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Fire

California’s Wildfire Challenge: Safeguarding Homes

How Can I Protect My Home from California Wildfires? A crucial aspect of safeguarding a home from wildfire involves focusing on the defensible space surrounding it by mastering the Home Ignition Zone. The Home Ignition Zone spans from the exterior walls of your house to five feet beyond the building, it’s where embers can accumulate and pose a significant risk of ignition. To fortify your property against wildfires, follow these key fire mitigation guidelines: Vegetation Management Ensure that no vegetation, including trees, shrubs, bushes, plants, grass, and weeds, are present within the Home Ignition Zone. Remove any overhanging limbs or branches from nearby trees or bushes. While ideally having no vegetation in this area is best, consider incorporating limited use of wildfire-resistant plants to minimize risk. Noncombustible Hardscaping Surround your home with noncombustible hardscape materials like concrete, gravel, or paving stones instead of flammable mulch, and consider creating firebreaks to prevent the rapid spread of fire. Keep this area clear of debris to reduce fire hazards. While bare soil is also considered noncombustible, it may require more maintenance to prevent weed and grass growth. Remove Combustible Items Eliminate combustible objects such as wooden and plastic furniture, firewood, and trash cans from the Home Ignition Zone. These items can act as fuel sources for wildfires and increase the vulnerability of your home. Vehicle Placement Park boats, RVs, trailers, or any other vehicles away from the immediate vicinity of your home. Placing them elsewhere can reduce the potential fire risk they pose. Noncombustible Structures Consider replacing combustible pergolas, gazebos, curtains, drapes, or screens with noncombustible alternatives made of metal. This substitution further bolsters your property’s resistance to ignition. Harden Your Home Retrofitting your home with fire-resistant materials is a crucial step in minimizing the potential damage from wildfires. The use of fire-resistant roofing, siding, fencing, and windows can significantly increase the chances of your home surviving a nearby wildfire. Securing Your Vents During a wildfire, flying embers pose a significant threat to your home’s safety. Embers can find their way into your living spaces through vents in the attic, roof, gables, and crawlspace. Ensure that all vents are equipped with a metal screen with a mesh size of 1/8 inch or finer. This screen acts as a barrier, preventing embers from infiltrating and potentially igniting your home. Periodically inspect and maintain the vent screens. Remove any accumulated debris, bird nests, or other obstructions that could compromise their effectiveness. Install Fire Suppression Systems Consider investing in fire sprinklers and fire suppression systems for your home. These systems can help contain a fire before it engulfs your property entirely. Stay Informed and Prepared Keep yourself up to date with the latest wildfire alerts and evacuation orders in your area. Create an emergency plan with your family, and practice evacuation drills to ensure everyone knows what to do in case of a wildfire threat. Additionally, fostering community collaboration can create a network of support that helps protect entire neighborhoods from the devastating impacts of wildfires. As California faces its wildfire challenge, we want to ensure homeowners are empowered to rise to the occasion and protect what matters most – their homes and loved ones. Contact us today at Coast to Canyon Insurance to see how we can help.

