Aon has introduced its Global Rapid Response program to Canada.

Global Rapid Response provides post-loss mitigation and recovery consulting, helping on the ground at the loss location.

The program is designed to help minimize the financial impact of a catastrophic property-damaging event, document the loss, and create a claim foundation that will lead to the maximum recovery of lost assets and revenue.

The program saw its Canadian launch during the 2008 Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) conference in San Diego.

Global Rapid Response provides a guaranteed on-site evaluation of a major property loss within 72 hours at any location around the globe. In addition, it provides:

• 40 hours of consultative business recovery and loss mitigation guidance;

• co-ordination of all emergency and temporary repairs/restoration procedures and vendors;

• preliminary reports estimating the total direct and indirect financial exposures and overall property claims; and

• real-time access to all claim documentation and digital photographs of images.

Rapid response is proactive in its approach, because from day one representatives are going to be onsite with specialty services, starting to correlate and develop the loss through a consulting role and that will just expedite the whole process, Scott Francis, senior vice president and national claims advocacy leader for Aon Reed Stenhouse, said in a follow-up interview.

“It’s going to make [Canadian businesses] more responsible and more accountable,” Francis noted. “They are going to have a better understanding of their duties and their obligations when a loss occurs, but it’s also going to help them in their financial position . . . they are now going to know earlier in the process what their financial obligations are.”

The fees associated with Rapid Response could be covered by an insurance policy and the service is available to non-Aon clients as well. Rapid Response works with a business’ insurer.

“It’s critical to realize that the insurer is actually a part of the process,” Francis said. “It will help in the mitigation of their losses assist them in early quantification and also possible reduction in indemnity payments.”

There is also the opportunity for adjusters to be part of rapid response as a specialty vendor group, Francis added.