Home impact
Managing the risks of everyday life begins with preparation. Each year, nearly one in 20 insured homes reports a claim. We’re looking at ways we predict and prevent losses, protecting customers and their investments.
Fire
Each year billions of dollars in property and hundreds of lives are lost as a result of intentionally set fires. State Farm evaluates fire-prevention products to determine effectiveness, and regularly communicates on this issue nationally and locally.
Since 1993, the State Farm Arson Dog Program has provided funding for the acquisition and training of more than 435 teams across the United States and Canada. Accelerant detection canines (ADCs) are trained to sniff out minute traces of accelerants and work help to either confirm arson or eliminate the possibility, allowing insurance claim processes to move forward.
State Farm researches the causes of – and ways to prevent – home and building fires.
State Farm partnerships with groups such as the National Fire Protection Association and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition to include home fire sprinklers in all new houses.
All ADCs are Labrador retrievers or Lab mixes that are acquired through guide dog/disability assistance canine organizations, local animal shelters and humane societies.
Earthquakes
State Farm has a strong voice in the scientific community because of its earthquake research base isolation for residential construction: a technique where a building is separate from the foundation so it can move independently during an earthquake. earthquakes.
Our knowledge and advocacy have made a positive impact on seismic-resilience building codes, including earthquake design requirements, across the country. State Farm actively participates in national organizations responsible for updating earthquake design standards as a result of scientific advances.
State Farm participated in research at the University of California San Diego examining earthquake damage and consequences.
Our earthquake damage research examined cracking, building finishes, and fires.
Hail
In the 1990s, State Farm began working with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety key laboratories and manufacturers to develop impact-resistance test standards and Impact-Resistant Roofing materials to combat hail damage. We continue to partner with IBHS in its research initiatives to advance science related to hail. By doing this, State Farm remains an industry leader in encouraging residential roofing manufacturers to develop better impact-resistant roofing.
State Farm roofing material research led to the development and approval of two American National Standards Institute impact standards: a State Farm policyholder Impact-Resistant Roofing Premium Discount Program, and the manufacture of higher-quality roofing products.
Water
Our investigations spanned the breadth of residential plumbing devices and water-consuming appliances. This information helps inform business decisions and educate customers and the general public. While modes of failure for individual plumbing devices had unique mechanical nuances, general themes of failure emerged from these product investigations.
State Farm has conducted water damage-related research since the 1990s.
Our vast amount of knowledge on water-related losses was built through research on frozen pipes, sump pumps, and appliances
Common modes of failure are errors in design, manufacturing, installation or operation as well as misapplication, neglect, utility interruption and environmental events.
Technology
Our past experiences inform and shape our improvements. Homeowners claims related to wind or hail are the most frequent, while fire and lightning losses are the costliest. By leveraging smart home technologies, we’re able to incorporate a “predict and prevent” mindset into our existing “repair and replace” model.
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
State Farm became a founding member of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) in 1998. The IBHS is an independent, non-profit, scientific research, and communications organization supported solely by property insurers and re-insurers. Its safety research leads to real-world solutions for home and business owners, creating more resilient communities.
In 2010, State Farm helped to fund and launch the IBHS Research Center located on a 90-acre parcel of land in Chester County, South Carolina. This enables researchers to more fully and accurately evaluate residential and commercial construction materials and systems under realistic re-creations of severe weather hazards.