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Volume 11 – December 2020 FLOOD RECOVERY IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY Page 16 Commercial Technician Accreditation - Q&A with Crawford & Company's Lynn Timmins Page 17RestorationDesiccant Dehumidifier110V www.ecorpro.eu DH3511 UKOffice 4-Hole AskUsAboutExtended PaymentOptionsupto5Years mail@ecorpro.eu-01918162898-www.ecorpro.eu Dehumidifier110V £1320+VAT 2YearUKWarranty DH3500 Dehumidifier220V Only£1080+VAT Dryairvolumeofupto 400m 3 /handadrying capacityof35l/dayat 60%RHand20°C. Twointernalmotorsfor pressureneutraldrying applications.(4-Hole) 30DAYFREETRIAL03 CONTENTS Editorial Enquiries Helen Bell helen.bell@realia.co Advertising Sales Paul Williamson paul.williamson@realia.co Design & Production Realia Marketing paul.williamson@realia.co 01303 262101 The Standard is published quarterly by The British Damage Management Association. The Standard is written in collaboration with our members, showcasing industry thought leaders and success stories to the wider community. We are delighted to present the opportunity for our members to broadcast their expertise to the broader insurance industry by submitting opinion pieces and case studies for inclusion in The Standard. Please feel free to submit your content for consideration. BDMA Enquiries & Correspondence The BDMA, Harborough Innovation Centre, Wellington Way, Airfield Business Park, Market Harborough LE16 7WB Phone: 01858 414278 | Email: info@bdma.org.uk Website: www.bdma.org.uk Keep up with us on social media… @TheBDMA @TheBDMA BDMA (British Damage Management Association) www.youtube.com/channel/ DISCLAIMER: The BDMA accepts no responsibility for the views expressed by contributors within The Standard. Advertisements are accepted at the discretion of the editor and The BDMA and do not imply any endorsement of goods or services. BDMA MEMBERSHIP Have you recently moved premises? Or have you recently moved to a different company? If so, please remember to send an update of your new details to info@bdma.org.uk Notes from the Chair 05 The BDMA’s View 06 Managing the risk of flooding Commercial Loss, 08 Residential Loss & Specialist Loss Opinions and Expertise from the Executive Board Learning & Development 10 BDMA Training News Meet the BDMA Executive 11 Board Introducing Chris Edwards Guest Feature 12 Nipping it in the flood – Q&A with FloodFlash’s Chris Hall The Standard Insight 14 (Feature) How Covid-19 threatens the nation's physical and mental health The Standard Insight 16 (Feature) Overcoming a fear of the unknown Learning & Development 17 Commercial Technician Accreditation – Q&A with Crawford & Company’s Lynn Timmins Guest Feature 18 A risky business – Martin Gray – Ecor Pro Learning & Development 19 Going virtual with the BDMA Learning & Development 20 Training Insight: Buildings and Construction Through the Ages – Training Insight with BDMA Trainer, Jerry Gibbs Member Showcase 22 Ian Williams Ltd New BDMA Members 23SPECIALIST CONTENTS RESTORATION Call 0800 019 9990 for a no obligation quotation www.harwellrestoration.co.uk Supporting BDMA members throughout the UK InsurancePOST Claims Awards 2020 WINNER Proud nominees for: Business Continuity Awards 2020 BIA Awards 2020 Documents Books Photos Artwork Ceramics Antiques 04 Raising Industry Standards Directors John Thompson (Chair) chairman@bdma.org.uk Simon Ford (Immediate Past Chair) chairman@bdma.org.uk Adrian Jolly (Strategic Development Director) strategicdevelopment@bdma.org.uk Kathryn Rodgers 01858 414278 Emails to: info@bdma.org.uk unless otherwise stated. Executive Committee Members & Constituencies Greg French DM Practitioners (Commercial) commercial@bdma.org.uk Phil McVay Claims Practitioners claimspract@bdma.org.uk James Parsons Insurance Technicians instechs@bdma.org.uk Adam Waters Specialists specialists@bdma.org.uk Chris Edwards Specialists specialists@bdma.org.uk Marie Stearn DM Practitioners (Residential) dmresidential@bdma.org.uk Support Personnel BDMA Administration Sophie Bennett (Office Manager) sophie.bennett@bdma.org.uk 01858 414278 Marketing Paul Williamson Realia Marketing paul.williamson@realia.co 01303 262101 Through partnership working and involvement in industry wide initiatives, the BDMA executive is also informed by the Association’s relationship with The Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). The BDMA Executive, Directors and Support Personnel The British Damage Management Association (BDMA) delivers technical and corporate training, technical support and advice on standards and represents its members’ interests in the public, industry and commercial domains. Accreditation is at the heart of the BDMA’s structure and sets the standard of how professionals in damage management and related sectors can prove their competence and commitment to delivering