Building a Better Relationship with Mother Nature
Candace Iskowitz (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety) provides attendees with several compelling video clips of IBHS test results
Presenter Candace Iskowitz, director of Public Affairs for Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), focused on safety research. Simply put, she wowed the crowd with her knowledge, the scope of IBHS’ activities, and the concepts provided.
No such thing as luck
Ms. Iskowitz shared just a few of the affordable and effective solutions IBHS has researched to help protect homes, businesses and lives. The not-for-profit organization is supported by property and casualty companies and provides objective science to significantly reduce property losses, injuries and deaths.
How does IBHS accomplish this?
IBHS currently has five main initiatives:
- Conduct building science experiments
- Identify mitigation solutions for the building chain
- Improve public policy
- Develop voluntary standards and guidance
- Communicate research findings
Deeper dive: The Science of building performance and solutions
Via its research center in South Carolina, IBHS can recreate mother nature within its lab. The lab recreates real-world phenomena (storms, hurricane, and wind) to determine building performances for the purpose of formulating specific building protection recommendations. By showing actual demonstrations, ICAE attendees saw how simple, low-cost preventative precautions such as fortified doors and windows, protecting soffits, gabling vents and sealing roof decks can actually minimize risk or save an entire home during a disaster event such as high wind, high water, or wild fire (an issue for 38 states).
Iskowitz discussed additional topics such as mold mitigation, generator use, water damage and earthquake—and reviewed the choices consumers can make using IBHS guidelines to help prevent or mitigate these disaster events.
Iskowitz explains the IBHS proprietary program, FORTIFIED, which provides information and designation ratings for building construction.
What’s next for IBHS—raising hail
Noting the unusual weather patterns exhibited across the nation in recent years, IBHS has determined its next step will be recreating hail storms in the lab. The purpose will be to help consumers and insurers determine what products and standards work best in hail storms. And, although laboratory-based snow storms are not specifically planned at this point, specific communication on general safety for buildings in extreme snow situations has been generated.
Voluntary is best
IBHS enhances the insurance industry by helping to control costs and enhances the consumer experience by controlling loss. IBHS is working to educate insurers and consumers to be involved in voluntary, fortified superior construction standards. By making information available on affordable changes to homes and buildings, significant savings can be realized for both consumer and insurers. The IBHS proprietary program, FORTIFIED, provides information and designation ratings.
Outreach and communication of findings
Any effective relationship begins with communication and IBHS recognizes the solutions generated in the lab must be deployed to the general public to generate life-and-property savings. To this end, IBHS uses a variety of communication and outreach methods including traditional media, electronic and social media sites to deploy all information from emergency notifications to rebuilding tips after a disaster. To maximize its outreach potential, IBHS makes all its proprietary information available to insurers and DOIs who may want to rebrand and deploy within their distribution channels.
The IBHS array of materials available is impressive and suitable for consumers, DOIs, and producers. All are encouraged to access the IBHS website at www.disastersafety.org to view all available information. In addition, the organization will send complete files for branding and printing by interested organizations.
In closing, Iskowitz stated that consumers do not have to build bunkers to be safe, but long-term solutions are available to help homeowners protect their investments. She urged all in attendance to work with IBHS toward the common goal enhancing the consumer knowledge base and therefore controlling loss.
CONTACT INFO
Candace Iskowitz
Director, Public Affairs
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBSH)
4775 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33617
813.675.1047
ciskowitz@ibhs.org
www.ibhs.org
PRESENTATION
Click here to view Iskowitz’s presentation
