The United States has been dominating the 2014 Sochi Olympics, leading with an impressive 23 gold medals. Russia and the Netherlands is close behind with 22 gold medals each. Here’s a quick recap:
| UNITED STATES STATISTICS | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Skiing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bobsled | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Figure Skating | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Freestyle Skiing | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Luge | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Skeleton | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Snowboard | 3 | 0 | 2 |
California’s worst drought in decades is feeding what may become a devastating wildfire season, one that is starting about five months early.
Extremely dry conditions have sparked 487 wildfires so far in 2014, compared with only 2 for the same period a year ago, according to the state Forestry and Fire Protection Department, known as Cal Fire. Potential power failures, home losses, lost tourism dollars and crop damage could jeopardize the world’s 10th largest economy as California struggles to emerge from the deepest recession since the 1930s.
“Having this occur statewide is unprecedented, certainly in my career,” Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott, who started out as a firefighter almost 30 years ago, said in a telephone interview last week. “We anticipate the potential for a very long and sustained fire season throughout the rest of the year.”
For a state already reeling from a drought that officials say could be one of the worst in California’s history, fires would only add to the misery. They could damage critical power lines and cause blackouts, disrupt water supplies and destroy sensitive ecosystems, said Bill Stewart, a forestry specialist at the University of California at Berkeley.
Last year, prolonged dry conditions led to the third- largest fire in California’s history. The “Rim Fire” shut power lines and hydroelectric generators, charred parts of Yosemite National Park and threatened the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir watershed, which supplies 85 percent of the drinking water to San Francisco.
‘Poster Child’
The Rim Fire has become the “poster child” for future wildfires in California and the U.S. West, according to a 2013 report from CoreLogic Inc., a real estate data and analytics firm. Homes valued at about $78 billion in total are at risk from wildfires, estimates CoreLogic.
Fires could even pose a risk for the state’s $22 billion wine industry. In 2008, smoke from smoldering wildfires in Mendocino County contaminated crops of pinot noir grapes, said Bill Pauli, a grower and general partner of Yokayo Wine Company in Ukiah, California.
“Some wines had the odor of someone who had been standing next to a barbecue,” Pauli said in a telephone interview. “It was not a good situation and we all hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Extra Firefighters
Fire season usually begins around May and typically ends in November with the onset of winter storms, according to Cal Fire. This year, the department says it has hired 125 additional firefighters, staffed 25 extra fire engines and retained crews and aircraft that would normally be idle this time of year. The state has banned campfires and smoking in several parks.
“Right now, all of our planning is for the worst-case scenario,” said Pimlott of Cal Fire. “We want to make sure we are ready.”
The wildfire danger is of more concern to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti than the prospect of running out of water because of the drought, he said during an interview at Bloomberg News’s Los Angeles office.
“I think we are going to see fire season around the clock for much of the year,” Garcetti said. “We are going to have to keep deployments much higher.”
The city expects to spend an extra $12 million this year on fire department coverage due to the dry conditions, Garcetti said.
Transmission Lines
At the same time, utilities including PG&E Corp. and Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric are implementing plans normally reserved for high-fire season, such as stepping up patrols of electrical lines and bringing fire crews along for routine repairs.
“Wildfires are always a risk in California,” said Alvin Thoma, director of power generation at San Francisco-based PG&E. “With the dry conditions we’ve had, the soil moisture content right now is much lower than usual, so that makes wildfires much more of a concern.”
The California ISO, the state grid operator, said it will keep an “eagle eye” on high-voltage transmission lines, which will be needed to import more power this summer to make up for dwindling hydro-electric supplies and the retirement of a 2,200- megawatt nuclear plant in Southern California. The state typically imports one-quarter of its power needs, according to the ISO.
“The wild card is always fires,” said Stephanie McCorkle, a spokeswoman for California ISO. “They can affect the transmission and that literally cuts imports that we can’t afford to lose.”
Extra Vigilant
If lines go down, the grid operator can reroute electricity and ramp up local generation production, McCorkle said.
Edison International’s Southern California Edison utility, owner of the San Onofre nuclear plant that was retired last year, will need to be extra vigilant if the dry conditions continue, said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ted Craver.
“You can’t say there wouldn’t be some combination of events, a heat storm and a fire that takes out a transmission line,” Craver said in a telephone interview.
Upgrades to power networks and new gas generation that has come online in the past two years will help “the grid to be able to withstand the shocks,” Craver said.
Although rainstorms in the past week have provided some respite, the odds are that the drought will persist along with the risk of more wildfires, according to Cal Fire.
“Everybody is probably sitting back on pins and needles,” said Thomas Jeffery, a senior hazard scientist at CoreLogic. “The potential for a really disastrous wildfire season is very high.”
