Decor Disaster Klamath Falls, OR

How to Avoid Decor Disasters – Holiday Edition

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There is no escaping it now, the holidays are upon us. No matter how you celebrate, you have likely added some holiday décor to your home. Lights, candles and festive plants add a wonderful, warm ambiance to areas of your home but take some extra steps to ensure that your décor pieces don’t wreak havoc on your holiday.

Avoiding Decor Disasters in Oregon:

  • Holiday trees: Holiday trees, or bushes, are a common theme in many homes around our state. They may be opulent or simple, real or fake, faux snowed or natural. Each holiday tree requires a level of care to make sure that it does not turn into a fire hazard. If your tree is real, do not forget to water it! Trees will naturally lose moisture over the course of their holiday run. Household pets may steal water from under the tree and running the heater or fireplace may dry it out as well. A dry holiday tree can become a fire hazard if left unattended. According to the National Fire Protection Association, “Between 2007-2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 230 home fires that started with Christmas trees, per year.” If your tree is dry, make sure to water it regularly and turn off holiday lights. It is also a best practice to not place a holiday tree near a fireplace or heater.
  • Lights: Holiday lights are used inside and outside of homes to brighten up the night. When placing your lights, make sure to place the correct type for the environment you are in. Inside lights for inside your home, outdoor lights for outside of your home or indoor/outdoor lights for either. If your lights have lived in storage since the last holiday, make sure to check that they are in proper working order free of wire frays or cuts. Frays or cuts in the wires could result in a fire under the right conditions.
  • Plants: Holiday plants are all over the stores. Mistletoe and holly, wreathes and poinsettias are often incorporated into a holiday décor scheme. There is a caveat: mistletoe, holly and poinsettias are all poisonous to both pets and people. If you plan on making any of these plants apart of your holiday decorations, make sure that they are up and out of the way, free from little hands and pet nibbles. If a child or adult happens to ingest any of these plants, a call to Poison Control (800-222-1222) is a must. If it is your pet, call your vet or local emergency vet immediately.

By taking a few extra steps like unplugging your holiday lights before you go to bed or when you leave the house, can help you avoid a decor disaster this holiday season. Before the holiday décor goes up, make sure to talk to your local, independent insurance agents in Klamath Falls, OR about your homeowner’s insurance. Pacific Ridge Insurance can assist you with any questions you may have, like “Does my homeowner’ insurance cover accidental fires?” Their expert agents can walk you through your policy and even add additional coverage like personal umbrella insurance should you want extra protection beyond your homeowner’s insurance. Be sure to check out their insurance website 24/7 for the other insurance products they sell and for more holiday tips visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission tip sheet.

Fire safety Klamath Falls, OR

Summer fire safety tips

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At some point this summer, you will most likely use fire for something. Whether it be a camp fire, fireworks or a grill, the potential for both fun and hazards is present. We put together a few fire safety tips for using fire (and its byproducts) safely and responsibly.

Fire Safety Oregon:

  • Campfires:  Make sure that your campfire is well contained, either in a pit or surrounded by rocks and the area around and above it is free of flammable material. Watch sparks and shifts in the fire to ensure that the flames stay within the pit. Be sure to extinguish your fire prior to sleep and when you depart the camp site. Having a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher handy is a very good idea. If a forest or brush fire should start, you’ll want to contact the authorities (in many cases a camping host) immediately.
  • Fireworks: Whether you are shooting off fireworks in your neighborhood or at a campground (make sure this is within the confines of the campground rules), you should be prepared for anything. When lighting fireworks, make sure that there is nothing flammable around your area and keep fireworks away from houses and other structures. Keep a bucket of sand available to dispose of used fireworks and never throw used fireworks directly into the garbage as they could spark a fire. Make sure to keep a hose, water bucket or fire extinguisher in the event a rogue fireworks sparks a blaze. Should a fire occur dial 911 immediately.
  • BBQs: Barbequing is a summer pastime. Whether you prefer a charcoal or gas grill, you should take some safety precautions. Never grill too close to a dwelling wall or under an awning or porch, the heat from the grill could cause a spark. If you are storing a grill close to a dwelling, make sure the grill is completely cooled before putting it in place. When using a charcoal grill, closely follow the direction on the lighter fluid as large flames could start a fire and injure anyone standing too close.
  • Other causes: BBQs, fireworks and campfires are not the only catalysts when it comes to fires. Sparks from ATVs, motorcycles, RVs and cars can start fires with the driver never knowing. Making sure your regular and off-road vehicles are in good repair may help prevent a random spark from starting a blaze.