industry best practice. Accredited Membership is achieved by examination or peer review and is open to all who work in this field. Associate Membership is open to any individual with an interest in damage management and the wider industry, and is a requirement for practitioners wishing to gain accreditation in the damage management sector. Corporate Associate Membership status is open to any organisation wishing to show support for the BDMA and the damage management industry. Corporate Accredited Membership is available to organisations who meet strict criteria and have a specific percentage of staff who are Accredited Individual Members, in the relevant categories. Upcoming training courses & exams 2020 Due to the latest Government and Public Health guidance, our classroom training courses and exams were cancelled in November. We are delighted to announce the launch of our virtual classroom instructor-led Insurance Technician training and online examinations via Zoom. The examinations and training courses that are currently scheduled for the remainder of 2020 and early 2021 are listed (see right). Note that this includes virtual classroom / online training. Candidates will be given detailed joining instructions and notes prior to attendance. Please contact info@bdma.org.uk to find out more or book via our website: www.bdma.org.uk/training-and-education 16th - 17th December – Virtual Classroom Training and Online Exam via Zoom – Key Elements of Damage Management for Insurers and Loss Adjusters 25th January – Market Harborough – Core Damage Management Senior Technician Training 26th – 27th January – Market Harborough – Core Damage Management Technician & Claims Practitioner 28th – 29th January – Market Harborough – Core Damage Management Technician & Claims Practitioner 3rd – 4th February – Virtual Classroom Training and Online Exam via Zoom – Key Elements of Damage Management for Insurers and Loss Adjusters 9th February – Market Harborough – The Correct Use & Interpretation of Moisture Meters Upcoming exams: 11th December – Market Harborough 12th February – Market Harborough05 Notes from the Chair Hello readers, As we head into December, we welcome you to our eleventh edition of The Standard. During the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis and a further national lockdown, the industry has once again prevailed and responded well to the pandemic. Whilst we continue to serve policyholders and assist them with everyday disasters, there has, of course, been a toll on everyone’s mental health. During the second lockdown, due to the latest Government and Public Health guidance, our November classroom training courses and exams were cancelled. A positive to this troubling time was being able to offer our highly regarded instructor-led Insurance Technician training and examinations via Zoom. We’ve seen great early success from this online training and hope to develop this across all membership categories in the coming year. Subject to Government and Public Health guidance, we have a full calendar of examinations and training courses in 2021. Please contact info@bdma.org.uk to find out more or see the selection via our website: www.bdma.org.uk/ training-and-education Whilst this has been a troubling year, we are proud to have continued our work in the industry, raising standards across various different aspects. This work has included our popular ‘Women in the Damage Management Claims Industry’ Q&A series and the announcement of two new e-Learning courses: The BDMA Standards Overview and Water Damage Management. We’re also delighted to announce our new e-Learning partnership with the Environment Agency to deliver a number of our ground-breaking e-Learning modules. You can find out more about our training and e-Learning news by turning to page 10. Elsewhere in this edition of The Standard we focus on the subject of risk management in a time of global uncertainty and we also look at flood resilience and flood risk management. As always, we value your feedback, so please do let us know your thoughts. In other news, as you will be aware I have often spoken about successful succession planning for the BDMA. With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that the Executive Board has appointed John Thompson as my successor as BDMA Chair. Over the coming months, I will continue to support John with the handover process. I have thoroughly enjoyed my six years as the BDMA’s Chair and would like to thank my fellow Directors and Executive Board for their loyal support over the years. Whilst writing my final communication, I took some time to reflect on my achievements and the team’s accomplishments during my tenure. Our success stories include raising support from the Executive Board to modernise our training and implement a digital e-Learning platform; creating a new