Farmers Insurance Integrates Skills of America's Veterans Into Robust Disaster Response Efforts

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance®, one of the nation's largest multiline insurance groups, and Team Rubicon, an El Segundo-based, international nonprofit organization that unites veterans with first responders to provide emergency response services, announced today the launch of a unique collaboration that will integrate the skills of America's veterans into the insurance group's robust disaster response efforts. Farmers will kick-start the efforts with a $125,000 contribution to support Team Rubicon's mission.

Beginning with the aftermath of the next major disaster — whether fire, hurricane, tornado or earthquake — Team Rubicon will supplement Farmers on-the-ground relief efforts by offering Farmers customers assistance in the areas of home repair and debris management, such as securing properties to prevent looting, searching for valuables and tarping roofs to alleviate further damage. Team Rubicon will also support local authorities as requested with disaster readiness, relief, recovery and search and rescue missions. With up to 100 veterans at a time deployed to an affected area, Team Rubicon will provide disaster relief services to the local community while working with Farmers.

In the aftermath of an event, the bulk of critical first-response activity is "people-first." Safety-related precautions like cutting power, searching for missing people and controlling access to the area are at the top of local authorities' priorities. While the critical, "people-first" efforts are underway, there generally are too few resources available to help people mitigate further property damage. It can take weeks for contractors to gain access to a property to effectively remove debris or trees, to secure tarps to roofs that stop weather-related elements from doing further damage or simply to board up lesser damaged homes to prevent looting. Team Rubicon will work alongside Farmers to help customers by taking quick action that protects their property for the long-term.

Farmers Insurance has long been at the forefront of response efforts to help those with losses caused by fires, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. From Farmers National Catastrophe Center in Olathe, Kan., the Claims organization monitors weather patterns on a 24/7/365 basis, and this enables them to be the first insurance group on the ground when something happens. In short order, they can mobilize hundreds of agents, adjusters and volunteers to one of their Mobile Claims Centers (MCCs) or Customer Care Vehicles (CCVs) to communities in need. Once there, Farmers employees and agents provide hot meals, sundries, high-speed Internet access and phones to customers and non-customers alike, while expediting claims processing for customers. Beyond being the first insurance group to arrive and often the last to leave, Farmers even goes back. Hundreds of Farmers employees and agents have volunteered thousands of hours of labor to rebuild homes in Joplin, Mo., and Sea Bright, N.J. Farmers also quite literally "wrote the book" on pre- and post-disaster recovery best practices (available at www.disasterrecoveryplaybook.org).

"Farmers has a long-standing reputation as being the first insurance group on the ground when something happens, but we also have a deep commitment to military veterans. Our collaboration with Team Rubicon uniquely merges the two in a way that will benefit our customers during their time of greatest need," said Roy Smith, president of personal lines for Farmers Insurance. "Farmers strives to provide mission-centered work that veterans can identify with, contribute to and become passionate about. And, that means that Farmers is a place where veterans can lead — whether as an agency owner, an employee, or as a crucial member of a disaster response team — because their skills are valued."

Farmers has established itself as a military-friendly employer. One in four Farmers agents is a military veteran, and Farmers last year was designated one of the top 150 military employers and one of the top 50 military spouse employers by MilitaryFriendly.com. Additionally, Farmers signed a statement of support with the Department of Defense office of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), committing to seek ways to increase opportunities for Guardsmen, Reservists and Veterans. During the holidays, Farmers employees and agency owners write and send holiday cards to wounded veterans.

"Team Rubicon is committed to serving those affected by disasters by repurposing the skills of veterans to deliver effective emergency response services," said Jake Wood, CEO of Team Rubicon. "Farmers is often right there next to us at recovery scenes, so it's only natural for us to join forces. Together, we can work to get communities back on their feet even faster than ever before."

During its annual Salute to Service Awards fundraiser on Nov. 10, Team Rubicon will honor Farmers with its Veterans Advocacy Award for its commitment to employing military veterans as agency owners.

About Team Rubicon

Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. The disaster relief organization offers veterans the opportunity to continue their service by helping those affected by disasters while regaining a sense of purpose, community and identity. For more about Team Rubicon, visit www.teamrubicon.com. Also see us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Farmers Insurance

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a leading U.S. insurer group of automobiles, homes and small businesses and also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with over 19 million individual policies across all 50 states through the efforts of over 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 22,000 employees. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three primary insurance entities that make up the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies®, is ranked No. 264 on the 2015 Fortune 500 list of largest companies.

For more information about Farmers, visit its Web site at www.Farmers.com, on Twitter @WeAreFarmers, or at www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283072
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283083
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283073
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130731/LA56061LOGO

SOURCE Farmers Insurance