WINTER SEASON HOME AND BUSINESS BUILDING PERILS • IMPORTANT INSURANCE TOPICS

by Alan Plafker, President & CEO
Member Brokerage Service LLC
A Melrose Credit Union Service Organization

On average, more than one-third of home fire deaths in the United States occur during the winter months

December, January and February are the leading months for home fires and fire deaths in the U.S. On average, more than one-third of home fire deaths in the United States occur during the winter months. Here are tips to help you protect your family and your home.

How can I heat my home safely?

According to a report from the National Fire Prevention Association, heating equipment fires are the second leading cause of fire deaths in American homes and the biggest fire culprit December through February. According to the association, most fires could be avoided by taking simple safety precautions.

Select equipment that bears the mark of an independent testing laboratory.
Be sure the equipment is installed by a trained professional in compliance with local fire and building codes.
Keep all portable heaters (whether powered by electricity or fuel) at least 36 inches from anything that can burn including furniture, bedding, clothing, pets and people.
Run space heaters only when you are in the room and awake and supervise all children and pets when the heaters are in use.
If you are using a portable kerosene heater use only the fuel recommended by the manufacturer. Store the kerosene away from heat or open flame in a container approved by your local fire department, and be sure it’s clearly marked with the fuel name.
Have your chimney inspected and cleaned, if necessary, prior to the start of every heating season.
If using a wood stove follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for installation, use and maintenance.
When disposing of the ashes from your fireplace or wood stove first make sure all embers are extinguished. Put water on them to be sure. Discard away from the home.

What hazards should I look out for during the holiday season?

’Tis the season for celebrating, more entertaining, more cooking and an increased risk of fire. Keep your family safe this holiday season with these tips.

Use care when burning candles. Make sure they are in sturdy holders kept well away from decorations and out of the reach of children or pets.
Never use candles to decorate your Christmas tree.
Don’t leave items you’re cooking unattended—it’s the leading cause of fire in the U.S.
Choose an artificial or fresh Christmas tree and place it well away from heat sources.Water fresh trees every day.
If using an artificial tree make sure it’s flame retardant.
Replace any lights with frayed or damaged cords and always unplug all lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
Don’t overload electrical outlets.
Be sure the candles in your menorah have burned out before you leave the house or go to sleep.

Also, be sure your homeowners insurance reflects the amount of coverage you need to replace your home and possessions. This could mean checking to be sure you have replacement cost coverage. Call your agency. They’ll be glad to review and explain your coverage to you.

Frozen pipes and other ice and snow damage

My pipes froze and burst, damaging my home. Do I have coverage? Most homeowners insurance policies, except for the very basic ones, cover damage to the home resulting from broken pipes. For example, your insurance company will pay to clean or replace the carpet and furniture that’s damaged minus your deductible. For those with renters insurance property loss would be covered. If the damage is so extensive that you can’t stay in the home your insurance company generally will pay for additional living expenses.

We are excited to report that Member Brokerage now offers defensive driving online course at a discounted price of $38.95. The State of New York is allowing drivers to take a New York Defensive Driving Course online for the very first time, and Member Brokerage Service is proud to be affiliated with one of the few approved providers.

The online defensive driving course is designed to be taken entirely at your own pace. Successful completion of this course provides a 10% reduction for 3 years in the base rate of the motorist's current automobile liability, no-fault and collision premiums and a 4 point reduction on a New York motor vehicle record.

Once you’ve completed your Traffic School or Defensive Driving course you can have your completion certificate as soon as the next day. Go to the link below for more details.

http://www.idrivesafely.com/mbs/

The pipes broke in my business location. Is my office equipment covered?

Yes.The coverages are similar to those for homeowners and renters policies.Your insurance company will cover your losses, but not the cost for repairs.

Am I also covered for snow and ice buildup that causes leaks in my roof?

This condition is known as an “ice dam.” To obtain coverage for this kind of leakage, not directly the result of damage to the roof by wind or the weight of snow, you would need an all-risks-not-excluded type of policy. It is often referred to as an HO-3 or special form policy.

How do I go about submitting a claim for such damages?

First, take immediate steps to prevent further damage and contact our agency.We will verify your coverage and give you instructions for preparing your claim. Generally, you’ll be asked for repair estimates for structural damage and a list of items that will need repair or replacement. Depending on the amount of damage an appraiser from your insurance company may need to see the damage.As with any insurance claim, keep all receipts.

How can I prevent such damage in the first place?