member category for our community of specialists; creating a new website and updating the branding for the BDMA; successfully integrating our marketing support team and most importantly, increasing the awareness of the BDMA Standards and BS12999 within the industry. It has always been a privilege for me to serve on the BDMA Exec Board. The BDMA employees and board remain the heart, soul, and future of the association. I have every confidence that under John’s leadership, working together with the Executive Board, the BDMA will thrive for many years to come. Stay safe. Simon Ford, Chair, BDMA. NOTE ABOUT SHARING ON SOCIAL Keep the photos coming! Each month we're tagged in lots of your photos on LinkedIn, sometimes they're e-Learning certificates, sometimes they're photos of you celebrating your BDMA exam wins. Either way, make sure to tag us @BDMA (British Damage Management Association), so we can share on our company page and in our monthly newsletter!06 THE BDMA'S VIEW THE BDMA'S VIEW There are arguably two ways to get the measure of a flood. On the one hand, it can be counted out in numbers, with multiple data points quantifying aspects such as the water level, the scale of the damage, and the cost to repair – it is a facts-and-figures assessment based on logic and reason. On the other hand, floods can also be seen through the eyes of those affected. Every event – to a greater or lesser extent – has a human cost, and it is within personal accounts that we discover the feelings, emotions and stories of loss – the real-world accounts of how a flood has affected both lives and livelihoods. Of these two, it is the data-driven approach that typically takes priority in the insurance supply chain. Hard facts are the basis for many of the business-focused decisions that need to be made, covering everything from damage assessment, cover level, payout amounts, and the cost of carrying out restoration services to return a property to the condition a home or business owner would expect. But after floods have receded, claims have been settled and damage repaired, the human impact can still be felt. There can be residual issues at an individual level, through physical and mental health concerns, and there may also be wider challenges that entire communities have to contend with. Social scientists at Lancaster University have examined these impacts at great depth to uncover a better understanding of how floods affect the lives of adults and children. The findings of their work, which has been carried out in conjunction with Save the Children and the Economic & Social Research Council, have been compiled together with other flood research materials into an online resource titled “Flooding – a social impact archive”. The open-access site is available for both authorities and the public to use, and is a valuable source of information on this subject. It also forms the basis of the BDMA’s groundbreaking free courses, Supporting Children & Young People After Flooding and The Flood Recovery Process: understanding people's everyday realities. For an industry often focused on facts, figures and outcomes, these eye-opening perspectives can enlighten our day-to- day work and interactions with flood survivors, while also providing inspiration for possible measures to improve flood resilience in homes, communities, schools and society more widely. Prof. Maggie Mort and Dr Alison Lloyd Williams, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University: “Whose voices get heard most in emergencies? Our research with flood- affected families and communities is now in a public archive and shows how their insights can help improve flood resilience. Our task now is to find new ways to bring the stories we collected to life. In the ‘Help Callum’ VR 360° video, a young boy tells us how evacuation affected his daily life and how coming back home, while a great relief, was also full of worries about future flooding. Working with the BDMA has enabled us to make many real-life accounts of flooding and recovery visible through its professional training courses. Our aim is to keep the measures children called for in the public eye. These include more flood education in schools, clearer warnings and fairer insurance.” Dr. Chris Skinner, Energy and Environment Institute, Hull University: “We need to turn the idea of managing the risk of flooding on its head. It’s a notion that sees us turn our backs on water in our environment and build away from it. Instead, let’s as a whole society – individuals, communities, academics, decision-makers – co-create a vision for the country where places are adaptive to flooding in a way that causes no damage and no fear; where water is managed sustainably and safely; and where necessary infrastructure enhances our public realm. Let’s instead build towards that future together.” Find