Recent events serve as a stark reminder that devastating incidents can occur not only through shootings but also with seemingly ordinary items like knives and vehicles. In such cases, institutions can face substantial liability if they fail to adequately protect non-staff members from harm.

Beazley, an expert in liability insurance, has developed a specialized Deadly Weapons Protection (DWP) package tailored to assist at-risk institutions. This package includes a suite of meticulously crafted services aimed at both mitigating the risk of such events and aiding institutions in their response efforts.

What is a Deadly Weapons Event?

An incident involving an individual or group of people actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people using a deadly weapon at a location of the insured.

More than incidents involving a firearm

Beazley’s policy covers incidents involving a wide variety of deadly weapons, including:

• Any portable firearm (whether loaded or unloaded)
• Explosive device
• Knife
• Syringe
• Medical instrument
• Corrosive substance
• Any other handheld device or instrument which is used to deliberately cause death or bodily injury
• Any road vehicle that is occupied and used by an assailant to deliberately cause death or bodily injury.

Many Industry Settings Are Vulnerable

According to data collected by the FBI, Educational establishments along with businesses, such as retail and entertainment venues, are the most likely to be targeted but others such as religious institutions and healthcare facilities are not immune. The reasons are clear. They can be hard to secure and the high volume of people present each day increases the chances of an armed individual entering unchallenged.

Prevention Services

Complete immunity from risk is unattainable, but through proficient risk management, it can be diminished, simultaneously strengthening an institution’s dedication to best-in-class safety standards. Consequently, our clients receive an automatic security vulnerability assessment and are encouraged to participate in a safety action plan webinar.

• Post Underwriting Review: This remote post-underwriting review assesses the client’s security protocols, identifies current vulnerabilities, threats, and risks, and follows up with a comprehensive report with recommendations.
• Action Plan Webinar: This encompasses topics like recognizing incidents, understanding potential assailant profiles, responding to emergencies, devising an emergency action plan, and promoting important behavioral awareness.
• DWP Portal: Clients are given access to a portal containing useful information including case studies, thought leadership articles, assistance with creating security and active shooter plans, test exercises, copies of all previous webinars and an ask the expert feature.

Crisis Management Services

Should a deadly weapons event occur, we will provide a crisis management response team of qualified professionals to give guidance and resources.

• Investigation on behalf of the client to determine the facts of the event to help inform the client’s response.
• Advice and support with the management of the situation. For example, counseling and communication strategies.
• When required post an event, the provision of temporary security enhancement such as armed or unarmed agents.
• Advice for clients who may be aware of a circumstance that could potentially result in a deadly weapon attack occurring at their location.

Crisis services are offered through CrisisRisk, a prominent crisis and risk management provider in the United States. They have extensive experience in successfully managing a wide range of high-profile incidents.

Insurance cover to indemnify losses

• Primary liability cover for lawsuits arising from harm caused by attacks using deadly weapons.
• Flexibility to set excesses and policy limits to suit the insureds’ needs (access to policy limits up to $30,000,000 through the Lloyd’s Deadly Weapons Consortium).
• Physical damage up to the full policy.
• Business interruption policy extension available as standard.
• Primary physical damage and business interruption caused by terrorism and sabotage.
• Accidental death and dismemberment sublimit of $50,000 and medical expenses sublimit of $25,000.
• Access to CrisisRisk upon the awareness of a Circumstance before an actual event takes place.
• Coverage against the threat of a deadly weapon attack.
• Crisis management fees are unlimited and in addition to the policy limit (do not erode the policy limit).

Contact Phillip Smith at Phillip.Smith@INSURICA.com or at 405.292.6413 for more information about how Deadly Weapons Protection can assist your clients.