Frozen pipes.To avoid frozen pipes, wrap pipes that are at risk in insulated heat tape and keep the building heat at an adequate level throughout the winter. If you have a power loss, however, you’ll lose heat, too, so if you’re away from home more than a day or two, arrange for someone to check on things. It’s also a good idea to open cabinet doors to circulate warm air to pipes on outside walls.

Also, if you’ll be away for an extended period of time drain your pipes. If you’re going to be out of the home for even a short time shut off the water supply. That way, if pipes do burst, the only water that will be released into the house will be what’s in the pipes.Water won’t continue to pump into the home as often happens when pipes burst.

If pipes freeze and burst turn off the water supply before the house warms and the water in the pipes thaws flooding the home.

Snow and ice buildup. Using a long handled snow puller pull the snow from the roof back just a few feet from the edge of the eaves before ice has a chance to form. By simply removing the snow along the edge of the roof you will give melting water a chance to drain from the eaves and prevent the formation of ice dams that may damage your roof.

Do not get on the roof to remove snow buildup.This is dangerous and you could easily damage the roofing material resulting in leaks when it rains.

IMPORTANT INSURANCE TOPICS

Dependent coverage extension—the “Age 29” law Young adults through age 29 have new access to medical care coverage beginning Sept. 1, 2009 when their own employer sponsored coverage is unavailable. Chapter 240 of the Laws of 2009, signed to law by Gov. David A. Paterson, provides two ways to fill the medical care coverage gap for young adults:

The first is a “young adult” option.This option allows young adults to continue their coverage through a parent’s health plan or health insurance once they reach the maximum age of dependency under the contract.They also may elect this coverage when they have a change of circumstances where they lose eligibility for previously held medical care coverage, for example, a divorce or job change.
In addition, for one year following the next medical care coverage renewal after Sept. 1, there will be an open enrollment for the “young adult” option.A parent does not need to have family coverage in order for the young adult to take advantage of this option.
The second is the “make available” option. Under most health insurance policies and health plans a dependent child will age-off the family coverage when turning 20-years old, or 23-years old if attending college. The new law requires insurers to extend the age of dependency at the request of the policyholder or group contract holder permitting eligible young adults to remain on their parent’s policy in the same manner as younger dependent children. In other words, the definition of dependent child is revised. Naturally, there will be addition premium charged for these options. Call your agency with any questions or concerns regarding your rights and options under this new law.

Get alarmed!

Everyone understands the importance of smoke detectors. Smoke alarms will save lives as long as they are functioning properly. Unfortunately, studies show that most smoke alarms don’t work because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries. Families who have working smoke alarms installed in each sleeping area and in common areas are more than 70 percent more likely to escape a fire unharmed. Isn’t it worth a few minutes to make sure your smoke detectors are working properly?

Change your clocks; change your batteries

One easy way to remember to change your batteries in your smoke detectors is when you change your clocks ahead or back. Firefighters recommend changing the batteries in your smoke alarms at the same time you change your clocks.

Some simple tips for maintaining your smoke detectors:

Test them at least once a month using the alarm’s test button;
Replace batteries at least twice a year and when the low battery alarm chirps;
Install new detectors every 10 years; and
Clean your smoke alarms in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Other safety tips
- People with hearing impairments should install smoke alarms with louder alarms or strobe lights;
- Make sure everyone can hear the smoke alarm and knows how to get out of the house immediately;
- Brainstorm a fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year with family members;
- Choose a safe meeting place outside;
- Get out and stay out;
- Never go back inside a burning building for any reason; and
- Burn candles with caution only when adults are present and remember to blow them out when leaving a room;
- Be sure your homeowners or renters insurance will cover you in the event of a fire.
Call your agency today. They will go over your coverages to determine if you have enough protection should a fire break out.
How to insure collectibles

Most people think stamps, coins or baseball cards when they think of collections. But the items people collect are as different as the people who collect them.Think salt and pepper shakers, snow globes and even refrigerator magnets. All of these things are valuable to someone and, if they have value, they are insurable.The question now is how to go about insuring them. Four things you’ll need in order to insure your collectibles:
- Inventory list;
- Current appraisal;
- Sales receipts; and
- Photos and descriptions.
You shoud:
- First, contact your agency to review your homeowners policy which may or may not provide full coverage for your collectibles. They will also make sure your policy includes protection in the event of theft, vandalism, accidental damage and natural disasters.
- Second, have your collection appraised, review the value on a regular basis and work with us to adjust your coverage as needed.A check up every three to five years is a good rule of thumb.
- Third, add an endorsement to your homeowners policy which will give you coverage on these items. Insurance companies will pay towards restoration if a covered item is damaged.
- Fourth, list all items separately on the policy so that you get the full value for each one if only a few are damaged or stolen.
- Finally, assign a number to each of your items when taking inventory so missing items can be identified readily. That way you can tell easily what is missing should someone break into your house. Put the assigned number on the sales receipt to make it easier to find when you need it.
Give your agency a call. They should go over any questions you may have regarding insuring your collectibles.
What’s involved in a home inventory?