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Examples abound of workers offering their skills outside the workplace: Nurses and doctors aid the injured or ill; contractors assist someone with heavy lifting or short hauling while on a hardware run; benevolent computer techies make a quick fix for a customer without a dispatch order. If one of your employees suffers an injury while providing such help, can the employee collect under Workers Comp? After all, they were doing their work.
A California correctional officer, injured while helping at the scene of an accident on his way to work, was denied Workers Comp benefits on the basis that his services did not qualify as regular employment. Citing an ethical standard set forth for correctional workers in the Ethics Cadet Workbook, the injured officer claimed it was his ethical duty as a corrections officer to assist those in need, regardless of when or where. Hence, he argued that his services at the accident were related directly to his employment.
However, the court disagreed, stating that: “The fact that the law enforcement code of ethics for correctional officers speaks of a duty to serve humankind and safeguard lives and property does not confer authority on a correctional officer to act outside the scope of his statutory jurisdiction.”
Knowing the eligibility rules for workers comp benefits is essential for you and your employees alike. Now might be the time for a refresher course. For more information about your comp coverage rules, call our service team today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Plenty of companies have offered a million bucks for that perfect March Madness bracket.
But how does a billion dollars sound? (Go ahead, say it in your best Dr. Evil voice.)
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and Dan Gilbert’s Quicken Loans are teaming up for the ultimate free bracket pool for the men’s NCAA Tournament in March.
Not only will a perfect bracket win $1 billion (or split it if there’s somehow more than one, if any), but the top 20 imperfect brackets will each receive $100,000 for their efforts.
If you win the contest, you’ll have to accept either 40 annual payments of $25 million or a $500 million lump sum payout. Hope that won’t be a problem.
“We’ve seen a lot of contests offering a million dollars for putting together a good bracket, which got us thinking, what is the perfect bracket worth? We decided a billion dollars seems right for such an impressive feat,” said Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quicken Loans, in the press release. “It is our mission to create amazing experiences for our clients. This contest, with the possibility of creating a billionaire, definitely fits that bill.”
Buffett’s company is underwriting the contest.
“Millions of people play brackets every March, so why not take a shot at becoming $1 billion richer for doing so,” said Buffett, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway. “While there is no simple path to success, it sure doesn’t get much easier than filling out a bracket online. To quote a commercial from one of my companies, I’d dare say it’s so easy to enter that even a caveman can do it.”
Quicken Loans will also be donating $1 million to inner city schools and programs in Detroit and Cleveland as part of the promotion.
The contest is free to enter, but does have some stipulations. It’s open to the first 10 million people who pre-register (you’ll get your bracket on Selection Sunday) and is limited to one per household. The registration period starts on March 3 and runs through the 19th, or until it’s full. Also you must be at least 21 years old and a United States citizen.
Just a note, before you start spending that $1 billion — you have a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance of winning.
Now, start watching hoops on FOX Sports 1 and studying up!
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Scurich Insurance Services has been serving the Monterey Bay Area since 1924. Our mission is to partner with our customers and provide them superior service and value. We are a member of United Valley Insurance Services, Inc., a cluster of over 70 California Independent Insurance agencies, which produced over $530,000,000 of annual premium last year.
At Scurich Insurance Services we understand your business and our community. Our customers look to us for comprehensive solutions. We have established relationships with more than 40 of the nation’s leading insurance providers, which allows us to deliver multiple, competitively-priced options and a team of experts to guide you through the process.
When you need to file a claim, change a policy or process a certificate you can depend on Scurich Insurance Services to respond quickly to your request.
Give us a call today to see what we can do for you!
In the construction world, we’re often quick to reprimand our workers about safety violations. Such phrases as “Hey, put your helmet on!”, “Seriously, do you really think this is a good idea?” and “Get off that ladder now!” come to mind. All too seldom, do we say, “Thanks. You’re doing a great job in keeping the site safe!”As you walk your work sites or wander the shop, it’s important to search out potential hazards and people who are not following what’s expected. However, don’t forget to recognize and acknowledge the workers who are doing their jobs right. When you recognize the power of thanking those who do well, their peers pay attention. That’s the reason why merit badges work.
Whether you’re a supervisor, foreman, or project manager, your job is to encourage safe behavior by motivating – not threatening – your workers as often as possible. Showing gratitude goes a long way in forming your crew and your friends. Take the time, and you’ll soon be surrounded by people who want to work for you. When you recognize this, you will understand the power of thanks.
Without trust, there’s little chance of success in any business – including yours. Your role is to help your workers stay out of trouble and eliminate acts and conditions on the job that can harm them. Whenever possible, it’s better to work with them, rather than acting as an obstacle.
Help your construction crews understand the hazards of the work they do and how to get them corrected. Establish a level of trust, and say “Thanks!” more often than “Stop!”
Remember, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
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Scurich Insurance Services
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