(August 25, 2010) Glatfelter Public Practice recently released a Risk Communiqué to assist schools and municipalities on monitoring and inspecting their playgrounds. This new Risk Communiqué is one in a series that addresses playground supervision, safety rules and surface material selection. The Risk Communiqué is titled "Playground Inspection."

You can view this on the Risk Control Services page, under the Risk Control Communiqué Educational Institutions/Municipalities Authority tabs.

(August 20, 2010) Perspectives, a newsletter published by the American Society of Safety Engineers Public Sector Practice Specialty, recently featured two articles by Glatfelter Public Practice. "Control Burn Guidelines" written by Dennis McShane discusses an analysis of burn claims and "Vehicle Accident Investigation" by Daniel Mahoney explains how to determine preventability in vehicle accidents.

Click here to read the articles.

(August 2, 2010) Glatfelter Public Practice recently released two Risk Communiqués to assist municipalities manage the risks associated with Skate Parks. The Risk Communiqués provide guidance to minimize the risk of injury to skateboarders, protect the spectators, and offer suggestions to municipalities that are considering developing a skate park in their community. The Risk Communiqués are entitled Skate Park Design and Management and Skate Park Safety.

You can view these on the Risk Control Services page, under the Risk Control Communiqué Municipalities Authority tab.

(July 6, 2010) In response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations’’ prediction of an “active to extremely active” 2010 hurricane season , Glatfelter Public Practice is providing clients with a Risk Communiqué’ entitled “Hurricane Preparedness and Response for Water and Wastewater Facilities” . The document provides guidance for water and wastewater facilities to minimize the potential for impairment of public services and to provide continuity of operations.

(June 8, 2010) Glatfelter Public Practice (GPP) client Shelley Levine of Bollinger Insurance and GPP’s Mark McCrary are interviewed by Rough Notes Magazine regarding the state of the market for educational institutions.

Click here to read the article.

(May 26, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice's Director of Risk Control Dennis McShane had his article "Protecting Schools’ Electronic Data-Processing Systems" published in Association of School Business Officials International's (ASBO) School Business Affairs. You can view the article here.

Please note: This article originally appeared in the April 2010 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates. For more information about ASBO please visit www.asbointl.org.

GPP Publishes Two "Risk Observer" School Bus Aids in NYSBCA's Yellow Bus Newsletter
(May 20, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice published two "Risk Observer" aids in NYSBCA's Spring 2010 Yellow Bus Newsletter. School Bus Rider Safety Tips for Students and School Bus Driver Accident Response are published on pages 22 and 23 of the newsletter. You can view the Spring 2010 edition here.

The New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA) is an organization comprising over two hundred school bus companies, also known as school bus contractors, with the primary mission of promoting safe, reliable and cost-effective student transportation services in New York State. More information can be found at www.nysbca.com.

New GPP Risk Control Communiqués Now Available for Educational Institutions

(April 21, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice added two new Risk Control Communiqués to their online Risk Control resources. The new Communiqués are geared toward Educational Institutions, and focus on Incident Review and the Transportation of Students in Private Automobiles. You can view these on the Risk Control Services page, under the Risk Control Communiqué/Educational Institutions tab.

GPP and Clients Published in American Agent and Broker

(April 16, 2010) The article entitled "Succeeding with Public Entity Business: Price vs. Cost" appeared in the April issue of American Agent and Broker and features the insights of two GPP clients. Focused on making agents and brokers aware of the challenges that public entities face, helping them respond with complete insurance programs that address the entities' unique needs and risk exposures, the article is a must read for agents seeking to enter the Public Entity marketplace.

Click here to view this article.

Glatfelter Public Practice Water and Municipal Programs Expands Marketing Territory

(April 15, 2010) Glatfelter Public Practice, a division of Glatfelter Insurance Group, is pleased to announce that as of April 1, 2010, our integrated water and municipal programs have expanded its marketing territory to 26 states. With the recent addition of 12 states, brokers/agents can now access these specially designed programs in AL, AR, AZ, CT, CO, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, LA, ME, MS, MT, NC, NM, OH, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, and WY. By the end of 2010, the programs are expected to become available nationwide.

Prior to their integration in 2009, these programs were recognized as RSDIS and PRIME. Today, our water/sewer program is one of the largest in the country for entities that treat, distribute, or store water and our municipality program is recognized for providing highly customized coverage for cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages with a population up to 75,000.

According to Mark McCrary, president of Glatfelter Public Practice, “With the recent distribution expansion of our integrated water and municipality programs to 26 states, it is exciting to know that in over half the states in the country, independent brokers/agents can now have access to the premier water and municipality programs in the marketplace today. And by year end our goal is to expand our territory nationwide. I encourage brokers/agents to visit our website or call us toll-free to contact a Glatfelter Public Practice marketing representative in their state who can answer any question they may have about the programs.”

For additional information contact a Glatfelter Public Practice representative at 888-855-4782 .

