XL Group's Fast Fast Forward Honors Innovation in Fire Safety and Protection During Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In observance of National Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11, global (re)insurer XL Group is honoring early developments and recent innovations making a huge impact on saving lives and protecting property from fire.  XL's online platform for sharing news, ideas and tools on risk management and business challenges, Fast Fast Forward discusses:

• When the Going Gets Hot, the Drones Get Going: John Frank, P.E., FSFPE and Pete Willse, P.E., FSFPE, members of XL Group's global risk engineering team, examine the latest firefighting trend – the use of drones to survey fires  and, perhaps soon, to fight fires.  
• Fire Prevention's Biggest Game Changers: XL Group's risk engineers take a look at technology's huge impact, particularly automatic sprinklers and smoke alarms, on fire prevention and firefighting.
•  What Benjamin, Samuel and Ebenezer started: Fast Fast Forward columnist Maryanne Sherman looks at how the idea of fire insurance and one of the first organized firefighting units emerged out of the mind of Benjamin Franklin.   

Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) takes one week in October – which marks the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 - to promote fire safety strategies. This year, NFPA's Fire Prevention Week theme is "Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives; Test Yours Every Month!"  Visit www.firepreventionweek.org for more information.

As a result of these efforts and the attention it brings, fires and fire losses dipped last year.  According to NFPA's annual National Fire Experience Survey, fire departments responded to 1.24 million fires in 2013, a 9.8% decrease from 2012.  Despite the decline, fires contributed to 3,240 civilian fire fatalities, 15,925 civilian fire injuries and an estimated $11.5 billion in direct property loss, highlighting the continued need to promote fire prevention.  

About XL Group plc

XL Group plc (NYSE: XL), through its subsidiaries, is a global insurance and reinsurance company providing property, casualty and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world.   XL is the company clients look to for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward. To learn more, visit xlgroup.com

XL Group is the global brand used by XL Group plc's insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries.

SOURCE XL Group