Target Capital targets volunteer fire departments

Rough Notes, Apr 2001 by Maes, John

Of course, no fire departmentvolunteer or otherwise--could be expected not to try to rescue occupants of a burning building. But if the structure is unoccupied, and the owner has not paid the service fee, a decision would have to be made whether or not to fight the fire, she says.

General, or emergency services management liability might cover most of that risk but specialized underwriting is still needed, according to Haggerty.

The Target/ACE insurance program features the following types of coverages:

* Comprehensive liability protection for emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and volunteer firefighters

* Property coverage for portable and computerized equipment, personal property of the volunteers/employees or commandeered or impounded property

* Auto liability coverage for vehicles used on departmental business including those leased, commandeered or borrowed

* Emergency services management liability coverage for directors and officers, which combines errors and omissions and employment practices liability into one policy form

* Optional coverage for bodily injury to volunteers, or fellow employees, or fellow volunteers injured while engaged in firefighting, rescue or ambulance operations

Target also has a market for workers comp coverage, Carter says. Available limits include $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate for general and emergency services management liability. Additional limits available include $1 million per occurrence for professional liability for emergency services organizations and $1 million combined single limit for commercial auto.

Underwriting expertise will not be the only thrust of Target's program. Target will be active in fire prevention education, and in a grassroots-style safety awareness effort, in which it wants its retail agents to get involved. Target wants its agents to forge close relationships with its insureds, according to Sims. "This market has been dominated by several players over the last 25 years, and we feel there's been an under-commitment between underwriters and carriers to work with the insured," Sims says.

INA developed "Totfinder," in 1969 and it was promoted among firefighting jurisdictions nationwide. Stickers with the Totfinder emblem are placed in homes where children reside so that firefighters can locate them more quickly in an emergency.

One of ACE USA's predecessor companies had also been involved in the formation of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, a program to educate federal lawmakers on the issues relevant to the fire services field.

Interaction between Target, ACE and participating agents will be continuous, says Sims. "If we pick up on jurisdictional issues or if we see aberrations in loss patterns, we're going to be committed to working with the ACE team to get that information down the grassroots chain to the agent and the insured," he says.

"One of Target's key advantages is our ability to communicate quickly and efficiently with our business partners," says Drake Manning, director of marketing at Target Capital. "We are committed to educating and informing our agents, brokers and policyholders about issues that may impact their operations."