Good Neighbor Stories

State Farm® expands Ting fire safety program to 2 million homes

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:11:48 -0500

State Farm is pleased to announce the expansion of the Ting fire safety program as part of its longstanding commitment to fostering safer homes and communities, offering eligible customers more than 2 million smart sensors for free. With this program expansion, State Farm continues to lead the industry with the largest free distribution of smart home technology to help predict and prevent losses and ultimately save lives.

With increasing reliance on electronics, devices, and the power grid at large, the occurrence of electrical fires has steadily risen, according to national data from FEMA,¹ resulting in a fire in a U.S. home every ten minutes.² Since 2020, State Farm has collaborated with Whisker Labs to combat this risk with a simple, plug-in sensor that monitors a home for dangerous arcing, the precursor to most electrical fires. Beyond its ability to detect and therefore help prevent electrical fires, Ting also offers additional benefits like power outage and dangerous utility power notifications, frozen pipe prevention, and more.

"Putting customers first and being a good neighbor is at the heart of the State Farm mission. Ting is part of our ongoing commitment to prevent losses and protect more people in more ways.” says Chris Schell, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of State Farm. "Hearing from our customers about how Ting has helped them protect their families and homes is extremely powerful. It just makes sense to expand the program to reach even more homeowners with free Ting sensors.”

Today, nearly 700,000 homes insured by State Farm have received a Ting sensor, with 50,000 additional sensors reaching homes each month.

"We continue to be humbled by the unwavering commitment of State Farm to customer safety. It has been an honor to work to build a program that has saved nearly 10,000 homes from electrical fire hazards," says Bob Marshall, Co-Founder & CEO of Whisker Labs. "Expanding the offer to 2 million homes is another example of how State Farm always puts their customers first. Ting sensors help protect individual homes and monitor the electric utility grid that we rely on for life every day. Prevention is simply better for everyone."

State Farm homeowners interested in a free Ting sensor and service can check eligibility and enroll online. In addition to the smart plug-in sensor and app, customers receive $1,000 credit for professional remediation of electrical fire hazards when required (provided by Whisker Labs).

_1._{FEMA - Residential Building Electrical Malfunction Fire Trends}
_2._{NFPA report - Home Electrical Fires}

About Whisker Labs:

Whisker Labs develops cutting-edge sensor technology to protect families, homes, and communities by predicting and preventing electrical fires while also monitoring the resiliency and safety of the U.S. electrical grid. Its flagship solution, Ting, draws on decades of electromagnetic and atmospheric sensor expertise combined with AI to detect electrical faults in the home and on the grid. Through a single, DIY sensor plugged into a wall outlet, Ting enables intelligent detection, localization, and mitigation of hazards before they can start a fire. As one of the fastest growing grid IoT networks, Ting is proven to prevent 4 out 5 electrical fires, reducing home fire losses and saving lives across the U.S. every day. For more information visit www.whiskerlabs.com and www.tingfire.com.

Good Neighbors Celebrating the Humanity of Habitat

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 08:12:00 -0600

State Farm has supported Habitat for Humanity International's youth initiatives since 2007. That commitment has mobilized more than 650,000 young volunteers to build homes. It also demonstrates advocacy for affordable housing.

To celebrate, the company held builds in its Phoenix, Atlanta, and Dallas hub locations. More than 400 State Farm employees participated alongside four families in need. The volunteers helped revitalize a historic neighborhood and complete a Habitat townhome community.

“State Farm is proud of our relationship with Habitat for Humanity. It's helped families across the U.S. build homes to call their own,” said Ed Woods, State Farm human resources director. “The October builds helped us further that tradition while turning caring into doing.”

"We are incredibly grateful for the generosity State Farm continues to extend. It helps connect young leaders to Habitat's mission. It also helps families achieve the dream of home ownership," said Colleen Finn Ridenhour, Habitat's senior vice president of development. "We are proud of our accomplishments together."

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Mon, 22 May 2017 18:17:00 -0500

Home is where the heart is. In Jaimi Jones’ case, it was also where mold and mildew were. Jaimi, a renter, was worried about the health of her two teenagers but didn’t think she could afford to buy her own house.

Like millions of Americans, Jaimi dreamed of being a homeowner. Fortunately for this Atlanta- area single mom, she found the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) which is supported by State Farm.

