What to Look for Before You Return Home After a Fire

Should you ever be in the unfortunate position to have to escape or endure a fire, these tips will help keep you safe.

Don’t move back in just because everything looks fine.

Sometimes homes that appear completely safe after a fire can conceal damage that is invisible to homeowners. It is important that you have your home thoroughly inspected by licensed, experienced professionals.”

That often means more than one professional. It is unlikely that a single inspector will be able to conduct all aspects of your home investigation. More likely, you will require the services of multiple specialists, including a structural engineer, an industrial hygienist, and a plumber.

It may seem like a hassle to parade numerous people through your home when all you want to do is get back to normal, but, when it comes to specialists whose job it is to ensure the safety of your home and its inhabitants, the more, the merrier. While smoke damage is visible on walls and ceilings, it can also permeate these surfaces and cause damage to a home's structure/framing, wall studs, insulation and air ducts in your ventilation system. When soot and smoke particles become trapped in the HVAC system, the smoke odor can reoccur periodically and even cause respiratory problems.

Be wary of ashes

Any ash will contain small amounts of cancer-causing chemicals. In addition, fire ash may be irritating to the skin, especially to those with sensitive skin. If the ash is breathed, it can be irritating to the nose and throat and may cause coughing. Exposure to ash in air might trigger asthmatic attacks in people who already have asthma.

Take great care with any ash that has settled around the property, including wearing gloves, long sleeved shirts, and long pants and avoid skin contact, staying away from leaf blowers, and leaving remediation to the professionals.

Hire a public adjustor

Yes, you need to have your home assessed for insurance purposes, and that will entail having an insurance adjustor come out. However, the adjustor your company wants to send out works for them. A public adjustor works for you, and is a better way to ensure that you get as much money as you can to repair or replace the damaged items in your home.  This is also where an independent insurance agent can offer some assistance as they work for you not the insurance company unlike captive agents that are employees of their company, such as State Farm, All State, AAA, etc.

The public adjuster, works only for the policy holder. The public insurance adjuster is also an independent insurance adjuster but they are hired by the policy holders who are filing the claim. Public insurance adjusters are often hired by insurance policy holders to make sure they are getting their full claim benefit from the insurance policy they purchased.

3 tips to avoid credit card skimmers

What is a card skimmer and how does it work? Here’s how to help protect yourself.

Did you know there's a small device called a card skimmer that can cause big problems? The device can be attached discreetly to an ATM, gas pump or other payment terminals in an attempt to steal debit or credit card information from the magnetic strip on the back of your card. Here’s how to protect yourself:

Check for Tampering

Take a close look at every card machine and ATM, looking for signs of tinkering, such as a too-thick keypad, an odd-colored card slot, or misaligned graphics.

Shop Wisely

Visit merchants that you know and trust, and visit stores where the point-of-sale terminal is located next to the clerk. Keep an eye on your card at all times and make sure it's given back to you at the end of the transaction.

Keep It to Yourself

Some fraudsters are placing cameras at point-of-sale terminals that can record your PIN as you enter it. Shield the keypad when entering your PIN, secure your card and cash before exiting stores, banks, and ATMs, and always be aware of your surroundings.

Marijuana and Driving - A Hazardous Combination

Marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability.

Marijuana is the illicit drug most frequently found in the blood of drivers who have been involved in vehicle crashes, including fatal ones. Two large European studies found that drivers with THC in their blood were roughly twice as likely to be culpable for a fatal crash than drivers who had not used drugs or alcohol. Those involved in vehicle crashes with THC in their blood, particularly higher levels, are three to seven times more likely to be responsible for the incident than drivers who had not used drugs or alcohol. The risk associated with marijuana in combination with alcohol appears to be greater than that for either drug by itself.

Several meta-analyses of multiple studies found that the risk of being involved in a crash significantly increased after marijuana use—in a few cases, the risk doubled or more than doubled.

As states legalize pot, warnings issued on impaired driving

Evidence shows a substantial increase in drugged-driving deaths as

opiate use soars and marijuana has become legal..

