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Insurers and loss adjusters will be able to respond more quickly to a major emergency as the result of a new agreement between the insurance industry, police, fire and rescue services, and local authorities.
Under the emergency protocol agreement, the ABI (Association of British Insurers) and CILA (The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters) will be notified of the scale of damage by The Strategic Coordinating Group, set up under The Civil Contingencies Act to co-ordinate response to a major incident. They will then alert their members to enable earliest possible access to the scene to help policyholders. An emergency is defined as an event or situation threatening serious danger to life, the environment, or security, such as a terrorist incident or severe weather incident.
Nick Starling, the ABI’s director of General Insurance and Health, said:
“A planned and speedy response is vital in the aftermath of a major incident. This agreement reflects the vital role insurers play in the recovery process. Public safety and preserving evidence is the priority, but the sooner insurers can safely assess the damage the sooner they can help their policyholders.”
Commenting, Graham Cave, Executive Director of the CILA, said: “We now have a robust mechanism to allow our members to have early access to the site following an event as well as a sound communication cascade from the operational level to all sectors of the insurance market.”
Deputy chief constable Alan Goodwin, Derbyshire Constabulary and chair of
ACPO Emergency Procedures Portfolio, said: “The Police Service welcomes this protocol as recognition of the insurance industry's role in helping to restore normality to affected communities in the aftermath of an emergency or major incident. Whilst the initial response to any such event and the subsequent investigation will always be the primary focus of the emergency services, the recovery effort may take many months to achieve. Engagement of colleagues from the insurance industry at the earliest appropriate opportunity will undoubtedly aid that effort and help bring relief to those people whose lives have been disrupted."
•Date: 21st Sept 2007• Region: UK •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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