Labor Day Weekend - Boating Safety

Labor Day Weekend marks the last long weekend of summer for many families. Your weekend activities may include taking a boat to the lake or river one last time before the weather starts to cool down.  The following Boating Safety Tips will help to make sure everyone enjoys a fun, safe boating experience!

• Life Jackets - 90% of all victimes who drown were not wearing a life jacket. Make sure all people on your boat are wearing a life jacket that is the correct size for them. Also, it never hurts to have one or two extra life jackets just in case something happens.
• No Alcohol -  Historically, alcohol is involved in one-third of all recreational boating fatalities. Driving a boat while drinking is the same as driving a car, you can lost control quickly. If it is hot outside, consuming alcohol may also lead to dehydration. The best rule of thumb, do not take any alcohol onto your boat.
• Keep An Eye Out - You should constantly pay attention to all passengers on board your boat, especially chidren. It only takes one second for a child or passenger to fall out or get injured. Some passengers may get sea-sick on a boat, and the best way to tell is by watching them. If you feel that something is wrong with a passenger, it may be best to go back to shore for a while. Also, watching for other boaters, objects in the water, and your surroundings will help ensure everyone's safety.
• Vessel Safety Check - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's United States Coast Guard Auxiliary provides free Vessel Safety Checks to look at: life jackets, registration and numbering, navigation lights, ventilation, fire extinguishers, distress signals (flares, horns, etc.), and battery covers and connections. If your vessel passes, you will are awarded a VSC Decal that alerts law-enforcement agencies that your boat was found to be in full compliance with all Federal and State boating laws. If your boat does not pass, no report is filed. Instead, you are given a written report to aid in corrected any discrepancies noted. To schedule a VSC in your area, visit Vessel Safety Check, enter your zip code, and search for your local USCG Auxillary Vessel Examiner.

And, one last thing, insurance. Most insurance policies require that your boat be listed separately and to have all equipment listed. If you have questions about insuring your boat, please contact your local Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho agent who can help you determine the right type of coverage necessary. Have a great SAFE Labor Day weekend!

* Photo Courtesy of The U.S. Coast Guard

Protect. Prevent. Prevail. Beat the flu!

Protect. Prevent. Prevail this Winter

Get the flu vaccination – not the flu!

BOISE ID (August 15, 2011) – Adults age 65 and older and people under 65 with chronic illness are encouraged to get a flu shot early, before flu season begins. The flu vaccine is available to Medicare beneficiaries at no cost, no coinsurance, no copayment and no deductible.

Idaho Department of Insurance Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) Coordinator Jacquie Kennedy-Gooch says, “The flu vaccine helps prevent the flu, it doesn’t give you the flu. By protecting yourself, you are protecting those around you.”

The Department of Insurance reminds Idahoans of some common-sense tips to help avoid the flu:

·         Use a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or sneeze into your elbow – not your hand.

·         Wash your hands often with soap and water.

·         Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

·         Try to avoid close contact with people who are ill; stay home if you are ill.

For more information, contact the SHIBA office at www.doi.idaho.gov, or call 1-800-247-4422.

Veterans Day Essay Contest

To mark both Veterans Day 2011 and the September return of the Idaho Army National Guard's 116th Calvary Brigade Combat Team, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho is sponsoring the "Veterans Essay Contest". The essay topic is "What My Parent's (or Sibling's) Military Service Means To Me". The essay is a great opportunity for children to put in their own words the impact their active duty parent's or sibling's military service has made in their lives. Contest rules and entry forms are available from any Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho agent or you may download an entry form here.

Farm Bureau Insurance's Relay For Life Purple Reign

For the sixth consecutive year, Farm Bureau Insurance’s Home Office Relay For Life team raised more money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event than any other Pocatello-area team. Farm Bureau Insurance’s first-place team raised $8,852 this year for the fight against cancer.

Team captain Marci Hamann credits Farm Bureau Insurance and its employees for the team’s successful fundraising campaign. “To have the opportunity to work for an employer that supports and cares about this cause so much is very rewarding in itself.”

Hamann believes that one day there will be a cure for cancer. And when there is, she says, “everyone who has ever supported the American Cancer Society will have had a hand in it.”
 
The 2011 Farm Bureau Insurance Relay for Life team included:
Rebecca Clemens, Michelle Coffin, Sheri Hokanson, Shalae Kane, Lindsay Kopp, Leigh Ann Languein, Wendy Linscheid, Jennifer Lowrey, Ashley Miller, Brandon Peterson, Linda Peterson, Lisa Shappart, and Marci Hamann, team captain.

The Relay for Life, known for its purple theme, celebrates cancer survivorship and raises money for American Cancer Society research and programs.

Cancer survivor and longtime Farm Bureau Insurance Relay for Life team member Linda Peterson at the 2011 Relay for Life of Pocatello.