out more about the BDMA's new training courses on P10. When property is damaged, the race to recover means there is precious little time to learn from the experiences of those affected. Researchers say paying more attention to flooding’s social impact can provide valuable insights to inform future policy and response efforts. POWER TO THE PEOPLE07 THE BDMA'S VIEW THE BDMA'S VIEW08 BDMA Executive BDMA Executive OPINIONS AND EXPERTISE FROM THE BDMA EXECUTIVE BOARD What is the best piece of advice you could give to those in the claims industry for managing risk in a time of global uncertainty? Chris Edwards: It’s certainly been a rollercoaster few months and the situation is changing rapidly. It can be difficult to keep up! When the COVID-19 outbreak started and the country was put into lockdown in March, the issues our industry had to first deal with were the impact arising from supply chain disruption, and the restrictions around entering homes and travel. Once we established the risks and put adequate processes in place to ensure customers and colleagues were safe by the use of PPE, social distancing measures and the like, we then had to look at how we could ensure our teams could still get around the country, which meant relocating a number of our units. Supply chain issues were trickier, but by using independent traders we found that we were able to overcome a lot of the obstacles. These were just some of the hurdles we at DASA dealt with. There were huge changes to everyone’s business and operating model, but we all learnt quickly and put procedures in place to ensure we could continue at almost ‘business as usual’ levels. There are a host of new risks arising which in many ways make the day-to-day job more difficult; but you adapt and move on, with many insurance companies still having empty offices. Working as close as we did previously is more difficult and collaboration on strategy for the future is somewhat limited. There is also the concern of financial volatility. Insurers are under great pressure to ensure claims are managed in the most cost-effective way, however as supply prices increase, companies need to ensure that they are able to manage this. The best piece of advice I can give is to ensure you are constantly reviewing your key objectives and priorities in light of the current information. Yes, this means that you will constantly be assessing and reviewing and coming up with new and innovative ways to adapt. But, if you can keep on looking ahead in a changing world you can flex and prepare as best as possible, putting business continuity plans in place for most eventualities. We all had to adapt quickly seven months ago, but now we have the time and the insight to ensure that we prepare for a host of eventualities – we’ve done it before we can certainly do it again. Greg French: Risk management is all about identifying specific threats, be they to your own organisation or the industry you’re working in. After identifying threats, the next stage of the process is determining how you can eliminate or ‘engineer out’ risks where possible, or how you’re going to manage the problem, so it creates as little damage as possible. What are the risks to the damage management industry at the moment? Are they ‘physical’ or financial? In truth the global pandemic has had an effect on all businesses, and the reality is that disasters are going to continue during COVID-19. As people are spending more time in their homes, there is actually a possibility of more residential disasters occurring, and during cold weather frozen pipes in unattended offices and factories can have devastating consequences. What we can do as an industry is focus on the things we can control; determining how we can still operate our businesses under the new social distancing requirements and where possible offering companies advice on pre-loss mitigation to make sure their properties are ‘moth-balled’ properly during prolonged periods of lockdown. This helps policyholders to help themselves. Furthermore, the best form of risk management is knowing who to contact in an emergency because where you can’t eliminate a risk you want to be able to deal with it as effectively as possible. This is why every business should have a damage management company on ‘speed-dial’ so that when they suffer a physical disaster they can instantly access critical expertise to start their recovery process. Simon Ford: Keep a tight view on all and any potential risks that could impact your business, whether they’re financial or operational, and review on a weekly basis in these times of change! How can the damage management industry help to raise awareness of flood resilience measures? Simon Ford: I believe that the BDMA needs to build a flood resilience certificate to demonstrate competence in this area of expertise. We