Picture a volunteer fire department hosting a fall harvest festival on the station grounds. A local farm runs a hayride, a food truck sells meals, and members staff a beer tent. Each of those activities could lead to an injury or a property damage claim. Because the department is the host, those claims would point to the department’s own firefighter insurance.
What Makes a Hosted Fall Event Different?
When a department provides standby at an event another organization runs, the organizer arranges the venue, the vendors, and the activities. When the department hosts, it arranges all three. A guest injured at a hosted event can look to the department as the party responsible for how it set up and ran the event, which brings the department’s general liability policy into the claim.
October gives departments several reasons to host. The National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week occurs each October, and a department that opens its station to the public that week takes on the same host role as a festival organizer. Harvest festivals, haunted houses, and trunk-or-treat events also take place in the fall.
Whatever the event, agents may suggest that the department engage in pre-event planning, including forming a planning team and anticipating an event’s potential hazards. A hazard analysis lists what could go wrong, and agents can use that list to choose which parts of the policy to review.
Firefighter Insurance Questions To Review Before the Event
Ask the client for an event plan that covers who will work, who else will be on-site, what the department will serve, where the event will take place, and what guests will do. Each item connects to a feature listed in a general liability program like the one Provident FirePlus offers.
Who Works the Event
Members, paid staff, auxiliary groups, and outside volunteers may all help. If one volunteer injures another while setting up the beer tent, the agent needs to know how the policy treats claims between members.
Who Else Is On Site
If the farm’s hayride driver or a food truck vendor causes an injury and the vendor carries no coverage of its own, the claim could be attributed to the department as the host. Certificates of insurance indicate whether each vendor and attraction operator carries its own coverage, so agents should request proof of coverage. Some venues and sponsors also require the department to name them as additional insureds.
Serving Alcohol
Depending on state law, an organization that serves alcohol can face claims tied to a guest’s conduct after drinking. The FirePlus GL offers a Liquor Liability extension, and agents can provide suggestions for the client’s plans for pouring and checking IDs.
Event Location
A department that rents a hall, uses a park or school grounds under a permit, or borrows private land may agree to take responsibility for any damage the event causes to that property. FirePlus offers Fire Damage Legal Liability and a Per Location Aggregate, and agents can confirm how each applies to the event site.
Finally, consider guest activities. A guest can trip over a hay bale or fall from the hayride wagon. The Medical Payments extension on the FirePlus GL form should be reviewed before each event.
When the Crowd Gets Bigger
The plan items above assume a crowd size similar to past events. A larger crowd raises the number of people who could file a claim. More claims from one event could use up more of the policy’s limits, which gives the agent a reason to revisit them and discuss whether the account needs excess liability.
Building Fall Events
An event calendar from the client indicates which plan items apply and when. Asking for it before each event season gives the agent time to review the client’s fire department insurance with the underwriter, whether the client is a career department or carries volunteer fire department insurance.
Provident FirePlus partners with agents on firefighter insurance programs for volunteer, combination, and career fire departments. Get in touch with us to talk through a client’s fall event plans.
About Provident FirePlus
Founded in 1902, our rich history involves the creation of custom firefighter insurance benefits in 1928. Today, Provident FirePlus continues to be a pioneer in developing insurance programs for firefighters, EMS providers, municipal entities, and law enforcement. In addition, we provide Special Risks insurance for various volunteer and nonprofit groups. Give us a call today at (412) 963-1200 to speak with one of our representatives.