Cooking Fire Prevention

It can happen in a matter of seconds. One second you are cooking and something distracts you like the children in the other room, someone at the door, or a phone call and you leave the stove for a few seconds. The next thing you experience are flames shooting up from the stove catching the cabinets, hood, and curtains on fire.

Each year, MAX receive fire claims for unattended cooking fires. Often, the fire damages the kitchen and can cause smoke damage throughout the home. Repairs can take several weeks and families are displaced during construction. Many insureds are devastated by these type of losses and are equally surprised at how fast the fire got out of control.

These fires may be prevented by a few simple precautions:
1) Never leave food cooking on the stove unattended, especially when cooking with grease
2) Always turn the stove off if you need to leave
3) If you allow your older children to use the stove, go over safety rules
4) Have a fire extinguisher readily available and know how to use it

We encourage our MAX members to review these tips and help prevent a cooking fire in their homes. For more safety tips, click here.

Photo by pragensismac

Cherry Insurance Earns Premier Agency Award from MAX

(Montezuma, KS August 6, 2015) – Cherry Insurance of Montezuma, KS has earned the highest award from insurance carrier MutualAid eXchange (MAX).

The MAX Premier Agency designation recognizes Cherry Insurance’s commitment to MAX’s fair, faithful and socially responsible insurance coverage and business practices.

“MAX is a company built on faith, strong values and service to others. That’s the kind of independent agents we look for and we’re proud to recognize Cherry Insurance for being among the best of these,” said David Wine, CEO of MAX.

Cheri Martin is Agency Principal. She founded the agency in 2007 after working 10 years in the industry. “MAX is a strong company with a personality of treating people fairly. We like to do business with like-minded folks who share our values.”

To earn the MAX Premier Agency Award, Cherry Insurance met several criteria including:

• Commitment to the MAX values of
o Treating others as you would like to be treated
o Faith in a higher power, and
o Doing good in the world
• Support for MAX’s Mutual Aid Ministries program that provides emergency grants to faith communities, families and individuals who are facing extreme financial hardships.
• Ambitious sales and retention targets.

Martin is active in the community serving as an officer in the Family Consumer Education Organization that provides opportunities for families to learn and participate in family and consumer sciences.

“At Cherry Insurance we try to fulfill the same values of fairness, faith and social responsibility that MAX believes in, whether it’s at work or volunteering in the community,” Martin said.

Cherry Insurance is located at 211 East Mendoza, Montezuma, KS 67867. Phone: 620-846-7353. FAX: 866-255-9902. Email: cheri.martin@cherryins.com. Website: www.cherryins.com. They can also be found on Facebook.

MAX is headquartered at 4400 College Boulevard, Suite 250, Overland Park, KS 66211. Phone: 877-971-6300. To learn more about MAX and Mutual Aid Ministries, visit www.MAXInsurance.com.
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Photo:  Mark Files, Midwest Sales Manager, presents Cheri Martin of Cherry Insurance the MAX Premier Agency Award.

Weather Radios Help You Stay Informed of a Storm’s Progress

by Karen Morrone, Marketing & Communications Manager

When I was a child, I can remember going to my grandpa’s house and hearing him listen to his weather radio. At the time, I figured my grandpa enjoyed listening to the weather forecast each day and I’m sure he did. Perhaps he was listening for a storm’s progress near his home, but I never thought of a weather radio’s purpose for storm tracking.

Now, as an adult, I own a weather radio. I do not listen to my weather radio for daily forecasts like my grandpa did – that’s the advantage of having technology in your hands with the numerous Weather Apps on our smartphones. However, the reason I purchased a weather radio is for protection of me and my family. It gives me a heads up if there is a severe thunderstorm or tornado in my area. The weather radio gives you the progress of each storm and its forecasted path. Plus, it sounds off with a very loud alarm which I need because I am a sound sleeper. The tornado sirens in my neighborhood will not necessarily wake me from a deep sleep. Even if your power goes out during a storm, your weather radio should have a battery back-up, keeping you connected and informed.

Keeping yourself informed of a storm’s progress is always a good idea. Whether it’s with your smartphone or a weather radio, the goal is the same: Stay Safe. For more safety tips, check out our posts here.

About Karen

Karen is the Marketing & Communications Manager for MAX where she manages content marketing and social media. When she’s not at the office, Karen can be found transporting her children to soccer and other after-school activities. In her “spare time”, you can find her tending to her flowers outside or baking cookies and brownies.

Plumbing: Ways to Prevent Water Damage in Your Home

“Why should I care about a water leak?”
A MAX member left for vacation and asked a neighbor to check on his home a couple times. The neighbor checked the home 3 days after our MAX member left and found the entire main level flooded due to a pipe break. Water ran for 3 days resulting in extensive damage to his home, including mold. The cost of repairs was $20,000.

Typical water damage repairs can take 30-60 days. Want to prevent water damage in your home? Here are some good plumbing tips:

  • Turn off your water if you are gone for a long period of time. Whether you are on vacation for weeks at a time or are a snowbird leaving your winter home vacant during the summer months, it is a good idea to shut off your water while away from home. Another idea is to have someone check on your home daily while you are away.
  • Replace your rubber washing machine hoses every 3-5 years. Think back to when you purchased your washing machine, or better yet look up the receipt. Has it been over 5 years? Replace those rubber hoses with stainless steel braided lines. These lines are much less prone to bursting.
  • Replace the supply lines to other plumbing every 3-5 years. Just like the washing machine above, the same advice holds true for other plumbing supply lines such as toilets, dishwashers and refrigerators with ice makers. In addition, consider replacing the toilet fill mechanism every 5 years to prevent failures.

Of course these suggestions depend on the type of connections you currently use for your plumbing. If you are uncertain about any plumbing items in your home, we recommend you consult a professional plumber or trusted handy-person.

LD&B Insurance earns MAX Premier Agency Award

(Harrisonburg, VA, July 10, 2015) – LD&B Insurance of Harrisonburg has earned the highest award from insurance carrier MutualAid eXchange (MAX).

The MAX Premier Agency designation recognizes LD&B’s commitment to MAX’s fair, faithful and socially responsible insurance coverage and business practices.

“MAX is a company built on faith, strong values and service to others. That’s the kind of independent agents we look for and we’re proud to recognize LD&B Insurance for being among the best of these,” said David Wine, CEO of MAX. Eugene Diener is Principle of the 23-year-old agency. “MAX is built around the core foundational ideas we at LD&B believe in of doing business morally and ethically. At LD&B our mission is to provide insurance and financial solutions with the ultimate goal of making a contribution to the community we serve.”

To earn the award LD&B met several criteria including:
• Commitment to the MAX values of
o Treating others as you would like to be treated
o Faith in a higher power, and
o Doing good in the world
• Support for MAX’s Mutual Aid Ministries program that provides emergency grants to faith communities, families and individuals who are facing extreme financial hardships.
• Ambitious sales and retention targets.

“We believe MAX is a good fit for our clients because MAX shares the same values as our agency and producers,” Diener said. “We are honored to be recognized by MAX.”

LD&B is located at 205 S. Liberty Street, Harrisonburg, VA. Phone: 540-433-2796. FAX: 540-434-9670. E-mail: info@LDBInsurance.com. Website: www.LDBInsurance.com.

MAX is headquartered at 4400 College Boulevard, Suite 250, Overland Park, KS 66211. To learn more about MAX and Mutual Aid Ministries, visit www.MAXInsurance.com.
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Photo:  Deana Richardson, MAX Sales Manager, presenting plaque to Troy Suter, LD&B Insurance Board Member