It was 5 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007, when Farmers Insurance agent Bart Baker was quickly awakened in his Malibu, Calif.-area home by his son, who informed him that he could see columns of smoke rising in the area surrounding their home. Immediately, Baker and his family leapt into action, calling everyone they knew in the vicinity that could possibly be affected by last fall’s Malibu wildfire.
The Bakers placed numerous phone calls, but no one answered, that is, until Bart reached someone who was a friend as well as a customer. Baker was informed by his client, Will O’Leary, that he was alone and that the houses surrounding his were burning.
Upon hearing that news, Baker, a former engineer and patrolman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, courageously threw on his old gear and rushed to the scene. Having worked as a firefighter in that area, he knew the backroads and was able to make his way promptly to his client.
When he arrived at the neighborhood, Baker saw that everyone had been evacuated, including Will’s wife, who rushed over to him, exclaiming, “[Will’s] from New Jersey, he doesn’t know anything about fires.”
Luckily Baker did.
Baker maneuvered his way up to the scene, a challenging quarter-mile walk. When he arrived at the house, he saw that the home had not yet started to burn. He had arrived at the scene about an hour and a half before the fire department. So his first step was to remove the patio furniture and other combustibles from the area.
“It is important to be vigilant,” Baker said. He then managed to finish securing the home and control the fire.
Little did he know at the time, but the November Malibu fire would eventually burn more than 4,000 acres and destroy 49 buildings.
Yet with his expertise, Baker saved one home valued at more than $1 million.
Besides taking the unusual step to put out fires himself, Baker said his 20-year firefighting career has helped him to be a better insurance agent. With his experience, he is better equipped to write homeowners’ policies and to work with his customers on fire safety.
Homeowners’ insurance is one of the main focuses at his company, B.W. Baker Insurance Services, a member of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies.
When writing policies, Baker often advises customers that they need to be prepared to prevent fire damage.
“Customers need to be aware that fires typically start small on the exterior of a home and become large because they are not managed,” he said. He advises people to remove combustible fuel, such as firewood or patio furniture from the area surrounding the structure as soon as they become aware that there are fires nearby. Additionally, “if you are near a home that is on fire, the radiant heat coming through the windows can catch curtains on fire. Curtains should be removed or pushed completely open,” he added. And as the fires begin to burn around you, fill up any large containers, such as trash cans, with water, so that you have supplies on hand should water pressure and supplies dwindle, he advised.
Farmers’ adage is that the company’s agents are there to help customers in their time of need. Bart Baker no doubt exemplified this during the Malibu Fire.
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