to our discussion today: what exactly are you packing? Some clothes, of course. Shoes? Your iPod? iPad? Laptop? Golf clubs? That expensive mountain bike you love getting strapped onto the back of the car?  These items are important to us, and they are not inexpensive to buy. They are also very popular among thieves, especially the small electronics, which are easily concealed and often left for one moment brief enough for an observing criminal to pluck in a second.

Avoiding the loss in the first place is your first course of action. This article on About.com gives some great hints about how to protect yourself while on your sojourn. And the first item mentioned is to check your insurance before you leave home.

That’s because there are number of ways you can protect  yourself before you leave  home so that, if the worst does happen, you can replace those important items. One way is to add an endorsement to your Homeowner’s Insurance policy called “Off Premises Theft”. You have to ask to make sure it’s on there. Many direct writers leave it off so they can offer you a nice low quote when you first call them. It does add cost to your policy, but it should be your choice as to whether or not you have it. This endorsement offers you 10% of your personal property (your property at your home) as a coverage limit and the loss payment is subject to your policy deductible. But it is an  option.

The method I recommend to my clients to cover important items like jewelry, furs, electronics and golf clubs and bikes is to list them on what is called a Personal  Article Floater. This is often a separate insurance policy, though some companies will add these items to a home policy, but the difference is that the coverage is WORLDWIDE, and there is no deductible. You have to show a bill of sale or appraisal at the time of coverage, but after that, you have the full amount agreed upon as coverage anywhere in the world. Now, you can’t cover  your clothing this way, but these items I’ve just mentioned are severely limited under the homeowner’s policy, so you want to schedule them this way. The cost is not high. The most expensive class is jewelry, running around $15 per $1000 of value in the New York and Connecticut area. But considering how easily jewelry items are to lose, it is money well spent.

We write Personal Article Floater insurance policies all the time for our customers. It’s one less thing to worry about while you are away, trying to relax and have a good time. Call us for a quote 800-676-4921. Usually  your homeowner’s company will be the one to offer you a PAF, and we’d be happy to quote that for you as well. Write both with the same carrier and you save even more money!

Enjoy the Summer! It’s almost here!

Avalon Agency Insurance

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