Fire Preparedness and Prevention

Fire Preparedness

THE RISK OF FIRE IS REAL

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ARSON: U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 261,330 intentionally set fires every year between 2010 and 2014. These fires resulted in 440 civilian deaths, 1,310 injuries and $1 billion in direct property damage.

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KITCHEN FIRES: Ranges or cooktops were involved in 61% of cooking fires between 2014-2018 in U.S. homes. Unattended cooking was the leading cause of cooking fires and casualties.

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ELECTRICAL FIRES: Fires involving electrical failures or malfunctions accounted for the highest share of civilian deaths (18%) and direct property damage (20%).

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LIGHTNING: Between 2015 and 2019 Church customers experienced 2,964 lightning strikes resulting in over $44.5 million dollars in damage.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire occurs in a structure every single minute of the day in the United States.1 Some of these fires are controlled or extinguished quickly, but many others wreak havoc and result in catastrophic loss of life and/or property.

Improvements in electrical, fire detection and fire suppression systems have led to noteworthy reductions in total fire incidences since the 1980s, but there is still room for improvement.

The resources highlighted on this page address the leading causes of fires. Taking proactive measures can help you avoid fire losses and keep your people and property safe. Revisit your organization's fire safety plans and utilize our complementary resources to ensure you have taken necessary steps towards reducing your organization's risk of falling victim to a fire loss.

Preparedness Guides and Resources

Learn what you can do to reduce the risk of fire-related damage and losses with the following fire prevention resources.


Use the resources below to take actionable steps in keeping your people and organization safe from the risk of fire.


Using heat sources during construction

Your organization and/or contractor should utilize a Hot Work Safety Program during construction projects to reduce the risk of fire.

Learn More


Proper placement and use of fire extinguishers

Discover how you can keep your people and organization safe through the proper placement and use of fire extinguishers.

Learn More


Alarm Alert

ALARM ALERT Smoke Alarm Notification Service

Fire continues to be one of the leading causes of property claims we see year after year.

In response, we’ve developed the ALARM ALERT Smoke Alarm Notification Service. Available at NO COST to eligible Church Mutual customers, this program includes a simple device that detects the sound of a smoke alarm in your building and notifies you of a potential fire, allowing you to take appropriate action.

The ALARM ALERT device is designed to recognize residential-type smoke detectors that are not centrally monitored and must be paired with an active CM Sensor® SmartBase.

Learn More About ALARM ALERT


We're here to help!


If you have additional questions or need help with fire preparedness and prevention,
call our Risk Control Central team at (800) 554-2642, ext. 5213, or email riskconsulting@churchmutual.com

Sources:

1 NFPA; https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem/Fire-loss-in-the-United-States.

 
 
 
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Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. (a stock insurer)
P.O. Box 357 | 3000 Schuster Lane | Merrill, WI 54452-0357
Telephone (800) 554-2642 or (715) 536-5577

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Church Mutual is a stock insurer whose policyholders are members of the parent mutual holding company formed on 1/1/20. S.I. = a stock insurer.