NASHVILLE, TN – The holiday season increases the chance for mishaps, as more people travel and attend gatherings. Factor in the fatigue and distraction that can accompany changes to our routines, and the risk becomes greater. After all, no one ever plans on being injured. 

Please see the attached November 2012 disciplinary actions report for Commerce and Insurance. The disciplinary actions report is issued each month by Commerce and Insurance's Division of Regulatory Boards. Each board and commission is empowered by statute to take disciplinary action, including the revocation of licenses and assignment of civil penalties, against license holders found to have violated laws governing their professions.

The reports (archived at http://1.usa.gov/zofWtO) and Commerce and Insurance’s regulatory board licensing database, verify.tn.gov, can be useful tools for Tennesseans looking to do business with licensed professionals.

NASHVILLE, TN – Fresh off the news from the National Fire Protection Association that Tennessee has improved its fatal-fire rankings by four positions, on Nov. 27, the State Fire Marshal’s Office will begin distributing smoke alarms to the counties most likely to have residential fire deaths.

NASHVILLE, TN – “You have notifications pending.” So states the email purportedly from Facebook, alerting you to missed updates related to your Facebook account. It features, under the familiar logo with “Facebook” spelled out in white letters in a blue bar, two boxes for you to click if you wish to go to either your Facebook homepage or to all of your account’s notifications. 

NASHVILLE, TN – According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year in America more than 150 people die from accidental, non-fire related carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning associated with consumer products. These products include faulty, improperly used or incorrectly vented fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces.

NASHVILLE, TN – As temperatures change, storms can result, bringing damage to our homes. The Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) would like to offer consumers some tips for interacting with insurance companies and for selecting contractors:

• As soon as possible after an event affects your home, check the damage to see whether you should contact your insurance company to file a claim.
• If you choose to contact your company, locate a copy of your policy and read through it. Make a thorough inventory for your adjustor of all of the items missing from or damaged in your home.
  

NASHVILLE, TN – Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur. Operable smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a deadly home fire. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), working smoke alarms cut in half the risk of dying in reported home fires. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm in your home can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Working smoke alarms save lives and should be installed and maintained in every home,” State Fire Marshal and Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak says. The state’s fire incident reports for 2011 indicated that smoke alarms were present in only 36 percent of fatal fire cases. Increasing the presence of smoke alarms in Tennessee households increases the possibility that more lives can be saved from fire danger.