We hope that everyone has a safe and insurance claim free Fourth of July. You can check out last weeks blog post for some grilling safety info. Remember that according to the National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org), fireworks are the cause of an average of 18,500 fires each year. In other words, they cause about 43 million in property damage. In addition, fireworks caused about 11,000 ER visits in 2016, with most of those cases being for burns. Sadly almost 40 percent of those ER visits involved children under 20. The traditional sparklers, bottle rockets and firecrackers had their fair share of ER visits. In 2016, Sparklers resulted in 900 visits, bottle rockets 400 visits, and firecrackers 1300 ER visits. All of this according the the NFPA. These statistics can lead to a lot of insurance claims and many medical bills.
How can you avoid being a statistic?
In addition to grilling safety, firework safety can contribute to an insurance claim free Fourth of July. In most cases leave the job of setting off fireworks to a professional. However, if you are going to do your own fireworks display keep a few items in mind. Above all make sure that it is legal in your area. After that the Red Cross has some tips. (www.redcross.com) First, remember to never give fireworks, even sparklers to children. Sparklers can burn as hot as a welding torch. Also, never point sparklers, bottle rockets, or other fireworks at structures, property, or people. While setting off fireworks remember to wear safety protection such as eye wear. Also, keep a large supply of water nearby so that you can put out any fires caused by fireworks. Finally, remember to never try an relight a “dud” firework. Light a firework once, if it doesn’t work use water to put it out.
Upcoming office hours.
A reminder that we will be close on July 5th in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Links and contact info for our companies can be found on our Insurance Companies page. You can also reach out to us via our client center. While you are on our website look around at our clickable coverage feature where you can learn more about what coverages you have, and what coverages you may need. We hope that all of you have a happy and insurance claim free Fourth of July. We will be back in the office on Tuesday, July 6th at our regular time.
