Insurance Insights: The Cleary Insurance Blog
The Cleary Insurance blog covers insurance, risk management, and financial planning for New England businesses and individuals. Our team of licensed advisors and specialists publishes regular articles on commercial and personal coverage, employee benefits, life and financial planning, and insurance compliance. Browse recent articles below, or use the category filters to find topics relevant to your business or personal situation.
Fireplace and Home Safety
More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes which they often pair with good quality heating oils (from companies similar to https://www.romeosfuel.com/). Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels.
Every year, heating fires account for 36% of housing units fires in rural areas. Creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes is frequently the cause of these fires. That is why all home heating systems might require regular maintenance done by contacting technical experts from companies like Albert Culver Company (albertculver.com) to function safely and efficiently.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to practice the following fire safety steps to keep those home fires safely burning. Remember, fire safety is your personal responsibility …Fire Stops With You!
Keep Heating Systems Clean
- Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
- Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
- Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to ensure complete combustion and keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
- Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
- Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
- Make sure the furnaces are cleaned regularly and that fuel is refilled by companies such as Hollenbach Oil.
- Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
- Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces.
- Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
- Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.
Safely Burn Fuels
- Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
- Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup. In pellet stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood pellets.
- Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
- Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.
- When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
- Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
- Allow ashes to cool before disposing of them. Place ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet away from your home and any other nearby buildings. Never empty the ash directly into a trash can. Douse and saturate the ashes with water.
Protect the Outside of Your Home
- Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home. A firewood rack can be helpful for this.
- Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris. Regular cleaning should do the job.
- Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester. This traps carbon particles and can help prevent fires.
- Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents. If you cannot do it yourself, seek professional help.
Protect the Inside of Your Home
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and inside and outside of sleeping areas. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long life smoke alarms.
- Provide proper venting systems for all heating equipment.
- Extend all vent pipes at least three feet above the roof.
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FEMA (2013, January 2) Fireplance and Home Fire Safety (http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/heating/fireplace.shtm
Concerned about your personal insurance coverage? At Cleary, our experienced Personal Lines department will work with you to evaluate your insurance needs, identify exposures, and create a customized insurance portfolio. Give us a call today at 617-723-0700.
Service Contract Act (SCA) for Executives
The Professional Services Council (PSC) is the national trade association of the government professional and technical services industry. The PSC mission is to provide value to their members by being the leading advocate and resource for the federal professional and technical services industry. In December the group held a conference outlining SCA for Executives. The conference addressed training, Contracting Officers, and Paying SCA Wages and Fringe Benefits.
- Training. SCA compliance is difficult because the regulations are complicated and it touches various departments and personnel in your organization. It is important to make sure your employees working in accounting, human resources, program management, contracts and executive management are properly trained. Al Corvigno, President MARAL, LLC holds a two day SCA training class at the PSC facility three times a year. You may e-mail him at acorvigno@marallc.com or call him at 252-312-4853, if you would like more information.
Al has over 40 years of experience in SCA and runs the SCA program for PSC, along with his one day SCA courses in Arlington, VA, and at client locations nationwide. It is the only SCA training program that includes a technical manual along with a 24/7 technical hotline. - Contracting Officers. Many contractors have had problems and or issues dealing with their respective Contracting Agencies. The PSC training is helpful if and when an issue arises. If your employees are properly trained contractors will have a”road map” to follow insuring they have attempted to comply with the SCA.
If an issue arises with a Contracting Officer it is often recommended that the contractor utilize a “third party” advocate, such as a DOD Labor Advisor, who is responsible for that contract and can speak to the Contracting Officer and reconcile the issue. - Paying SCA Wages and Fringe Benefits. Contractors should not pay wage increases or fringe benefit health and welfare costs until their contracts have been modified by their Contracting Officer. Making increased payments before your contract is modified can compromise your company’s position when and if a request for an equitable adjustment is submitted.
It is important to make the proper business decisions and comply with the SCA because some of the items discussed have the potential to “make or break” your contract.
At Cleary, we know how important a comprehensive benefits package can be to your continued success. Give us a call today at 617-723-0700 and we will work with you to create a plan that meets your fringe-benefit obligations and provides your employees with valuable benefits.
What to Do Before an Emergency
The possibility of public health emergencies arising in the United States concerns many people in the wake of recent hurricanes, tsunamis, acts of terrorism, and the threat of pandemic influenza. Though some people feel it is impossible to be prepared for unexpected events, the truth is that taking preparedness actions helps people deal with disasters of all sorts much more effectively when they do occur.
Make a Plan
Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes so it is important to plan in advance: how you will get to a safe place; how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations. Click here to read more about Family Communication during an emergency.
Ready.gov has made it simple for you to make a family emergency plan. Click here to download the Family Communication Plan for Parents and Kids (PDF – 1.2 Mb) and fill out the sections before printing it or emailing it to your family and friends.
You should also inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school, faith organizations, sports events and commuting. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to community leaders, your colleagues, neighbors and members of faith or civic organizations about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. Click here to read more about school and workplace plans.
Concerned about your personal insurance coverage? At Cleary, our experienced Personal Lines department will work with you to evaluate your insurance needs, identify exposures, and create a customized insurance portfolio. Give us a call today at 617-723-0700.