Think Safety First When Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary

As cities across Kentucky prepare to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, safety should be at the forefront of every fireworks display. The Kentucky League of Cities is encouraging its members to take extra precautions to ensure festivities remain both memorable and safe.

KLC Insurance has supported those efforts with a policy enhancement for fireworks coverage that took effect July 1, 2023, at no additional premium. The coverage provides a $1 million limit per occurrence, with a $10,000 deductible, and is subject to compliance with KRS 227.710.

KLC Insurance Director of Underwriting Suzanne Reed stressed that the safest approach is to leave fireworks displays to the professionals. “We recommend that our members hire a licensed pyrotechnic company to conduct the fireworks displays. The company should provide its own insurance and name the city as an additional insured, which will transfer the risk of liability for the detonation of fireworks from the city to the company,” Reed said.

She added that KLC Insurance liability policies have an exclusion if a city owns, manages, manufactures, operates, stores, handles, detonates, or uses fireworks or pyrotechnical displays. “If you choose to conduct the display yourself, you will not have coverage unless you go through all the steps on the sheet, and that still provides limited coverage. That exclusion no longer applies if you hire a professional.”

With larger crowds expected for America 250 celebrations, careful planning and professional oversight can make the difference between a successful event and a preventable incident.

Learn more about KLC Insurance fireworks policies here.