Jaimi, the ever-protective mother, surveyed the new neighborhood before she purchased the home from ANDP. She spoke with several neighbors to make sure her family would feel safe and happy in their new suburban community. She purchased the home with down payment assistance from ANDP making the payments more affordable.

“I pay less with my mortgage payment than most pay for rent,” Jaimi says. “But I’m most happy about the healthier environment for my children.”

The proud first-time homeowner can finally breathe a mold-free sigh of relief.

Vet gets the assist he needs

Chad O’Brien, a U.S Army vet, was deployed twice to Iraq in his five years of service. Now stateside, he wanted to provide a stable home for his two young daughters. But to afford the payments, he had to take side jobs in addition to his new career in local government. This took him away from his children.

“It was a win-lose situation, and after his service to his country, he deserved a win-win!” shared John O’Callaghan, President & CEO of ANDP.

Chad was able to purchase a home with the help of ANDP’s Veterans Affordable Home Purchase Program. He now has a mortgage payment $300 a month less than his previous rent payment. The savings means no more side jobs and a shorter commute. But even more important, this means more time with his little girls. Chad got his win-win!

Neighborhoods changing dramatically

Tracey Smith looked around her neighborhood and was scared. “My neighbors and I were worried about vandalism and squatting and how that could impact our home values,” says Tracey, a homeowner in a development that was foreclosed on before the community was complete. “Our home values were already falling because of the foreclosure crisis.”

“But then ANDP bought the available homes and helped homebuyers with down payment assistance,” shared Tracey. “It really changed our neighborhood outlook. We’re creating a sense of community, a sense of family and we look out for one another.”

Since 2007, ANDP has shifted all organizational programs to focus on neighborhood and homeowner recovery. 525 single-family homes and apartment units have been saved because of the ANDP foreclosure redevelopment program.

In the case of Douglas County, a suburban area of Atlanta, the impact was significant. ANDP conducted a study on the impact of its acquisition, rehab and repopulation of 53 homes in the county. The study showed an investment of $2.3 million in rehab of 53 homes. This investment resulted in a $14.6 million increase in values for surrounding properties.

Tracey’s neighborhood, in Douglas County, is now completely full. Empty lots have been developed and empty homes have been purchased. She looks around at her neighborhood and is full of pride.

*Homeowner’s last names have been changed to protect their privacy.

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Saved by the Beep

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0500

The Geis family had been in their home only one month, when Michelle heard a knock on the door. Indianapolis firefighters were going door to door in their new neighborhood as part of their annual October smoke detector blitz.

Michelle and her husband Christopher were still unpacking when the firefighters told them they needed new, working smoke alarms. Michelle was thankful for the great service in their neighborhood but didn’t realized just how grateful she would be five months later.

In March 2015, Michelle was home alone with her three youngest children. She heard a beeping sound. She thought it was a truck backing up, but soon realized it was her new smoke alarm. Moments later, her son ran in and said the upstairs was on fire. Michelle got her three year old, two year old and one month old out of the house and called the fire department. The entire back of their home was destroyed.

Later that summer, the Geis family thanked firefighters and State Farm volunteers who installed the alarm in their home months before.

Michelle spoke through tears to the volunteers and firefighters. Though their home was severely damaged, her children were unharmed.

During the same smoke detector blitz in October 2014, smoke alarms were installed in Johnie Mae Pannell’s home.

A few short months later, Johnie Mae was sleeping on her couch when the smoke alarm woke her up. She was able to get in her wheelchair and out of her home without any injuries. Firefighters said, due to the amount of smoke in the home, if Johnie Mae hadn’t gotten out when she did, the story could have had a different ending.

“As firefighters, we hope for the best”, said Captain Rita Reith with the Indianapolis Fire Department. “It’s hard on us to see people lose it all. But to know these smoke alarms saved lives - that is the best outcome.”

For 15 years, the Indianapolis Fire Department and State Farm have worked together on fire safety education. Every October, the fire department focuses on one neighborhood to promote awareness.

Through the years, more than 30,000 smoke alarms have been distributed and are in the homes of local residents. The exact number of families and children who have benefited from the program is unknown. But the city has seen a dramatic 75 percent decrease in the number of child fatalities since the program began.

“Unfortunately, these smoke detector blitzes can’t happen in every neighborhood”, said Reith. “Keep your family safe. Check your smoke detectors, replace batteries and get a new smoke alarm every ten years. If you need help contact your local fire station.”