Could you set your own property alight?

Statistics indicate that domestic fires are usually started by electrical faults or the careless use of candles, and cooking and heating appliances. It is especially problematic if there is a power outage, when people may leave home without remembering that an appliance is on as there is no power at the time. Never leave heaters, open fires or cooking pots unattended, and always unroll extension cables fully when in use as they generate heat. Fire awareness and safety measures in the workplace are also vital. Research shows that you may have as little as two minutes to get out safely. Don’t become a fire victim: be aware of the risks, take steps to avoid them, and have a safety and evacuation plan in place.

Poolside safety 

Summer is here, and that means that children across the country will be clamouring to swim. Drowning remains one of the top causes of unnatural childhood deaths in South Africa and it only takes four minutes without oxygen for irreversible brain damage to occur. Boys are at greater risk than girls, as they tend to ‘play rough’ and engage in more dangerous behaviour: 8 out of 10 children who fatally drown in open water are males, and boys account for 68% of youngsters who fatally drown in swimming pools. Shallow diving, aggressive dunking, hold-your-breath tests, and other risky behaviours should be avoided among young swimmers. At poolside gatherings, an adult should be appointed to do nothing but watch the swimmers (no social media or telephone calls), and children should not run around the pool, where surfaces can be slippery.

Proud supporters of the Voet van Afrika

The 2019 Voet van Afrika marathon took place on 12 October on the rural roads and trails around the Western Cape town of Bredasdorp. Known as ‘the toughest race with the warmest heart’, this popular event is the country’s most southernmost marathon, with a history dating back to October 1978. Initially, only men ran the full marathon, with women running the half marathon. Today, this race is open to all runners and Safire is a proud sponsor of this legendary challenge. This year a new record was set, when, in the words of the organisers, “Just 2 hours, 38 minutes and 24 seconds after the call of the fish eagle, Tarisai Rukadza crossed the finish line, breaking the previous record of 2:42.25.” Moses Njodzi came second (2:44:56) and Admire Rushika was third (2:48:58). Women’s winner Elmé Middlemost had a time of 3:39:55, with Candyce Hall coming second in 3:40:55 and Kerryn Armstrong third in 3:45:45. Seen here is the female winner of the 21.1km race, Obertina Kanyongo. Congratulations to this year’s winners and all who took part.

Thank you to JETLINE ACTION PHOTO for the image.

Safire now offers enhanced cover for macadamia producers

Our expertise in developing specialist insurance products for farmers comes to the fore again with the launch of our enhanced macadamia cover. Safire Crop Division’s Gareth Smallbones, Technical Support Specialist says, “In the four years that we have been intensively studying this new crop, we have refined our macadamia policy and extended it from the initial fire cover to offering cover for other perils such as wind, hail, and malicious damage to the trees, and we now also offer fire cover on the fruit as well.” Specific macadamia insurance needs should be discussed with an authorised Safire broker or with Safire Crop directly to ensure comprehensive cover for growers. Safire’s orchard cover is not limited to macadamia orchards: all tree types can be covered, including vineyards, olive groves and other fruit and nut orchards.

Setting fire to a forest

Watch how a planned burn of more than 2,000 acres of Utah forest is started by the U.S. Forest Service scientists, representatives from the Fishlake National Forest and others to study a prescribed fire from start to finish and put a NASA-funded fire model used for forecasting where and how a fire will move to the test.

That's Life

Some Halloween humour to round up this issue of The Insurer.

Snippets

The Insurer newsletter and the content of any article published herein, should not be construed as forming part of any insurance contract or policy nor as constituting any form of advice. It is aimed at providing an informal and informative read to the readers thereof. Whilst every effort is taken to attempt to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information contained herein, Safire Insurance Company Limited does not give any assurance regarding such accuracy or correctness and accordingly does not accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage, whether direct, indirect or consequential, arising from any reliance placed in the information contained herein.