Wildfire season and the claims process

Wildfire season is in full swing in Colorado. Several have raged across the state, prompting evacuations.

We understand this can be a difficult, high-stress time for many of our customers, especially fire districts. Many of your employees and others you work alongside risk their own safety to put out these fires.

Watching people you care about get injured takes an emotional toll on everyone in your workplace. We want to help by making the claim process as fast and efficient as possible so you can focus on your employees’ treatment and recovery.

In these all-hands-on-deck situations, you may have different people reporting claims than in the past. Remember that Pinnacol follows the same reporting procedures in wildfire season as we do during any other time of year. The information we need doesn’t change and we are here to help in whatever capacity you need.

Get your team further up to speed on the claims reporting process by sharing these important pointers:

1. Report your claims as quickly as possible. Provide as much detail as you can, including the name and number of the best person for us to follow up with.
2. Get your injured employee the medical care they need immediately, whether that means calling an ambulance, heading to the emergency room or visiting urgent care. Advise them to follow up with a designated medical provider after the initial care.
3. Provide a designated provider list to your injured employee regardless of where they are located, to ensure you stay in compliance with the workers’ compensation statute. Mail one to their home address if you are unsure how to get it to them.
4. Communicate with your claims representative if an injured worker demobilizes from the fire.
5. Send the injured employee’s medical bills to your assigned claims representative upon receipt to ensure they get taken care of right away.
6. Report claims for every employee, regardless of where they are located under federal jurisdiction. This includes injury claims for those enlisted by the government to fight fires in nearby states.

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For more resource, visit our Wildfires page, or visit our Safety Hub for more information on safety services and training options.

Have questions about reporting a claim and aren’t sure who your assigned claims representative is? Please contact our Customer Experience team at customer_service@pinnacol.com or 303.361.4000 for assistance.