"Awesome, baby!" If he were Dick Vitale, that's how Paul Peeples, FAIA's vice president of information and technology, might describe the association's new Catastrophe Relief Vehicle (CRV). But being a vice president and all (and a techie to boot) Peeples is a bit more restrained. "Pretty nifty," he concedes, when describing the $150,000 traveling behemoth.
Forty feet long, outfitted with bold graphics and pulling a matching trailer, the state-of-the-art CRV makes a striking visual statement. Deliberately so. When not being utilized as an insurance command center during catastrophes, the vehicle serves as an educational and public relations tool to promote the Trusted Choice brand and to attract people to the industry.
During its "down time," the CRV is driven to Florida State University football games where business students of both teams can commiserate or celebrate with any FAIA members on hand. It also is scheduled to make the rounds to various college and university career days to promote the insurance business and to help address a growing insurance problem – lack of trained personnel.
During emergencies, the CRV's location will be determined by the Department of Financial Services. It will be available to travel out-of-state if needed; however, Florida catastrophic events will take precedence. The state-of-the-art CRV has designated drivers and "spotters" who will ensure its arrival on disaster scenes within 24 hours of a call from the DFS.
In the wake of a storm, insurance agents are among the first to respond in spite of the fact that they, too, are victims. If their communications systems are down and offices are severely damaged or destroyed, initiating the response process can be extremely challenging. This new vehicle will provide immediate resources to jumpstart the claims process.
"The greatest needs after a hurricane are supplies and communication capabilities," said FAIA President and CEO Jeff Grady. "This highly visible mobile command center will give our agents the tools and supplies they need to help customers begin the recovery process."
A Haven in the Storm
The van is designed to be a self-contained mobile command center, complete with Internet access. "With the CRV, we can get to an area and create a stationary work environment for people," Peeples says. "That was our biggest problem before; maintaining a work environment. With our other unit, we were just a glorified vehicle to deliver supplies. Not any more.
"Kudos to the board on making this huge monetary commitment," Peeples said. "Board members had to make a decision: Are we going to be prepared or are we going to react? They decided we would be prepared."
At board direction, Peeples began the research process to locate and outfit a CRV late last year. "We had to do a lot of fast moving to get it ready for convention and hurricane season," he reported. He found a company in Roanoke, Virginia, capable of installing the equipment, including the 400-pound satellite on the roof.
Bought used, the RV was fully renovated and outfitted with the latest satellite and computer technology, plus some creature comforts. "When people walk in, they can't believe it," Peeples said. "They think it is way too comfortable to be a workplace. And it IS comfortable. It doesn't look utilitarian inside. We know that. We wanted it to be a refuge, a place where agents can distance themselves from the chaos outside."
Latest and Greatest Tech Stuff
Comfort aside, the RV is seriously high-tech. The self-contained unit allows agents to pull up customer records and policies, assess damages, and file claims the first day of the storm. The vehicle also is stocked with storm victim supplies, basic office recovery items and other disaster response resources.
Its technical capabilities include:
Full satellite communication
Global positioning system
Wireless internet access
2 Bat Phones
Laptops/printers
XM Satellite Radio ready
Satellite phone, operating via high speed Virtual Private Networks in a secure wireless environment. It has one-megabit range.
On-board Global Positioning System running through a high-powered Pioneer AVIC-N3 Navigation system, which will help guide those staffing the RV into storm-damaged locations
Direct TV satellite in a closed array auto tracking system, allowing for basic news and weather stations
An inside or outside office space to accommodate agents and consumers
Onboard generator that produces enough power to run the entire unit and technology.
Showing the Colors
The CRV received wide media coverage when it was unveiled in the capitol courtyard earlier this year, fittingly on the day before the start of hurricane season. That same month it traveled to Orlando for the FAIA annual convention, and since then has been displayed at local board luncheons, Young Agent gatherings, and other meetings. It recently was driven to New Orleans and the IIABA Leadership Conference, transporting folks to help with the inauguration of FAIA's Alex Soto, the new president of the national Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. Representatives from all 50 states toured the CRV and thousands on the way there and back saw the boldly painted Trusted Choice brand and motto on the RV's side.
In addition to trekking to several local association "Big I" outings, it has made the scene at the Bristol, Tenn., racetrack. Another public relations appearance is scheduled for Talladega.
Grady hopes the vehicle will come to symbolize hope and relief for those affected by storms. "We want customers to know that our agents are going to be there for them when a storm hits," he said. "This vehicle is a highly visible way to do that."
Thankfully, so far this hurricane season, the RV has only had "fun runs," not "disaster runs."
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