Institute of Professional Pyrotechnics; Anyone know anything

This is what I've been waiting for, Looking over the forms and I will be joining, this addresses small guy insurance, for me 5 million needed for my local auth, I can handle 525 a year for what I need, last year I was talking with the group starting this up, and had to wait, for more information, When I talked with a lady she was very helpful in providing information to me even before the group was fully setup,   

Hello all

The group that has put this together has done a lot of work, yearly membership is 375, then insurance is 525 per year

I have talked with Shay the lady that put this group together for us smaller guys. I am joining once I have the funds end of July

I am wondering myself....

Maybe they should be joining this site, so we can find out what is going on and give them the 5th degree.

just saying, this site is a simple way to get the word out and answer some questions

Hello!



My name is Shay Koester and I am one of the founding members of the Institute for Professional Pyrotechnicians and currently its administrator also. I am excited about everyone's interest and can also understand everyone's hesitation. I will apologize in advance for the long-winded post...I am sorry. I do hope it helps explain. This is not a sale pitch! My goal is this post is to respond to the comments looking for more information on the association, how it came about, and what it hopes to do in the future.



This non-profit association, which is for professional federally-licensed fireworks display shooters, can be as great as we all want (to come together) to make it.

I, for one, am committed to working to help create a platform for sharing knowledge, training/improve best practices, and maximize the benefits in the optional programs available. The reach of this association is only limited by its participants and membership. As membership grows, so too will the group benefits and opportunities available!



The IPP was launched by a small group of display supervisors, who shoot in their localized areas and who are on their own or part of a smaller crew performing their professional services. These individuals came together bound by some similar frustrations and a dream to overcome them - to improve knowledge, allow for growth, and promote safety among smaller shooters. Some examples of the issues identified and rectified by the establishment of a professional association for licensed fireworks display supervisors (and assistants).



Firstly, they found that there was a lack of opportunity to learn and grow in their profession. Opportunities to learn new and varied techniques that will improve their performance or safety. There is a genuine lack of detailed information readily available. Currently, what you are able learn is what is provided by the trainer or what can be found online...Through this association, the members hope to provide a platform for delivering detailed information to members through its online portal and via live demonstrations at the annual conference.



Secondly, unhappy with the current models available, they identified a need for a comprehensive insurance program that provides adequate coverage for smaller display supervisors to be able to practice their profession. Traditionally, insurance was available to shooters as employees of larger scale organizations or as extension of a supplier’s coverage.

Option A meant that shooters had to work as an employee on shows and could not operate independently within their profession. Option B meant that shooters could only use one supplier’s product in their shows, which created product constraints for these professionals.

The creation of this professional association allows for access to group insurance programs offered to its members. The program provides adequate coverage at affordable rates to individual fireworks display supervisors that can be extended to our crews, sponsors, and municipalities.



Lastly, the hope is that the association will encourage and promote safety, awareness, and best practices. It plans to work with its membership and the regulatory authorities to provide clarity to areas identified with a need. There are many things that people are taught and will read, that intrinsically do not make practical sense...when it comes to fireworks.

For example, how do you check a roman candle has cleared all its articles after a show? The circulating information states you should insert a stick into it for a measurement. However, this practice would place your exposed hand directly over a tube that you are unsure if any explosives remain inside of. But is this the safest method of the options?? What are the other options?



With respects to the questions posed:



To be a member of this professional association, you must be a federally licensed fireworks display supervisor or assistant (in good standing) and commit to following the regulations.

Each member will have voting rights and be able to help formulate the direction of the association. Currently, membership is open to all licensed pyrotechnicians (fireworks and effects). You must fill out the membership application and answer all questions completely. Select the Assistant or Supervisor Membership box on the signature page and submit. Once your application has been approved you will be emailed a welcome email and your payment of $375 (plus GST and applicable provincial sales tax(es)) will be due.

If you require a payment plan or wish to pay monthly, please drop me an email at admin@fireworksinstitute.com. Please note that the group insurance program is intended only for fireworks display members as special effects/indoor are not covered under this insurance program at this time.



I realize that currently the website may seem sparse and, now that Canada Day has come and gone, I am committed to publishing as much information as quickly as I can arrange to.

Please bear with me as publication of information is quite a process. I am a bookkeeper by day and pyro by night - websites were not in my specialized skill set. As this is a non-profit, we have been trying to as much as I can myself to save the association funds during the start-up period. Once membership increases, the skill sets available will undoubtedly improve.



The current directors are working on their bios to publish online. There are three, including myself. We are just three individuals looking to make a change. We may not have all the answers, but we will work hard to find the ones we do not. The association will be looking for interested individuals (experienced in fireworks and association governance) to step up and participate in the board of directors and the association. At the annual conference, there will be an AGM meeting where members will have the opportunity to volunteer for board positions and all members will be able to influence its direction.



With respects to the benefits:

Partner Discounts Education - There are a few groups that offer safety, education, and/or training in related fields that have committed to offering discounts once membership has reached 50. For example, one safety training company has committed to a 10% discount off its TDG certification program to all members of the IPP. If there are other educational opportunities that members would like access to, please let us know so we can work to deliver additional benefits. Included here would also be the informational or video deliverables. For content ideas, we hope members will ask questions in the forum and/or email them to the admin so that they can be addressed.



