GE Commercial to Headline Okla. Seminar

Commercial property insurance and risk management provider GE Commercial Insurance announced it will be the key presenter at an upcoming building safety and security symposium in Oklahoma City.

The two-day symposium, April 24-25, is sponsored by the Protecting People First Foundation, and marks the 8th anniversary of the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing.

John Frank and Jeff Roberts of GE Commercial Insurance will deliver a presentation on some of the initiatives underway in the insurance industry to make buildings safer and minimize exposures to natural and man-made disasters.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry will also join the list of speakers and panelists highlighting how building owners and managers can make buildings safer from flying glass and other hazards associated with terrorist attacks.

“The world of risk management has become more complex and demanding,” said Frank, who is Loss Prevention Training Leader at GE Global Asset Protection Services, a division of GE Commercial Insurance. “Recent events in our world illustrate the need for a more comprehensive understanding of our living and working environments and developing actionable plans to protect property and lives.”

“If you look at commercial property losses, you see a growing trend toward more natural catastrophic events,” said Jeff Roberts, Senior Loss Prevention Specialist at GE Commercial Insurance. “As a result, building owners and risk managers are taking note of flying glass hazards and other consequences of severe windstorms and insurers are being approached to provide solutions, helping them mitigate those risks.”

The symposium will begin with a ceremony honoring the General Services Administration for taking life-saving steps to protect employees and visitors of the new Oklahoma City Federal Campus.

The new Federal building nearing completion will replace the Murrah Federal building that was destroyed by a terrorist on April 19, 1995. Incorporated in the new Federal Campus design are bomb blast windows designed to prevent injuries and death from flying glass. The specially designed windows are similar to those credited with saving lives in the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

The Protecting People First Foundation was founded by Aren Almon-Kok, mother of Oklahoma City bombing victim, 1-year-old Baylee Almon. The image of Baylee Almon’s lifeless body being cradled by fireman Chris Fields became the icon of the bombing. The mission of the foundation is to raise the awareness of the dangers of flying glass, most deadly in a terrorist bombing.