Adventure, fun and risk: Safety culture a priority when insuring youth camps

Insurance Journal Q&A: Preparing camps for today's evolving risks

National insurance publication Insurance Journal recently featured insights from Brett Ziegel, underwriting manager for Camps, Sports & Outdoor Recreation at Church Mutual, on the challenges and opportunities facing youth camps.

From severe weather planning to building a culture of safety, the discussion explores trends shaping camp operations and insurance considerations today.

You can view the interview here, or learn more below.

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Youth camps give children valuable opportunities to build confidence, independence, friendships, and practical life skills, but activities such as ziplines, swimming, kayaking, rock walls, and high rope courses create significant safety and liability exposures.

Brett Ziegel, underwriting manager for Camps, Sports & Outdoor Recreation at Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., says while the property insurance market for youth camps has improved in recent years, casualty lines are still under pressure. The growing threat of severe weather is turning the focus to how flooding, extreme heat, and wildfires impact liability risks in addition to property risks, Ziegel says in this interview with Insurance Journal.

IJ: How would you describe today’s property and casualty market for youth camps?

Ziegel: I think overall the property and casualty market for camps is trending similarly to the overall property and casualty insurance market. After several years of rate increases and property capacity restrictions, many segments of the property market have shown signs of stabilization, with some insurers offering less restrictive terms and conditions than in recent years. However, the casualty lines are still under pressure with drivers like social inflation, nuclear verdicts, and third-party litigation funding. While camps are a great place for kids to grow and make connections with others, they also bring higher liability hazards with activities like ziplining, rock climbing, swimming, and many others. This can make the casualty market even more difficult to operate in with increased expectations regarding safety from external stakeholders like parents, courts, and regulators.

IJ: What are the key areas insurers review closely when it comes to safety and risk management?

Ziegel: Insurers are focusing on policies and procedures for all activities and program offerings for camps, but even more so for the higher-hazard activities like boating and swimming at a waterfront. In addition to activities and programming, insurers are also focusing on sexual abuse prevention, particularly camper-to-camper incidents, an area that has received increased attention across the camp industry in recent years. Above all, insurers are really looking for safety to be embedded in the camp’s culture and not just a written document. It is important to understand if safety is at the forefront of everything the camp does, rather than it being an afterthought and taking a reactive approach.

IJ: How has the growing threat of weather events, including floods, wildfires, extreme heat, and severe storms, changed the way you evaluate camp locations and operations?

Ziegel: In prior years, the underwriter’s main focus was the property line when it came to severe weather. As severe weather events continue to affect more communities and create greater operational disruption, it has forced underwriters to consider the liability hazards associated with those events. It has become important to understand the policies and procedures that camps have in place regarding severe weather and understand their evacuation procedures. Camps are often located in remote areas with limited access, which makes it difficult for camp operators to evacuate large numbers of campers at a moment’s notice. This places an increased emphasis on advanced planning and communication to ensure that they can act quickly and before a situation becomes an emergency.

IJ: What do you expect to see in a camp’s emergency response plan?

Ziegel: Emergency response plans should have procedures for all major severe weather incidents, even if your camp is not typically subject to a specific weather peril. Recently, we have seen wildfires, floods, and severe convective storms impacting areas that don’t typically see these exposures. There are many things to consider in emergency response plans, but the strongest plans include clear decision triggers, effective communication systems, defined responsibilities, reliable weather monitoring, and evacuation planning. One of the biggest questions that needs to be answered is “how do we evacuate all of our campers as fast as possible if there is an impending threat?” However, what is even more important than having written emergency plans is to practice them. All camps should practice their emergency response plans at the beginning of camp and periodically throughout the camp season. Take note of what worked well and where there may be areas for improvement.

IJ: What areas are often missed or overlooked in response plans?

Ziegel: A few often missed or overlooked areas in response plans are extreme heat, air quality, and communication failures. With most camps operating in the peak of summer heat, it is important to adjust programming to avoid exposing campers to extreme heat. In recent years, air quality from wildfire smoke has become a growing concern and is often overlooked in response plans but is important to consider. Camp leadership should have a plan in place to adjust programming to indoors or suspend operations when the air quality is no longer safe. Camps should monitor resources such as AirNow and follow guidance from public health authorities regarding AQI thresholds and activity modifications. It is important to consider how to protect campers with asthma or respiratory conditions. The final area overlooked in response plans is communication failures. Plans often assume that phones and internet will work. Does the camp have backup communication if cell towers are down and the power is out?

IJ: What thresholds should trigger changes in camp activities, such as moving programs indoors because of smoke, evacuating, or implementing other severe weather protocols?

Ziegel: Thresholds may vary from camp to camp depending on their property, alternative options, and evacuation solutions. In general, any time there is potential for severe weather, camp leadership should be prepared to implement predetermined response protocols. It is always more important to prioritize safety over program continuity. Camp operators should monitor weather conditions, ensure appropriate communication channels are in place, and act prior to the situation escalating to an emergency. Plans should have predetermined decision thresholds for when to trigger their response plans such as an acceptable air quality index, heat index limit, wind speed, or lightning distance. Those thresholds may also include lightning within a specified radius, rising water levels, or National Weather Service watches and warnings, depending on the camp’s location and operations.

IJ: Any advice for retail agents approaching the youth camp market today?

Ziegel: Camps are becoming more complex with new activities and offerings but are also being held to higher standards as it relates to safety. My advice to agents in the camp market is to partner with a specialized carrier that understands the risks involved with camp operations and can offer risk management solutions. Now more than ever, camps are turning to their insurance carrier for help with risk management and safety. Having a carrier that is experienced in the space can make a big difference in adding value to the insured beyond just the insurance policy.