START / BLOG / KOSTEN & HAFTUNG
The questions, in order
What your insurer asks after a buffet fire
Not legal advice. A description of the questions an insurer's investigator asks after an open-flame incident at a catered event, and what the answers cost.
Was there a written procedure for open-flame devices? Who was trained on it, and when? Where was the fuel stored? Who extinguished the can, and how was that confirmed? Was there an extinguisher rated for the fuel within reach? Was the equipment used according to the manufacturer's instructions?
Why these questions
They are the NTSB's questions. The Spirit of Boston report found verbal instructions, no written procedure, and no trained crew member aboard; those findings became recommendations. An insurer works from the same logic.
What a "no" costs
A disputed claim, an excess, a premium loading, an open-flame exclusion on renewal.
The answer that ends the conversation
There was no open flame.