In random roadside testing, more than 22% of drivers showed evidence of drug use, according to NHTSA data. 

U.S. transportation safety officials are sounding the alarm on drug-impaired driving, calling for state and federal regulators to do more to tackle the growing problem as states grapple with prescription drug abuse and adopt a more permissive stance on marijuana.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to write standards for devices allowing police to test drivers for drugs on the roadside and to give states additional guidance on how to combat drug-impaired driving.

Pickup driver high on weed & anti-anxiety pills killed 13

The recommendations came out of the NTSB’s investigation of the 2017 crash in rural Texas that killed 13. The accident was caused by a pickup truck driver who was high on marijuana and an anti-anxiety medication and slammed head-on into a church bus, NTSB found. Video shot by another driver showed the pickup repeatedly veering onto the shoulder and across the double-yellow line for 15 minutes.

“When you use impairing substances, including alcohol, you do gamble, you gamble with lives,” said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. “And that’s what happened.”
While test results for drugs aren’t consistent across jurisdictions — an issue the NTSB is asking safety regulators to address — available evidence shows a substantial increase in drugged-driving deaths as opiate use soars and marijuana has become legal in multiple states.

‘Seem to have an epidemic here’

Out of those drivers who died in accidents in 2006 and were tested for drugs, 30% were positive, according to NTSB. That number jumped to 46% in 2015. In random roadside testing, more than 22% of drivers showed evidence of drug use, according to NHTSA data.

“We really seem to have an epidemic here,” NTSB board member Bruce Landsberg said.

“The pick-up truck driver in this crash made terrible choices with tragic consequences,” Sumwalt said. “But the rising tide of drug-impaired driving did not begin with this driver, and it will not end with him. Law enforcement needs additional tools and advanced training to detect impaired drivers before they crash, regardless of the impairing drug they’re using.”

Police need better training on how to spot drivers who may be impaired and “oral fluid” drug tests that police can use after pulling people over, the NTSB found. The safety agency called on NHTSA, which helps oversee highway safety standards, to create specifications for such a test so it can be applied consistently across states.

No uniform national data

NHTSA has been attempting to address the issue. Agency ad campaigns to discourage drunk-driving began addressing drug-impaired driving for the first time in August and the agency has held public meetings on the issue in Seattle, Baltimore and Nashville.

Deputy Administrator Heidi King said earlier this month that, while there’s no uniform national data on the true scope of drugged-driving, the evidence available shows it’s a growing problem. Roadside testing by NHTSA in recent years showed an uptick in drivers with substances in their system, such as marijuana, and a rise of mixing drugs with alcohol.

“There’s not one uniform completely robust collection of information yet, but all of the information supports the need for action,” King said.

Traffic deaths down 1.8% in 2017

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced this week that 2017 highway fatality numbers are down following two consecutive years of large increases.  There were 673 fewer motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2017 than 2016.

In addition, preliminary estimates for the first six months of 2018 appear to show that this downward trend continues into this year.

Dangerous actions continue, emerging trend

“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi R. King. “Additionally, we must address the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving to ensure we are reducing traffic fatalities and keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.”

The 1.8% decrease from 2016 to 2017 compares to the 6.5% increase from 2015 to 2016 and the 8.4% increase from 2014 and 2015.

Before Winter Starts, Check Your Fireplace Chimney

Proper home maintenance requires constant vigilance.

Chimney fires account for 75% of home heating fires, meaning homeowners should actively monitor their chimneys.

Nearly all residential fires originating in the chimney are preventable. 

Chimneys, in particular, require upkeep. A chimney that is dirty, blocked or in disrepair can inhibit proper venting of smoke up the flue, and can also cause a chimney fire.

Homeowners looking to avoid damage to their property and increased premiums should prepare for fires by checking their smoke alarms and updating their emergency plan.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends looking for these signs of a pending chimney fire: a loud cracking and popping noise; a lot of dense smoke; or an intense, hot smell.

In honor of National Chimney Safety Week 2018 — held Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.