Company marks 70th anniversary of its Junior Fire Marshal®
program by providing educational materials to 19,000 Atlanta
children and a $20,000 donation to Atlanta public school district
and fire department for fire prevention
According to The Hartford's Home Fire Index, Atlanta, Ga. ranks
No. 60 among the 100 U.S. cities with the highest home fire risk.
The Index is based on an analysis of the U.S. Fire Administration’s
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)¹ and a survey
conducted by The Hartford on fire safety and prevention behaviors
among the general population.
A home fire is reported in the U.S. every 86 seconds and 33
percent of home fires are started by children 6-9 years old.² As
part of the 70th anniversary of The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal
program, which is one of the country’s oldest corporate-sponsored
public education programs, The Hartford is donating a total of
$20,000 to the Atlanta public school district and fire department
for fire safety education. The donation is part of a larger
commitment the company made to all the cities on The Hartford's
Home Fire Index.
In addition, to the monetary donation, The Hartford will also
distribute Junior Fire Marshal educational materials to more than
19,000 children in kindergarten through third grade in the Atlanta
public school district. The Hartford Junior Fire Marshal classroom
kit comes with The Hartford’s signature red fire helmets, an
educator and parent guide and coloring posters designed to
introduce fire safety concepts to children.
“At The Hartford, we have been committed to fire safety and
prevention for more than 200 years,” said Debora Raymond,
spokesperson for The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program. “The
goal of The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program is to build
safer communities through fire safety education by empowering
everyday kids to become everyday heroes.”
In Atlanta, lightning, cooking and electrical fires are the
leading causes of home fires according to The Hartford’s claims
data.³ Fifty-nine percent of home fires in Atlanta were caused by
lightning, 14 percent by cooking followed by 10 percent by
electrical fires.
Many Atlanta residents engage in behaviors that can increase the
risk of a home fire according to The Hartford survey. Charging a
phone overnight is considered moderate risk, yet charging a phone
overnight on your bed, leaving your kitchen with the stove on, or
leaving a room with a candle burning are considered high risk. The
survey found:
- 58 percent of Atlanta residents
admitted they had charged a device (e.g., cell phone, tablet,
laptop) in or on their bed overnight in the past year – compared
with 34 percent nationally.
- 57 percent said that in the past year,
they have left the kitchen while cooking something on a stove –
compared with 24 percent nationally.
- 41 percent revealed that they have left
a room with a candle lit at least once over the past year –
compared with 37 percent nationally.
The History of the Junior Fire Marshal Program
The Junior Fire Marshal program was started in 1947 by an
employee of The Hartford. Since the program’s inception, The
Hartford has deputized more than 110 million Junior Fire
Marshals.
The company’s signature red fire helmets have been displayed
proudly by generations of children who have learned the basics of
fire safety through this innovative and educational program. The
program teaches lifesaving lessons such as Stop, Drop and Roll, Go
Low in Smoke and Draw a Home Fire Escape Plan. These lessons, along
with other fun, engaging and educational activities, help parents
and teachers have meaningful and vital fire safety conversations
with children and students.
Over the years, celebrities such as Ron Howard, Dick Van Dyke,
Jack Benny, Jimmy Dean, Mr. Green Jeans and Captain Kangaroo, Carol
Channing, Red Skelton, Johnny Carson, Robert Young, Henry "the
Fonz" Winkler and Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have
helped The Hartford recognize children who participated in the
Junior Fire Marshal program.
For more information about The Hartford’s Home Fire Index and
Junior Fire Marshal Program, visit www.thehartford.com/jfm.
1NFIRS is a voluntary reporting system run by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency based on data submitted by fire
departments from around the country. The data was standardized
based on population size and adjusted as needed to reflect the
voluntary nature of the data within the system.
2According to the National Fire Protection Association
3Based on an analysis of The Hartford claims data in the city of
Atlanta between 2010 and 2016
About The Hartford Home Fire Index
The Hartford Home Fire Index is based on a study of the largest
U.S. cities with a minimum of 80,000 housing units as reported by
the 2010 U.S. Census. The Hartford calculated a rate of residential
fires using the number of residential structure fires from the 2014
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data, dividing by
2010 U.S. Census housing units. The Hartford also conducted a
survey on fire safety and prevention behaviors among the general
population in late 2016 and in early 2017. Survey respondents
(approximately 100 per city) were given a score based on adoption
of fire safety best practices. Standardized fire rates and survey
scores were averaged to produce a composite score for each
city.
About The Hartford
The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance,
group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of
expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service
excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More
information on the company and its financial performance is
available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR.
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG)
operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The
Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Conn. For additional
details, please read The Hartford’s legal notice.
HIG-C
Some of the statements in this release may be considered
forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors
should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may
cause actual results to differ. These important risks and
uncertainties include those discussed in our 2016 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the
other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of
the date issued.
From time to time, The Hartford may use its website to
disseminate material company information. Financial and other
important information regarding The Hartford is routinely
accessible through and posted on our website at
https://ir.thehartford.com. In addition, you may automatically
receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when
you enroll your email address by visiting the “Email Alerts”
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170411005763/en/
The HartfordDebora Raymond,
860-547-4611debora.raymond@thehartford.comorLeon Davis,
860-547-8668leon.davis@thehartford.com
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