Enhancing home safety and business with FORTIFIED roofing standards

By Adam Cabrera. 

The FORTIFIED program from IBHS focuses on enhancing roof durability against severe weather. 

In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, host Megan Ellsworth spoke with experts Fred Malik and Ben Murphy from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) to discuss their FORTIFIED program and the significance of roofing standards in improving building safety.  

Fred Malik, managing director of the FORTIFIED program at IBHS, brought his 15 years of experience and background as a building contractor to the discussion. He highlighted the program's focus on specific systems, particularly roofs, to enhance durability against severe weather conditions. "Roofs are the leading system that needs attention," Fred explained. “We focused a lot of our efforts there and packaged up our science into the FORTIFIED standard, which tends to go just a little bit above code in a few key areas, and it's made a lot of difference in places like Alabama and North Carolina and elsewhere.” 

Ben Murphy, owner of Ben Murphy Company, a construction company that specializes in FORTIFIED new construction and roofing, was able to share the real-world applications and outcomes of these standards. Since adopting FORTIFIED practices in 2015, Ben observed significant improvements in roof durability, especially during Hurricane Sally. "We've got several neighborhoods here in Orange Beach that had FORTIFIED roofs that we had done prior to the storm, and there's houses right next door that had complete roof failures,” Ben said. 

There are also some financial incentives for adopting FORTIFIED standards. Both men were apt to point out insurance savings and grant programs available in states like Alabama and Louisiana, highlighting how these initiatives provide an opportunity for homeowners to upgrade to safer, more durable roofs. 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about business or home safety from the experts at IBHS and the importance of roof standards.