Partner Discounts Insurance Services - The association has an Accidental Death & Dismemberment program for members, where they can receive $50,000 in coverage for only $31.20/year. As membership grows (more than 50 or so), there is an established opportunity to offer discount home/car insurance and/or medical/dental programs at discounted rates for members.



Insurance <--- Really, how? and who? at what cost?

The association has established a group insurance program that is brokered by Purves Redmond and insured by Markel. It is available to members (in good standing) of this association of licensed professionals that are smaller shooters (earning about $10K - $20K (not including product reimbursements). It is not intended for full-time shooting companies or those earning substantial revenues annually from their shows. The cost for this per member is $525 per year (plus applicable provincial sales tax) and it covers your crew automatically and you can extend it to your hiring sponsors or municipalities.



Finale Discount Software - Finale Scripting is launching a new software and will be offering members a 50% discount. Historically, Finale Scripting offered a 35% discount for large groups and this new offer will replace the old as the old software will be obsolete. We are currently working with them on the publication to formerly announce the details on the members portal.



Members Forum - The forum is bare that is an unfortunate consequence of timing and the relative newness of the association. Membership is growing each week and it is my hope that more will utilize the forum for the questions and networking purposes. Until then, the association will post a question weekly and then follow-it up with as much information as we can uncover. If you have questions you wish to find the answers to, please feel free to send them in or to post them.



Discount on Conference Registration - The association will hold an annual conference - the first of which will be formerly announced by the end of July 2018 in Alberta.

The conference will be held over 2-3 days (depending on registration numbers) and its location will be drawn annually from the members home locations.

During the day, there will be courses provided by affiliated companies such as Cobra, MJG, Purves, ERD, etc. along with a trade show simultaneously. Vendors can display their products and services for us and will offer promotions or giveaways.

During the evening, sponsor companies will host dinner and a networking event. The first night will be a social event. The second night will be a hands-on practical show event, where we have a chance to wire with some of the vendors experienced guys and other pyros...learning from each other. Non-members can also attend the conference but will not receive the discounted members pricing.



Newsletters - there will be a quarterly newsletter distributed. This may turn into a monthly publication if demand warrants it.



Sponsorship Opportunities - IPP offers vendors the opportunity to sponsor the association and/or its events (such as the conference). In exchange, they receive the ability to market to our membership with a listing on our website, promote new products or services, and distribute promotional materials. Their logos will be present on association publications and they will have the opportunity to publish an article or a webinar monthly.



Access to Software - The association is working with software provides to establish discounted pricing structures for the associations' membership. If there is a particular piece of software that members wish to gain access to, we ask them to send us a note and we will work to deliver. We have some exciting opportunities in the works but are reluctant to share them online publicly until the ink has dried...just to ensure we do not jeopardize the exclusivity of our deliverables. If you wish to have more information, please send us an email and we would be happy to discuss.



Participate in Contests - The IPP will periodically set up contests for its membership, where they can win free membership for a year or conference passes or suppliers free promotional product. At the conference, sponsors and vendors will have giveaway draws and contests as well.



Easy to access Membership area with all up to date information - once you become a member you have access to the members portal. This benefit is currently not as lucrative as the content is being developed and will be on-going. This is a result of the lack of detailed information available on specific topics of interest. For example, there is one question we have received from a member wondering what impact is caused to the mortars resulting from the vibrations of a trailer. Specifically, if you are shooting form a trailer and have your racks secured and mortars positioned in the racks during transport, will the vibrations from driving accelerate the wear on the tubes and if so by how much?

This is not something that is currently published and as a result I have had to contact CERL with ERD to find out if they have any documentation on this or if has even ever been tested.



With respects to what company I work with and whether or not this is related to product that I am affiliated with supplying...the answer to that is definitively no!

I do work as a bookkeeper during the day managing a fireworks suppliers operations, but that is completely unrelated to the association (unless the owner wishes to become a sponsor!). The association was created by small shooters for small shooters. Its purpose is not to promote or further one specific supplier’s commercials endeavors. Its purpose is to assist its members in the delivery of their professional services, by mitigating some of the barriers that exist.



Prepare to be surprised! The insurance offered through the association is not contingent upon a supplier as it is not an extension of their insurance. Thus, provided the products used are authorized items and I have followed the regulations to satisfy purchase requirements (i.e. signed AHJ approval), then the shooting member can absolutely use product from multiple suppliers in the same show. For anyone who wishes to discuss the insurance program directly with the providers, I am happy to provide the contact information for the individuals at the brokerage firm handling the policy

and they in turn are happy to answer any questions one might have.



Thank you to all who have posted and asked questions. I encourage everyone to engage as much as possible - it will help to make this association grow and succeed.

I would be happy to discuss the association with anyone who may be interested or has questions that I have not adequately addressed in the insanely long post.

Where is association based out of?
The association’s office is located in Calgary.

