On Jun 19, 4:21=A0pm, "Fireball" <hob...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Mike;
>
> On this one he is going to be hard pressed to find single show
insurance.
>
> I won't go into it- but it has become a monopoly and the small operator
i=
s
> priced out of it.
Fireball, hate to share this, but it always seems to have been that
way, as far back as 1960,
Still, you have to look at things from the insurance company's point
of view. They need to spread their financial exposure over a
significant number of events. They don't like singulariites,
particuarly when that singularity is in the hands of someone without a
reasonable long history of safety. It's almost identical to
automibile insurance. Think of it this way, you have a 17 year-old,
whose dad has just given him a s****ts car that can do 0 to 80 in 6
seconds. He has no driving experience, and is sitting in the seat of
a $200,000 car, with the daugther of a oil tycoon, his girfiend,
sitting beside him when driving.
So, before you reach a decision, you have many terrible possibilies
going through your brain, so then you call in the actuaries that work
for you (actuaries are sort of high paid bookmakers who figure the
odds). To these guys, the $200,000 cost of the car is small change,
and they immediately focus on the horrible what if possibilities. What
if the girl is killed or disfigured for live? What if he hits an
oncoming car at 120-mph, with 3 people and the family pet inside, and
they are all killed?
I believe that you get the picture, so how much would you charge this
guy for his required liability insurance, now realizing that the
exposure of the insurance company is now measured in the hundreds of
millions of dollars. Think $25,000/year for car liability insurance
is excessive, think again!
Fireworks insurers think much in the same direction. First, what
could happen if the fireworks display resulted in the death of a
member of the US Senate, or a visiting head of state from another
country. Death of Joe Public is not a significant consideration, nor
is some burnt convertable top. The cost of insurance is nearly
entirely determined by the scale of the fireworks display and the
safety record of those setting up and firing the display. I've only
run into this situation one time, and that was in shooting fireworks
on the grounds of the New Jersey Statehouse. In this rare situation
liability coverage of $25,000,000 was required (note, the digits are
correct). It was agreed beforehand that the New Jersey citizens would
pick up the insurance premium. Lloyds provided the insurance
coverage. As way typical, anywhere between 19 and 21 4" salutes were
fired, (depending on the rank of the visitor), and the insurance bill
for these ceramonial event was $600 per event. The cost of a 4"
salute in those days was roughly $3.00 wholesale, and my Mercer County
Fireworks Company made a clear profit of $800 everytime a dignitary
came to visit. Bet you belive I am making this up, but I'm not.
Now Fireball, here is the most incredible part. My fireworks company
was hired to fire these ceramonial salute, because we were actually
cheaper than tto have the New Jersey National Guard do the same thing.
Funnier still is that the New Jersey National Guard has two cannons
permanently stored on the statehouse ground, which are brought out for
appearance only, they are not actually ever fired. Again, if you
believe I am kidding about this, use Google Earth and take a close
look at the New Jersey Statehouse. and in the back lawn you will see
two mysterious objects cloaked in canvas.
OK, that's enough rambling for today. Hope it has been helpful to some
of you, and entertaining to others.
I'm simply posting now because I've received 3 phone calls from people
that I have never met in various parts of the country, worring about
if I had died. Trust me, I haven't. Still, the generation gap is
increasing, and most of my pyro friends have been buried or whatever.
I chose to simpy let the young turks do whatever they want. OK with
you Ron?
Harry C.
Now here is something that is rarely mentioned, the insurance companys
are particularly terrified at the thought that some amateurs home
constructed shell could be slipped into the display and cause
catastrophic results. Again, this is because insurers of fireworks
displays maintain carefull statistical data bases on professionally
made shells. For them, the addition of an amateur made shell becomes
what the Navy guys term a "loose cannon". That amateur produced shell
may have not caused an accident, but if it was present and fired, the
insurance company is completely off the hook, because a condition of
the insurance policy was violated. End of discussion.
>
> Where is he located- There are some companies that offer ****p show
> insurance.
>
> Take care;
>
> Doug<mss...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>
>
news:9eb0e074-3436-46bd-9a74-01c06fe35139@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Who quoted you $25,000 for show insurance?
>
> You need to go to an agency that specializes in fireworks insurance.
> Combined Specialties is one - see their ad in the last PGI Bulletin.
> (Note that I'm in no way connected with that firm, though I have known
> the Allens and the Merlinos for years via the PGI.)
>
> On Jun 19, 11:36 am, hickory9...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
>
>
>
> > I got an insurance quote for a small 2,000$ show..........
> > $25,000 ...... Oh Brother...... The show will Not go on....The fire
> > chief in the town has no problem with the fireworks show but need an
> > insurance policy..... Any idea what to do ? The show was a money was
> > no problem but this just be came a problem! I thougt I could insure
> > (sp?) for an additional $2,000 .... WRONG Don- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
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