Try to Control What You Can, When You Can
Did you know that April 30th is National Preparedness Day? Me neither! I find it funny that we have a National Preparedness Day since we have been preparing our entire lives. Preparing for school, preparing for sports activities, preparing to go to bed, preparing to get a job, preparing to ask out a date, preparing for just about everything every single day of our lives!
National Preparedness Day
Unfortunately, we can’t always prepare for the unexpected. Like a car crash, or the loss of a loved one, or the loss of our job, or what to do if our house burns down, or how to prepare for our financial future. I am working on that last one now. The impending birth of my daughter made me realize how inadequately prepared I am for many things. We have enough money for today, enough supplies for a week, hopefully enough insurance for a major illness. I realized I have relatively little savings to send a kid to college (estimated to be over $240k by the year 2040!).
But that’s enough about me. Preparation should start with taking a long hard look at your situation. Look at both the things you can and the things you can’t control. For example, you have some control over your daily life and employment, but if you lose your job, do you have any control over what happens then? There are many things you can’t control; an earthquake, flashflood, or getting hit by another driver on the freeway.
Take stock in the things you can and cannot control and assess them by level of importance. Then visit with your local insurance agent, physician, financial planner, and safety expert (me!) to see how we can help you. Let me use an imaginary, but plausible, situation that I might encounter while working as a firefighter. This is a real example, and the most accurate dollar amounts available.
The scenario is a single mother with 2 kids, involved in an automobile accident.
- Mom: seat belted but suffered broken arm.
- 10-year-old: ejected from front seat (rear is best place for ALL kids under 13)
- 14-month-old: ejected from car seat with life threatening injuries
- 2 air ambulance trips- approximately $30,000+
- Ground ambulance to trauma center approximately $4000+
- Hospital bills for all 3- estimated at over $750,000+
- Vehicle was totaled- valued at $7500+
- Lost income due to injuries to children- unknown
- Miscellaneous bills (car insurance, estimated medical bills, etc.) $80,000 out of pocket
- Purchase of new car and car seat- estimated at $30,000+
Fortunately, everyone survived. However, we could have installed the infant seat properly and warned of the dangers of young children riding in the front seat. Unfortunately, we did not get that chance, and her family suffered as a result. If she had used our $30 service, she could have saved over $100,000 in out-of-pocket costs.
Take control of what you can, and let the professionals handle the rest. Call us today!
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‘Safety Nick’, as he is affectionately known, is the owner and operator of Home Hazard Prevention, LLC (HHP). As a professional firefighter in the Valley since 2005 with an extensive background in responding to and preventing emergencies, Nick felt that it was time to help the citizens of Maricopa and Pinal Counties learn how to be safe and protect their loved ones in a proactive manner. In 2012, HHP was launched. With the support of his wonderful (and understanding!) wife and two beautiful children, Nick works tireless hours, not only to help save your family’s lives, as a firefighter and a community safety expert, but also to be able to spend quality time with his family. Nick moved to Arizona over 20 years ago and enjoys exploring our great state with his family.
Be sure to contact Home Hazard Prevention for any of your family or business safety needs. From mobile CPR training to car seat education to infant safety (and much more!) HHP is here to help! Remember, a complete safety program does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. There is no one more qualified than a group of professional firefighters to keep your family safe! (480) 448-0266 or [email protected]
© HHP, LLC 2012-2022