According to the National Parks Service, “As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans.” What it doesn’t mention: if you start a fire you may be liable for any restitution and damage costs, which could result in you being responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Using proper safety techniques and having the right amount insurance may help cover some of those costs in the event you are found liable or negligent in a fire. Talk to your Klamath Falls, OR Pacific Ridge Insurance agent about how your home insurance policy may help protect you should you start a fire on your property or on a neighbor’s property. Having a personal umbrella policy may help reduce damage costs from an exhausted home insurance policy or negligence from a fire started away from your home. Ask your Pacific Ridge agent what may be right for your situation and budget. You can also visit our insurance website 24/7 to see what other insurance products we offer like boat or flood insurance. We hope you have a safe summer!

Wildfire Insurance Klamath Falls, OR

Don’t get burned: Wildfire Insurance and a comprehensive Homeowner’s Insurance policy

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The heat of the summer is celebrated with sunglasses, board shorts and boating, and while it can be quite warm, the summer season is just downright pleasant in Klamath Falls, Oregon. But the summer heat does come at a cost. Summer is also fire season and each year millions of acres across the country are burned. It is not just forests or brush plains that are destroyed, homes and businesses that get in the fire’s path are consumed as well. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, wildfires burned more than 9.3 million acres around the country in 2012. The 2013 fire season has started off with destructive blazes in California, Colorado, Alaska and Arizona.

While many natural disasters like floods or earthquakes require a special insurance policy, Wildfire Insurance is generally covered under the comprehensive portion of a homeowner’s insurance policy. The price of the policy may be higher if you live in an area that is prone to yearly fires. Wildfires are both friend and foe, as they are needed to clear out overgrowth and dead trees. A charred forest allows for new growth trees and helps reduce the risk of another fire occurring in the exact same area during the summer months.

Oregon Wildfire facts:

  • The spark: Most wildfires start from lightning strikes. The dry foliage and hot winds provide the perfect setting for a fire to ignite. Wildfires can also start from simple mistakes like forgetting to completely douse a campfire or a spark from the backfire of a motorcycle or RV. Even if it is an accident, a person who is found negligent in starting a wildfire may be liable to pay restitution, which can be millions of dollars. Having a personal umbrella policy may help you pay some of those restitution costs.
  • Fighting fire with fire: Through a multi-tiered effort of local and federal agencies, firefighters try to starve a wildfire by creating a perimeter. Firefighters burn the wildfire’s food source, dry vegetation, it hopes that the wildfire will become more manageable, easier to put out with air drops of water. There is a risk however, burning a perimeter may result in another uncontrolled fire if the conditions are just right. But the same principle that firefighters use to try and control the growth of a wildfire could help prevent a significant wildfire insurance claim.
  • Prevention starts at home: Helping protect your home from wildfire damage starts in your yard. If you live in an area that is prone to wildfires, you will want to create a perimeter around your home that is free of debris and flammable materials. Keeping things like sheds and wood piles at least 30 feet away from your home helps reduce the chances of a fire jumping from one structure to the next. Remove a wildfires fuel source by pruning trees and removing dead or dying plants. There are also several websites that can show you how to fire proof your yard like Readyforwildfire.org and U.S. Fire Administration.

Take the time to learn about wildfire danger in your area and to prep your home against the threat of wildfires. Talk to your licensed insurance agent in Klamath Falls, OR to ensure that wildfire insurance is included in the comprehensive section for your homeowner’s insurance policy. Pacific Ridge Insurance in Klamath Falls, Oregon can guide you through your homeowner’s insurance policy and add additional coverages like flood insurance and earthquake insurance. Their years of insurance experience can save you a bundle, and they live right in your area, so know first-hand what your insurance needs might be.  You can also visit their insurance website 24/7 to learn more information.