Oakland Fire Anniversary - A Prevention Reminder

AAA Urges Homeowners to Adopt Fire Prevention Measures

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., October 20, 2011* – Twenty years ago today a firestorm ignited that devastated the Oakland and Berkeley Hills. Lives, homes, and property were lost. AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange, a major provider of AAA-branded insurance, encourages homeowners to take preventative steps now to help protect their homes.

“Sometimes, there's no avoiding a fire,” said AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange spokesperson Matt Skryja. “However, there are actions homeowners can take to lessen the likelihood that a fire will burn out of control.”

AAA recommends the following:

• Create a firebreak around your home by reducing the amount of flammable vegetation within 30 feet of the house or to the property line and any trees within 100 feet should be well spaced and trimmed.
• Remove all build up of needles and leaves from your roof and gutters.
• Keep tree limbs trimmed to at least 10 feet from any chimney and remove any dead limbs that hang over your roof or garage.
• If your roof is not fireproof, apply a fire retardant coating.
• Install a chimney guard to keep sparks from flying up and landing on your roof - available at most home improvement stores.
• Keep up maintenance on furnaces, fireplaces and other heat sources.

AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange is proud to be honored by the City of Oakland and the Oakland Landscape Committee during today’s rededication of the Firestorm Memorial Garden. The company donated the funds to repair the garden and bronze memorial sculpture after vandals damaged them late last year. Both the garden and its sculpture serve as reminders of the lives lost and the need to remain conscientious about fire prevention.

“We felt compelled to help repair the memorial because this fire was one of the most significant events in our company’s history,” said Paula Downey, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange CEO and President. “Our customers are also our neighbors and friends. At no time was this more clear than during this catastrophic event.”

The Oakland Hills Fire remains the most significant, expensive loss in the history of the insurance company. AAA insurance customers had 239 homes lost or damaged, along with 350 cars. All told, the disaster cost AAA 100 million dollars.

The AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through partnerships with AAA clubs. It is one of the largest personal lines insurance companies in the United States and is rated A+ by A.M. Best.

*Revised July, 2012