A few hours of your time and a working camera or video recorder:
- First, list all of your major belongings and furnishings with a brief description, any serial numbers, and any receipts or appraisals.
- Second, back up this list with photos or a video. Photograph every wall of every room, and inside closets and cabinets. With a video, make comments for a verbal record as well as a visual one.
- Third, store everything in a safe place away from the home such as a safe-deposit box so they won’t be damaged by the same event that might cause you to need them. Update this inventory whenever needed.
That’s all it takes for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are adequately covered.
Are your holiday gifts covered?

Not necessarily. There may be limitations on the amount of insurance provided by your homeowners policy, especially for expensive gifts such as personal computers, silverware,stamp or coin collections, fine art and jewelry. There also may be limitations on the types of loss or damage that are covered such as breakage or flood.

You can get additional coverage for these gifts. Look into personal property endorsements and floaters. With an endorsement you can specify a higher amount than under the standard homeowners policy. With a personal articles floater items such as jewelry can be covered at full value with no deductible, based on current appraisal or the bill of sale. Floaters also can cover additional causes of loss such as dropping a new ring down the drain.
NY Safe driving law took effect in November

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 25 percent of all police reported crashes involve some form of driver inattention. Recently, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) proposed federal legislation in all states to ban texting while driving. New York is ahead of the curve, however, and already has enacted a ban that took effect on Nov. 1 New York’s texting ban is part of an overall package of new laws designed to enhance highway safety by strengthening the Vehicle and Traffic Law graduated licensing program provisions for safety of junior drivers and their passengers and by limiting driver distraction and inattention. Some of the provisions of the law are:
- It reduces from two to one the number of nonfamily passengers under the age of twenty-one who may be a passenger in a motor vehicle operated by the holder of a DJ or MJ learner’s permit when not accompanied by a licensed parent or guardian.
- It requires that a DJ or MJ permit be held for at least six months before a DJ/MJ license is issued.
- It reduces from two to one the number of nonfamily passengers under the age of twenty-one who may be a passenger in a motor vehicle operated by the holder of a DJ or MJ license.
- It increases the number of supervised driving hours that an applicant’s parent or guardian must certify (in writing) before the applicant may take a road test (from 20 to 50 hours) and also requires that at least 15 of those practice driving hours be after sunset.
- It prohibits the use of portable electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle while in motion.A summons for operating a motor vehicle while using a portable electronic device, however, can only be issued when the person operating the motor vehicle has committed a separate violation of the law.
Personal Umbrella

For just a couple hundred dollars you can get a million dollars in coverage which makes umbrella coverage one of the better values in insurance. But, are all umbrella policies the same? No. Umbrella policies are not one-size-fits-all coverage. One of the best services provided by your independent agent is face-to-face umbrella needs analysis. They’ll sit down and create a spreadsheet that matches potential coverage scenarios with the carriers they represent. Here are some examples of what can be considered together:
- Coverage for Mr. Smith, in his duties as Cub Scout leader;
- Coverage for the Smith’s pet German Shepherd, Cuddles;
- Coverage for the Smith’s above ground pool;
- Coverage for the Smith’s Jet Ski kept at the lakefront camp all season;
- Mr. Smith sits on board of directors of local charity;
- Mrs. Smith is active in the PTA;
- Divorced but living in the same house; and
- Married but living separately.
Even if you cannot think of many scenarios right now, don’t worry, your agent can come up with them when you meet. For each carrier represented they’ll check for coverage of these scenarios and note any gaps between where your existing coverages end and a new umbrella policy would begin.The best part of this is the understanding you gain about your umbrella policy and the clear picture you’ll have of what is and what is not covered. Your professional agent is here to help protect you, your family and your assets.You won’t get sit-down meetings like this from a Web site or “800” number.

For more information, talk to your insurance professional or the author of this article.