Insurance

Insurance Coverage Checklist

Named Insured: _____________________________ Date Completed: _____________ PROPERTY INSURANCE: Keep Replacement Costs Updated: Annually review the replacement cost of your property to prevent underinsuring your property. Home improvements and construction can increase its value, so ensure your coverage accurately reflects the current replacement cost. Ample Liability Coverage: We recommend a minimum of $500K in liability insurance. We also recommend a full review regarding your needs for an Umbrella Policy. Conduct an Annual Inventory: Simplify the claims process by conducting an annual inventory of your personal belongings. A video walk-through of your home and possessions will prove invaluable in the event of a claim. Schedule Valuable Items: Consider scheduling valuable items such as jewelry, fine art, furs, musical instruments, silverware, or firearms. As base insurance policies can have limited or no insurance coverage. AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE: Please note that the measures mentioned above also apply to other assets such as boats, motorcycles, ATVs, and similar vehicles. Bodily Injury Liability Limit: It is essential to have a minimum bodily injury liability limit of $250,000/$500,000 or a combined single limit (CSL) of $500,000. We recommend an Umbrella Policy for additional coverage. Uninsured/Underinsured Limit: Maintain a minimum uninsured/underinsured limit of $250,000/$500,000 or a combined single limit (CSL) of $500,000. This coverage protects you in the event of an accident where the at-fault party either lacks insurance or has insufficient coverage to pay for your injuries. Lease/Loan Gap or Repair/Replacement Cost: If your vehicle is new or has a loan, verify that your policy includes a “lease/loan gap” endorsement. “Lease/loan gap” coverage bridges the gap between your loan and the depreciated value of your car in the event of a total loss. ADDITIONAL COVERAGES: Umbrella or Excess Liability Policy: Ensure you have an umbrella or excess liability policy in place with a minimum limit of $1,000,000 in coverage with a recommendation of $3,000,000.00 per occurrence. This policy provides additional liability protection once the limits of your underlying home, auto, boat, etc., policies have been exhausted. With these proactive measures, you can rest assured knowing that your property is adequately protected under your insurance policy. WE ARE DEDICATED TO HELPING YOU FIND THE RIGHT POLICIES TO PROTECT THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO YOU THE MOST. Call us toll-free: 888-983-6400 coasttocanyoninsurance.com

A fork and knife on top of some orange leaves resting on a wooden table.

Uncategorized

5 Thanksgiving safety tips

It’s that time of the year again, families are taking out their decorations, preparing their fridge, and getting ready to eat (way too much) of a delicious thanksgiving meal. Here’s a few tips to make sure that your holiday goes off without a hitch! 1. While you’re cooking, take an extra minute to make sure that there aren’t any pesky little hands looking for food. Kids can get into almost anything, so be sure that pots aren’t too close to the counter edge! 2. Ensure that you pots and pans on the stove have their handles pointed alongside the edge, not sticking out. Handles sticking out over the edge can easily be knocked over, and no one wants to waste food, or get burned! 3. Stand by your pan! When cooking, you should never leave greasy foods or cooking oil unattended. It may be tempting to take a breath in the living room after so much cooking, but unattended pans can quickly start a fire. 4. Defrosting takes longer than you may think. If you’re cooking for a large crowd, you may have a pretty big bird ready to roast up. A 20lb turkey can take up to five days to properly defrost! 5. Keep your knives sharp. A dull knife is actually much more dangerous than a sharp one! Before you begin cooking, take your knives to a professional sharpener, or use one of those handy do it yourself kits. The holidays should be about celebration, and thanksgiving is about being grateful for what you have. Don’t let a few common mistakes put a cloud over your festivities! Happy holidays from everyone here at Coast to Canyon. We hope you have a wonderful time!

Woman putting together earthquake-preparation grab bag.

Insurance

Earthquake preparation: is your go-bag ready?

With the abundance of disaster in recent months it is more important than ever to make sure you are ready. This means making sure you have all the necessities packed and ready to go on the move with you. Ready.gov has a basic emergency supply kit breakdown: Water – One gallon per person per day, minimum three day supply Food – Three day supply of non-perishable food Battery-powered radio, NOAA Weather Radio Flashlight Basic First aid kit Batteries Moist towelettes, garbage bags, plastic ties – personal sanitation Dust mask Basic tools Manual can opener Cell phone battery packs / cables Pet supplies In addition, you may want to beef up your kit with some non-essential items that can either improve your downtime or give you the ability to help others. These items range from having non-prescription medication, sleeping bags, blankets, eating utensils and extra clothing. You may not feel the need to have an emergency kit right now, but when disaster strikes it becomes too late! It is better to be prepared and not require your supplies than to need them and not have it. Depending on where you spend your time it may also be smart to have more than one kit ready to go. Home, work, and vehicle kits should all be handily available.

