Forums

Posted By JimAustin on 24 Jul 2009 12:52 PM

...  I'm new to the industry and would like some info on steep roof training. 
 

Have you seen this thread: http://www.catadjuster.org/Forums/t...fault.aspx

also one on ladder safety http://catadjuster.org/Forums/tabid...fault.aspx

I think you are in the middle of a squalble of training schools. I don,t think US Staffing trains State Farm Adjusters. None of the traing schools have any creditability except VALE TEC. I was trained by my employer, a major insurance company who sent me to a lot of legal, construction, theory  and letter writing schools but none of these schools can certify you as competant......

I took the State Farm and Allstate test many years ago and the vendor who sponsered me made it very clear. "I was now eligable to work for these two carriers, but I had no certifications. No standards exist that I know off.

Posted By JimAustin on 27 Jul 2009 10:34 AM
Ive contacted some of my close friends with State Farm and they spoke to the people in charge of the rope and harness division and they claim that they've never heard of Mr. Kramer and that he never trained adjusters from that company. Their information also confirmed that State Farm uses US Staffings training facility to train their adjusters. 

Do you know people in the Nat Cat team of State Farm, or were you just talking to the local claims people?

Honestly there are so many people working at the National Cat team as State Farm staff that they do not know every other person there.   If you are talking to simply the local claims department, they are not on the same radar screen we are talking about.

Ray's right, they train their own (at least the Cat team of State Farm).  I am currently deployed with State Farm as an independent and have worked with them quite a bit.  Keven and I worked out of the same office at Katrina, he is a good guy in my opinion.  We all have our baggage, and I am no exception. 

As to the main focus of your post - really you could do all the training in the world and still go broke in this business.  it is very hard to keep steady work, it is something we all have to work at.  You can have qualifications out the wazoo and still have grief landing a gig. 

In my opinion, the reason to do the steep training is just for safety.  I roped up on a 12/12 with loose granules today that would have been totally a widow-maker without a rope & harness.  And there is no way the damage could have been seen from the ground.  Only a few shingles were missing, they were 30 year laminates with random tears throughout, with nails pulled through asphalt.  The tears blended in with the dimensional look, you had to really get up close, and draw chalk lines so it would show up on the camera.

 

Posted By JimAustin on 28 Jul 2009 09:54 AM
...and as far as the certifications thing, that is exactly what I thought. There is no such thing as a steep roof certification, its just for personal safety.

Actually, I mentioned my opinion, the reason to do the steep training is just for safety.
I didn't say there wasn't a certification:
 

Posted By Amart on 04 Aug 2009 08:23 PM
...On the way back down however i decided it would be best to distribute my weight over both feet and hands. After arriving at the eave after a slow slide, i had tear in my pants and my hands were torn up and bleeding.  

Sometimes it takes a humbling experience to force us to change our habits, or take the extra effort to learn how to conquer something.  I know I went up some widow-maker roofs that prompted me to fly from my home town in California to Houston, 2 days hotel, and the class was a fraction of the cost of the trip.  I would do it again in a heartbeat, and now carry my rope & equipment and use it anytime the roof is at all spooky.  Some roofs will shed granules like BB's and even cougar paws will not save you.  You need to be able to rope up, regardless of who trains you or of you do your own research, it's better than landing "jelly side down" on the ground.

I am not sure why but when i got to the eave and put my foot out ready to fall is when i stopped. 

In my un-educated opinion, I believe it is because you placed all of your weight on fewer points of contact when you lifted one of your 4 paws.  I am not a crab-walker and believe in wearing the best-gripping shoes you can (www.cougarpaws.com) and placing all of your weight on the feet.  Move SLOWLY on a steep roof, and never walk back-wards.  If I am not roped up and it is a semi-steep roof, I would NEVER do it without cougar paws, and I walk with one hand ready to grab the ridge if I slip and the toes pointing down to the eve.

If you have to get down and there is not a valley to reduce the angle... then is when you realize you should have roped up.  It's not that big of a deal once you get used to it.  Where I am deployed right now I don't need it that often, but at least once a week I pull up to a house that is spooky and I get the rope out.  Again here's another thread with some amature photos http://www.catadjuster.org/Forums/tabid/60/aff/28/aft/10829/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Posted By GWright on 05 Aug 2009 10:13 AM
As far as Bob, I guess you've never taken any criticism in your life. ...Not every comment here is an attack towards you guys character or intelligence. Take it for what its worth and stop being a baby.

I'm supposed to be criticized because...  I'm sorry, I forgot what I did wrong.

You are either a fairly new adjuster, like 2 years or less, or you are one of the ones that gives the rest of us a bad name.
Your profile is blank, or I would be more specific. 

Much more important than the ability to estimate & measure, is the ability to negotiate an amicable agreement with parties involved to a loss.  You just seem to stir up the pot, on this and other threads.

I hope you are more polite to your policyholders than you are to your peers. 

Posted By GWright on 05 Aug 2009 10:13 AM 
Sure you can work as an adjuster but thats it. If thats what you were going for then way to go buddy!!!! 

Have you noticed the name of this web site?  We are adjusters.  What is your issue?

 

I simply said do not mislead people to thinking there is a rope and harness certification. There is not one for insurance adjusters.

I just posted an image of one...  and it was good enough for my vendor.  They paid me well for working rope & Harness in Atlanta from April through June when the claims wrapped up.  If it's good enough for one of the largest insurance companies in the world, I say it is good enough. 

Why are we having this conversation?  What is your battle? 

GWright, A/K/A, Dudley DoWright. After having looked at your profile, you appear to be a meddler and mud kicker as opposed to being a CERTIFIED adjuster. I don't usually criticize people, but I don't like friends of mine criticized, unless due. I am fully aware of Bob's qualifications and they are excellent. What exactly are yours, certainly not diplomacy.

Common sense applies here. R&H training was not offered many years ago when I was climbing roofs that were more dangerous than my jumping out of an airplane at 15,000 feet, which I have done many times. I have been fortunate for quite a few years having not fallen off one roof, save one. I blame myself for that one fall, it was not applying common sense. Attitudes are an important part of this business, and that does include diplomacy. In my humble opinion, R&H should be required on all roof pitches in excess of 10/12 and 9/12 is borderline for safety. additional pay should be present while ascending and descending a roof pitch at 10/12 and above, especially two and three story, whether using rope or not. Of course we know that will not happen, but it should be as hazard pay. Do you think some of the vendors care whether you fall from a roof, no way. They just get upset because you are no longer productive as a result of that fall. Some do care, however.

Certification is not necessary for Rope and Harness in this occupation , but it is beneficial when you have a piece of paper that says you have passed an R&H class and are certified for it. Your basically have a knowledge to know how to climb a roof while applying the R&H training. Safety first, among all others.

Sorry Bob, I just could not drop this issue and if this allows a Smart A** comment from Dudley, let it be.

You and I both know your not going to quit reading on this site. Your commentary is welcome, I just suggest you use your words more carefully. Diplomacy is imporant, whether you wish to use it or not is your right. What are the ol timers expected to do, tell everyone we just started yesterday. Trader and I combined have almost a hundred years experience, or close to it. Do we waste that knowledge because someone is irritated by ol timers, I hardly think so. Most readers appreciate what advice is being given. Sometimes we get a little irked by some of the immature, irrational statements made. Who wouldn't.