Single Event insurance

[»PureParty]

Originally Posted by blackbat

Define professional

Leaving aside experience/competence all of my suppliers restrice their material to those who can demonstrate evidence of appropriate legal storage and adequate insurance for the use and storage of the fireworks.

[blackbat]

Any supplier who is a BPA member has agreed to abide by a code which includes those conditions I believe.

[»Skydazzle Pyrotechnics]

Originally Posted by blackbat

Any supplier who is a BPA member has agreed to abide by a code which includes those conditions I believe.

I was going to type lots in response to this but have decided not to start a BPA slagging session. However, I will say BPA members should get their own house in order before waving their flag about.....

[Shockwave Pyrotechnics]

I think the issue here is nothing to do with the BPA but the fact that the man in the street can now get access to CAT4!........... I can see it now....... "It says that this is the fuse"........... BANG!!!... Thank you and Good Night

Originally Posted by Skydazzle Pyrotechnics

I was going to type lots in response to this but have decided not to start a BPA slagging session. However, I will say BPA members should get their own house in order before waving their flag about.....

[Arthur]

OK it was me that threw the spanner into PureParty's works.

Yes I have found legit single show insurance that will permit me fire cat 4 material, and yes I have found a professional fireworker who will supply me from his magazine (especially as he is winding down that side of his business in favour of other 1.n related things) and he will accept a phone call for their return into store at dead of night if necessary.

However to even come close to getting this insurance you have to produce recognised certificates of training and log books of experience -all of which I can produce to their satisfaction.

Without pro firing training and experience the company offers the more usual cat1, 2 & 3 insurance for the normal BS marked retail stock.

added:

I don't think that there is any issue with members of the public being able to access cat4 material any more easily than before, this is insurance not supply. However it should mean that trained and skilled firers with access can do a show on their own insurance, rather than hang it onto someone else's insurance.

[»PureParty]

Yes, you did make me aware of the availability of such insurance, however my issue is with the actual need for it rather than any specific individual.

[»Skydazzle Pyrotechnics]

Prohibition of possession of category 4 fireworks
5. Subject to regulation 6 below, no person shall possess a category 4 firework.

Exceptions to regulations 4 and 5
<A name=6>6. - (1) Regulations 4 and 5 above shall not prohibit the possession of any firework by -

• (a) any person who is employed by, or in business as, a professional organiser or operator of firework displays and who possesses the firework in question for the purposes of his employment or business;

[Arthur]

I don't see the availability of insurance changing the availability of cat4. The Fireworks Regulations don't actually offer a definition of Professional, it's the "Trade" who use the insurance and storage definition. In the end it's up to each cat4 supplier to be certain that the intending purchaser is both competent and professional in attitude and business. -Just as they do now.

What the availability of event cat4 insurance should mean is that no-one gets asked to "do it on their insurance" by part timers

[RocketRev]

Hmmmm...

I fire for a professional firework display company, so I'm regarded as being a professional here in the way we usually understand the term. But I'm an employee of the company - not with my own insurance or cat4 store or personal access to cat4.

But yet....

Try this for size.....

My Church has insurance cover for firework displays. Any displays it has have to be under my control because, as Vicar, I am the named insured. I do the annual 5th November displays and a few at other times of the year, too (opening of our new children's Early Years / Day Care facility, the Children In Need charity display for example). I started these displays - there were none in my parish before me. I organise them, manage all aspects of them, fire them etc. It's now recognised - and endorsed by the Bishop - that I do these displays as part of my work. It's something that the Church in my place does in and for the community. It's something that this particular Vicar does as part of his job. I don't do them in my spare time as a hobby activity.

So I reckon I could make a good case to be covered by this....

any person who is employed by, or in business as, a professional organiser or operator of firework displays and who possesses the firework in question for the purposes of his employment or business;

At the moment I restrict what I do to cat2 & 3. But maybe I could extend it to cat4. My insurance doesn't specify or restrict what's used, although to be fair I'd want to negotiate a cat4 clause if I intended to use that. At the moment the insurance provides year round cover, but maybe a per event arrangement would be required if I asked about doing cat4. So that would put me into the "single event" scenario with a preference for obtaining cat4 on the day rather than running a permanent store.

I'm not thinking of going down that route.... and my insurer might get cold feet if I asked, for fear of creating a precedent that lets other, pyrotechnically inexperienced, Vicars in. I was just thinking about how the subject being discussed might work out and might actually be appropriate / OK.

[»PureParty]

I think you would be stretching it a little bit Julian....

Perhaps it's just me, hey ho....