would like to hear from our members if this would be of interest. Adam Waters: Hmm… It’s a little like asking the car repair centre to give out copies of the Highway Code to passing motorists, or dry cleaners giving advice on how not to spill your soup down your shirt (I could do with that advice!). There does not appear to be a good place to go for truly impartial advice on how homeowners can manage the risk. You can Google defence barriers and find websites of companies selling sandbags and slottable polypropylene screens. I’m sure that others would even sell you a dinghy and an umbrella! But, I've yet to find an independent and reliable source of information that can advise on an overall flood resilience strategy and the best measures to adopt. Chris Edwards09 BDMA Executive BDMA Executive Simon FordJames ParsonsGreg French Adam Waters It is heartbreaking when we receive a new claim, only to recognise the name and find out that they have had repeat flooding. James Parsons: To answer this question, you need to take one step back and ponder how we can encourage insurers to embrace the concept of ‘building back better’ when it comes to flood repairs. We also all need to put on our ‘sustainability’ hat and embrace the need to reduce waste from property floods. Currently, most insurers provide cover on a like for like basis, so, your property will be put back together again based on how your home was originally constructed. This means it won’t include improvements to enhance its flood performance, other than those that are usually cost neutral, such as moving electrical sockets higher up walls. The aim of making a property more flood resilient or resistant typically comes with increased costs in changing materials, fitting flood barrier products or at the more radical end of the spectrum, physically raising properties. The Build Research Establishment at Watford has a flood house that shows various methods of managing flooding, from drainage within the floor void, to non- return valves on soil pipes, to plastic kitchen cabinets that can be washed down. However, I’ve yet to see any of these measures present in a customer’s home, suggesting not many homeowners are taking the steps to invest in flood protection products. I suspect this is a result of the products needing to be self- funded and not covered by insurance. The current hurdle to overcome is who will fund the improvements? Typically, greater investment is needed to help a property respond better to resisting flood water entering, or bouncing back after flooding, along with being quicker to dry and reinstate. It’s not getting the attention it deserves as there isn’t, currently, appetite to invest time looking at measures that are available, when most insurers aren’t providing cover for the increased cost in deploying flood preventative measures, also known as ‘building back better’ as part of their repair solution. It may be that an insurer's sustainability objective will bring a positive impact in reviewing how they can achieve savings in waste by being more considered with how they repair a customer’s home following flooding. The other challenge is that properties aren’t built to be watertight, even when exit doors are protected with flood barriers, non-return valves on waste pipes and air brick covers, as water still tends to find multiple ways in and flooding still occurs. This is simply because the house hasn’t been built to be 100% watertight. The more I look at flood resilience and resistance the more challenging it becomes to determine the right steps to protect homes from the risk of flooding. Who do you seek for specialist surveys to recommend flood protection (often surveyors are linked to product types/particular systems)? I’ve recently read studies that give support to letting water in and giving an easy point of escape and then setting the strip out and drying work in the quickest and most efficient manner. This is being used as an alternative to attempt to keep flood water out entirely. From personal experience, I’ve yet to see flood barrier products work effectively in holding back flooding when the flood is significant in nature. Although the letting in water approach doesn’t feel innovative or a long-term solution to better help those at risk of flooding, more must be done, having seen firsthand how distressing flooding is for customers. When you consider the timescales taken to dry and carry out repairs and the customers who have repeat flooding, the upset and distress is immense. The mental anguish of monitoring the weather and having to prepare for the worst must take its toll. I am very much in favour of an industry that does more to help customers improve their flood protection and their ability to recover after flooding, in order for them to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.Next >