Fire

10 Things To Know About The Dixie Fire

The Dixie Fire has been raging throughout the Northern California region for the past few weeks. The fire marks the latest disaster in what has been California’s worst year for fires on record (and we still haven’t entered the months that are typically considered “fire season”). Here are ten key facts you should know about the Dixie Fire, per the New York Times, CNN, and SFGate. The Dixie Fire has burned more than 430,000 acres 432,813 acres — an area 3.5 times the size of Lake Tahoe. The fire is impacting the same regions that were affected by the horrific 2018 Camp Fire, which decimated the town of Paradise, California and killed 86 people. Nearly 5,000 people live within five miles of the Dixie Fire. A blown fuse on one of the utility poles at Pacific Gas & Electric might have caused the fire. PG&E was also responsible for the Camp Fire, and pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter as a result. The fire is already the 3rd-largest on record in California’s history. 100 structures have been destroyed by the fire, with over 10,000 more threatened. No deaths have been reported as a result of the fire. More than 5,400 firefighters have been combatting the Dixie fire. Rick Carhart, and spokesperson Cal Fire, says he normally wouldn’t expect a fire of this magnitude until September. “We’re all kind of learning that fire season isn’t a three-month or six-month thing anymore,” he said to the Times. As of Friday, August 6, 2021, the fire is 35% contained.

Fire

Four Things To Know About California’s 2021 Wildfire Season

Here are four facts you should know as we once again battle California wildfire season: • 41 of 58 of California’s counties are in a state of drought emergency as the state continues to fall deeper into drought. This means more dry land, and potential for more wildfires.• Fire season has already begun. There have already been nearly 2,800 wildfires, with nearly 16,000 acres burned since the first of the year. This is an extremely early start for fire season, as less than 2,400 acres had burned by this time last year. Experts believe that as temperatures continue to rise and droughts sustain, parts of California will be in fire season year-round.• Cal Fire has hired nearly 1,400 new seasonal firefighters to combat the increased demand. Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing an additional $38.9 million to staff current and additional Cal Fire crews.• Newsom also proposed an additional $2 billion to combat the fires this year, which would be the largest wildfire budget ever proposed by a governor, saying “Climate change has created a new wildfire reality in California.” Read more about what to expect and things you should know as we head into warmer months here: https://patch.com/california/woodlandhills/s/hl8w7/4-key-things-to-know-about-cas-2021-wildfire-season

Fire

4 Thanksgiving fire safety tips

It’s the holiday season, there’s some snow, or ice, or rain, or it’s just plain ol’ cold outside and you’re sitting comfy in your home. You’re snuggled up in a nice soft blanket and sipping on some hot coco. After all, it’s cold outside. The last thing on your mind is a fire starting inside or outside your home. Unfortunately, fire safety doesn’t take any time off during the holidays. Here’s some quick tips to help you prevent a fire during this holiday season! If you’re planning on starting up that fireplace, you’re going to need to take a few steps before you light it up. First, if your fireplace has glass doors, open them up about 20 minutes before you light it up. With the doors open, the air can warm up and begin to draft upwards. Second, check the draft using a match. If air is going down your flue you should NOT start your fire. Decorations are flammable. Shocking, I know. So, before you plug in anything, be sure there aren’t any flays in the cords, and that they’re not next to a space heater or stove top. Double check that space heater. Space heaters generally need to be about 3 feet away from anything that could be flammable. This includes your furniture, rugs, bedding, couch, chairs, pretty much anything. Also, don’t plug it into a power strip or extension cord; if you have to, ensure that the cord is properly rated and sized for your heater. Did you buy a deep fryer for your turkey this year? If so, you’re going to need to go through a pretty hefty checklist to make sure you’re not going to start a fire, or hurt yourself. Butterball has a pretty great guide on this. Even though a home fire may seem out of the possibility, that it could never happen to you, it is always important to be both vigilant and prepared.

