| FROM THE COMMISSIONER |
Kansas Wildfires
Tips for educating clients on potential fire dangers.
KEN SELZER
Kansas Insurance Commissioner
I
n the past stories of wildfires in the American West
were news items that seemed remote to Kansans.
Not anymore.
Wildfires affecting Kansas grasslands during the past two
years have created a new and ever-present awareness of the
destruction and cost of the danger. This is not only true in
physical damage but also in the emotional disruption to
Kansans’ daily lives.
If precipitation does not improve statewide by the time of this
issue’s publication, we may be in for a third consecutive record-
setting fire season, according to scientists from Kansas State
University and the National Interagency Coordination Center.
With risk management in our DNA, the Kansas Insurance
Department stands ready to assist Kansans in insurance-related
considerations for wildfire safety. We all need to discuss the
fire dangers and preventive measures so we can reduce the
possibility of damage.
I encourage all KAIA agents to join the effort to educate and
encourage your clients to be proactive in curbing any potential
fire danger they could face. You can assist by discussing the
following items with them:
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Do a survey of the landscape surrounding your house. Move
plants or trees that are too close to your dwelling or burn
easily. Clear dead leaves or tree seedlings away from your
roof, gutters, decks or fence lines.
Evaluate openings around your house to see if they can be
sealed temporarily. This can keep embers from getting into
your structure.
Store away patio furniture, decorations or other flammable
outdoor material.
Remove landscaping mulch from near your house.
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If evacuation is ordered, shut all doors and windows tightly.
Decide in advance what type of emergency kit your family
would need, including first aid, blankets, personal hygiene
items, prescriptions, cell phones and clothing. Turn off the
gas to your house and hose it down if you have time.
Keep communication equipment charged and in working
order. Be sure your family members know how to contact
each other.
Make sure you have accessible copies of your insurance
policies, cards and contact numbers.
Wildfire protection tips such as these are available in the booklet
“Wildland Fire Action Guide,” developed by the International
Association of Fire Chiefs, USDA Forest Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, U.S. Fire Administration, Office of
the Kansas Fire Marshal, Kansas Forest Service, and the Kansas
State University Cooperative Research and Extension.
The guide is available on the website of the Office of the State
Fire Marshal at www.firemarshal.ks.gov. Search “Wildland Fire
Action Guide.”
In January, the insurance department sent copies of the booklet
to emergency management coordinators in all 105 Kansas
counties. Also included in the information to the emergency
personnel were copies of the department’s “Personal Home
Inventory” booklet and the latest version of the “Auto and
Homeowners Insurance.” Both of those publications can be
downloaded for agent and consumer use at the department’s
website, www.ksinsurance.org.
The thoughtfulness and care that you as KAIA agents show
to your clients daily may be especially important during a
heightened statewide fire potential this spring. As always, if we
can be of assistance to you and your clients, please call us.
| March - April 2018 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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