Reason Magazine 2014 Quartal 2 Seite 52

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mitigation products observes Rich Ferron operations vice president and manager of testing and certification for FM Approvals Approval Standard 2510 Flood Abatement Equipment is currently the only standard that evaluates both the performance of the product in realistic flood conditions and the compo nent and materials that comprise the product He continues That s why the ASFPM chose our standard as the basis for the high est level of certification in their new pro gram We re working with the association and the U S Army Corps of Engineers to have the ASFPM certification recognized by authorities nationwide so when an organiza tion is specifying flood mitigation products they would require ASFPM certification FLOOD ABATEMENT PRODUCTS IN HIGH DEMAND FOLLOWING SANDY PS DOORS vice president Cory Melland notes that his firm is deeply involved in help ing firms in the zones impacted by Hurricane Sandy We re working with many custom ers right now providing services to firms that were impacted and firms that want to protect against the next Sandy We see flood control products pouring into that market many of which are not tested and building owners are wary They want to optimize their spending and they are scrutinizing the credentials of manufacturers To be able to provide a legitimate third party certification means they don t have to take our word for it someone else has tested our products and validated them for performance and quality WHAT S NEXT FM Approvals has been working to educate manufacturers in North America Europe and Asia on the benefits of achieving the FM APPROVED mark for flood abatement products This year FM Approvals has created a flood team to help streamline the availability of information on flood mitigation products and expedite manufacturer inquiries to help increase the availability of FM Approved flood mitigation products worldwide The team will also serve as a resource to assist FM Global field engineers and flood special ists in their work with clients FM Approvals is also working to develop relationships with flood mitigation governmental agencies trade associations and authorities having jurisdiction AHJs in Asia and Europe to potentially develop certification programs similar to the ASFPM program in the United States We are seeing a lot of interest among European manufacturers of flood control products which tend to be small to mid size companies who want not only to pro mote their products in Europe but also to enter the U S market probably as a result of Hurricane Sandy notes Jean Philippe Roisin FM Approvals manager of business development for Europe the Middle East and Africa Even small companies view their market on a global basis We are hoping to develop this interest into locally available FM Approved products in the near future FM Approvals is extending its reach worldwide in support of FM Global s growth notes Bob Azimi FM Approvals manager of business development for the Americas As always our goal is to help make FM Approved products available in local markets around the world We are shar ing our standards and expertise wherever we can The impact of flooding and the potential for flooding in both developed and develop ing countries is huge There are many exam ples where regional flooding has had a global impact on commercial markets We are being far more proactive and reaching out to make contacts in every market in which we oper ate always with the goal to help customers prevent losses through proper planning and certified flood mitigation products FM Approved temporary perimeter barriers and opening barriers can be found in the organization s online Approval Guide a Web based publication of FM Approvals approvalguide com THE WHOLE INSURANCE INDUSTRY HAS TO WAKE UP SAYS AQUAFENCE CEO FRED DAHL I think one area where Sandy has had a real impact and represents a shift in thinking is where accountability is placed In the past the amount of money available for preventive measures has been very limited I believe that businesses and other organizations are beginning to realize they can t ignore the catastrophe risk or rely on others to protect them We know that every US 500 spent on flood mitigation is worth at least US 10 000 in damage prevented Natural disasters are always going to happen It s the lack of human preparation that leads to losses We enjoy working with both FM Approvals and FM Global because we understand each other and share common goals I think the whole insurance industry has to wake up and adopt a similar approach to FM Global I wish everyone had such a thorough approach to loss prevention 52 Reason ISSUE 2 2014