News

#1 Voluntary Carrier

Employee benefits have become a cultural norm in many companies and many employers today rely on various voluntary benefits to satisfy this need. Voluntary benefits consist of products such as life, disability, critical illness, and accident insurance. These benefits are usually offered through a partial contribution by the employer or sole payments by the employees. Most voluntary benefits offer an employee group rate to products individuals normally wouldn’t be able to afford. Big insurance companies such as Allstate, Aflac, and MetLife carry voluntary benefits and offer companies a tailored service for their employee demographics. In their partnership with miEdge, a business intelligence data analytics firm, Employee Benefit Advise introduced the top 25 large -group voluntary insurance carriers in the US. Allstate Insurance ranked #1 with more than $293 million in -force premium. Aflac followed in #2 and Colonial Life in #3.

Fire

How to be Disaster Ready

Being properly prepared for a disaster is easier than you may think. Forward thinking and preparation can change how a disaster affects you and your loved ones. It may be impossible to prevent a disaster, but you can make sure you are prepared for when it happens. To do this, you need a plan and an emergency kit. First off, the plan. The type of plan, its steps, and how you aim to accomplish it is going to depend heavily on your living situation, your family, and the types of disasters that may be common for where you live. So, lets go over some basics. 1. Discuss with your household how you want to respond to the types of emergencies that are most common in your area. For Californians, you may want to take a look at fire, earthquake, and flooding. 2. This planning it important for more than just your home. Your plan should be inclusive for how to handle an emergency weather you are at work, school, or having some fun. Start your plan off with responsibilities for each member of your household. These responsibilities could be grabbing a certain item if they are at home, or they are in charge of contacting or organizing. Work as a team. 3. PRACTICE. A plan is no good if no one remembers it during the disaster, or are unclear on any portion. Do a practice run, or three, and ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities! Now, you have a plan. Or… at least a plan to create a plan. Next, you’re going to need a set of supplies. A disaster supply kit, emergency kit, or bug out bag should contain everything you may need during an emergency. Here’s an easy checklist to get your supplies ready to go.

Gingerbread cookies sitting on top of a wooden table.

Fire

4 Easy Tips for Christmas Fire Safety

What You Need to Know About Christmas Fire Safety It’s an uncomfortable thing to think about, but a fire in your home is a real possibility. During the holidays there may be a new fire risk coming into play as well, a Christmas tree. Although Christmas tree fires are not common, they can be especially dangerous. According to FEMA one out of every 31 reported home Christmas tree fires results in a death, compared to an average of one death per 144 total reported home fires. So, what can you do to help prevent this? Take a look at your heat sources. A heat source too close to your tree is the cause of a quarter of tree fires. If you have a space heater, you’re going to need to get it at least three feet away from not only your tree, but your furniture and rugs as well. Keep a close eye on your candles. Or, alternatively, skip the candles and go with LED lights or some neat electric lanterns. It may seem like common sense to double check candles, since it’s actually a fire you are starting in your home, but it’s easy to forget about them. Keep your tree well-watered, and get rid of it before it dries out. Typically, a healthy and well-watered tree will have a very difficult time catching on fire. However, a dry tree is a huge fire risk. So, if you’re a procrastinator and usually just leave the tree up until you get sick of it sometime in February,, or March… make sure it’s still alive, well-watered, or just get rid of it already. Take a look at your ornaments, some of them may be flammable. It’s important that you use only nonflammable decorations. Be safe this holiday season. Even if you aren’t celebrating with a living tree in your home, take a moment to really understand where fire risks are coming from. These tips may just save you from a holiday disaster.

All Posts

California’s Wildfire Challenge: Safeguarding Homes

Insurance Coverage Checklist

5 Thanksgiving safety tips

Earthquake preparation: is your go-bag ready?

10 Things To Know About The Dixie Fire

Four Things To Know About California’s 2021 Wildfire Season

4 Thanksgiving fire safety tips

#1 Voluntary Carrier

How to be Disaster Ready

4 Easy Tips for Christmas Fire Safety

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