GPP Publishes "Chemical Management Plans for School Labs" Article in Spring ASSE's Perspectives

(April 12, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice's (GPP) Miles Kravis, CPSI, GPP Industry Specialist, authored an article entitled "Chemical Management Plans for School Labs" for the Spring issue of ASSE's Perspectives.

Click here to view this article.

GPP Publishes "Hurricane Preparedness and Response - Tips for Water and Wastewater Facilities" Article in Spring ASSE's Perspectives

(April 8, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice's (GPP) Daniel Mahoney, CIH, CSP, Vice President of GPP Risk Control Services, authored an article entitled "Hurricane Preparedness and Response - Tips for Water and Wastewater Facilities" for the Spring issue of ASSE's Perspectives.

Click here to view this article.

GPP Publishes Two Articles in ASSE's Perspectives

(February 18, 2010) Recently, Glatfelter Public Practice (GPP) had two articles published in Perspectives. Daniel Mahoney, CIH, CSP, Vice President of GPP Risk Control Services, authored an article entitled "Medical Emergencies in Schools" (p. 20), and Rob Roscoe, GPP Risk Control Representative, wrote an article entitled "Liquor Liability and Special Events".

Click here to view these articles in the Perspectives publication.

Mark McCrary Named President of Glatfelter Public Practice

(February 3, 2010) Glatfelter Public Practice (GPP), a division of Glatfelter Insurance Group, is pleased to announce that Mark McCrary, AIC, ARM, has been named President. Mr. McCrary previously served as Regional Vice President for GPP. As President of GPP, Mr. McCrary will oversee the division’s sales and marketing operations with a keen focus on strategic distribution relationships.

According to Tony Campisi, President/CEO, Glatfelter Insurance Group, “Mark is a seasoned public entity professional with extensive sales and marketing experience. He has worked on both the carrier and managing general agency side in a business development capacity. We are very pleased to have him at the helm of our public entity division.”

Glatfelter Public Practice Offers Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning Resource

(1/12/2010)The best way for a special district, water and sewer authority, irrigation district, or agency to handle a major disaster is to have a fully functional and implemented disaster recovery/business continuity plan in place.With that in mind, Glatfelter Public Practice has developed a CD resource entitled “Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning for Sewer, Water and Special Districts and Authorities.” Pre-planning enables management to quickly get control of the disaster and mitigate its impact. The rapid return of critical service functions to communities and customers is the goal, so defining the proper plan for business continuation is a critical step in pre-disaster planning. This plan includes consideration for the restoration of services, production, operations, and manpower to return to pre-disaster functions as soon as reasonably possible.

Click here for an order form to request this resource. Glatfelter Public Practice clients receive one complimentary copy of the program.

Glatfelter Public Practice Integrates Water and Municipal Programs

(12/31/2009) Glatfelter Public Practice, a division of Glatfelter Insurance Group, is pleased to announce that beginning January 1, 2010, the company will integrate its existing water program (formerly known as RSDIS) and its existing municipal program (formerly known as PRIME) into one cohesive program. According to Stephanie Dew, Regional Vice President, Glatfelter Public Practice West, “The integration of two highly recognized programs into one is very exciting! Brokers and agents can now provide broader coverage, increased flexibility, and an enhanced platform to better serve their water, irrigation, special district, and municipal niche customers throughout the country.” Mark McCrary, Regional Vice President, Glatfelter Public Practice East adds, “Without question, the expansion of our program platform brings flexibility to the types of public entity and special district risks that agents can submit to us. At the same time, our program expansion provides them and their insureds with new options in the marketplace at a difficult time.”

On January 1, 2010, the integrated water and municipal program will be available in 15 states (AZ, ID, UT, NM, CO, MT, AL, GA, TN, NC, VA, OH, PA, ME) and by the end of 2010 offered nationwide. For additional information on the integration of the water and municipal programs, or any of the public entity programs, contact a representative at 888-855-4782 or go to GlatfelterPublicPractice.com.

Glatfelter Public Practice Launches New Website
User-friendly Design, Enhanced Content Provide Easy-to-Find Insurance and Risk Management Information

(12/23/09) Glatfelter Public Practice (GPP), a division of Glatfelter Insurance Group, is pleased to announce the launch of its newly designed website. As The Public Entity Insurance Specialist, GPP provides independent agents and brokers access to specially designed P & C insurance programs and risk management services for municipalities, educational institutions, water & sewer authorities, and special districts. According to Mark McCrary, regional vice president, GPP East, “Our newly redesigned website enables agents to easily access all of our public entity programs from a single source, saving them time, effort, and providing quick solutions for their public entity clients and prospects.” Stephanie Dew, regional vice president, GPP West adds, “Our website incorporates all products offered within Glatfelter Public Practice combined with the information, applications and important resources you need to service the public entity niche.”

Brokers, agents, and insureds are encouraged to visit the new Glatfelter Public Practice website, www.GlatfelterPublicPractice.com. For additional information on the new website or any of our public entity programs, contact a GPP representative at 888-855-4782.