Would this not be hard to keep this association going?
Not that many people are running to go do a once or twice a year show.
Usually display fireworks companies have there insurance (Large costs I am sure) and already have all the information and equipment they need. Just wondering that's all

Any association is work to keep deliviering to its members, but no I do not have any concerns about its longevity.
There is no limit to how many shows you can do, and although there may not be many that only shoot one or two shows...
there are many who shoot less than 10. And many who earn less than $20k per year (after reimbursing product costs)!
And many more that would do their own local shows if they could secure the insurance needed.

Yes, large companies do have their own insurance and yes they pay significant costs.
Those companies will contrinue to do so as this association, is not meant for them.
It is for those that wish to shoot independently and those who wish to grow as well.

We feel as though there are many professional shooters who would love to be able to take on more work or independent work.
Of the more than 6000 licences pyros in Canada, if only 1% fell into this category the. There would be 60 persons.
This is more than enough to keep the association going, but I expect this percentage of smaller shooters is higher and closer to 5%, which is about 300 members strong if they all joined.

This isn’t for everyone, but will be viable option for many.
If you shoot 5 shows a year then your overall costs would be just $200 per show for insurance and membership combined.

It is important to note that income is determine after reimbursed product costs.
If I shoot a $10k show for someone and $7k of that is them reimbursing the shooter for product costs,
then the shooters income from the show is $3k. Thus one could shoot 5+ shows before reaching the income threshold.

Happy to discuss anytime and I wish to make things better if possible.

Definitely interested in joining and was impressesd by your explanation. One question is the membership $375 yearly or this a one time fee pardon me if i missed that somewhere.

Thank you wfdjohnson! I do appreciate the feedback and hope to improve.

The initial consideration was that this would be an annual fee, as at a combined total of $900 it is still less expensive than single show insurance for 2 shows.
That being said, I (and the other directors and members) would be open to discussions at the AGM of options that members are interested in.

Under the legacy program (prior to July 1, 2017) available to independent display supervisors, shooters were charged 7% of their total show budget.
This meant that is my total show budget was $10K, then I would pay $700 for that single show.

Under the current program available (implemented for shows after July 1, 2017), this fee became $750 per show!

Under the new model available through the professional association, shooters will not be penalized financially for getting new shows and trying to grow their business.
A shooter can shoot 5 smaller shows and still pay the same as, historically, some have been paying for shooting one medium-sized show.

The membership fees are in place in order to cover the operational costs of the association. And although we are working hard to ensure that the startup costs remain as low as possible to ensure we can keep the fees down, there are some costs that cannot be mitigated: telephone, website, printing costs, lawyers and professional fees, insurance, et al.

As this is a non-profit, the intent is not to 'earn a profit' but the association still needs to earn enough to help cover the program initiatives and other membership benefits.
Any funds available that remain after covering the costs of operating, will be used to further the mandate of the association as derived from its members at the AGM.

We have had some feedback from individuals hoping that this is the initial fee and the annual renewal fee would be less.
Others have suggested having a fund designated to assist shooters in the event of an incident or to help cover a portion of the deductible (in the event of an incident).
Other options can include improvements to the website or development of content and learning materials....
As the association grows, it is my hope we will all work together to agree (at least in majority) on the policies and initiatives of the association.

I am also very curious as to what both the CNFA, and more so , the CPC have to say about this association. Without going into details, I have a very valid fear that one or both of those organizations will try, and most likely succeed in shutting it down !!!! I'd really hate to pay that much in membership fees, etc only to loose it all because of that. It would also be very nice, and helpful to know who the actual current board of directors is? Its not listed on the website (at least not that I can find), and knowing who they are might just make the difference (for me at least) of signing up tommorrow !!!!   Please feel free to PM me with a response if you don't wish to post it. thank you.

As for what the other associations think/feel about the Institute, I am afraid I cannot speak for them officially.

From an objective standpoint, one could determine that these associations are/will be complimentary of one another.
From what I have learned the two existing groups, who are based primarily of suppliers and/or large-scale operations companies, work on regulatory and supply-related mandates.
The Institute is like the micro-level of these...at the individual level, which will provide knowledge, programming, and networking for these individuals.
The suppliers will have an opportunity to participate as sponsors to network with the shooters they wish to connect with in their markets.
I have spoken with several suppliers, whom would be members of these existing associations, who expressed interest in the sponsorship opportunities rather than discontent.

I am not so naïve as to think there may not be individuals or companies that are less interested in the efforts of the association; and those whose interests may be best served if these shooters did not have the opportunity to be an independent. I am aware of this possibility and am working to ensure that the associations viability is strong.
The more that join together, the strong the bond that results. I see the Institute moving forward and gaining a strong reputation for knowledgeable professional members.

Many seem to be asking a variety of questions about the directors and the 'who' is behind this association, which we completely understand.
The current board of directors consists of three individual shooters from rural Alberta, who wanted to be able to have a place to learn and grow in the profession.
We found that the information available was limited and hoped to start a platform for sharing knowledge and gaining information.
I have not posted their information on the website, as of yet, but intend to very soon as we are working on an update for the next publish update.
Shelby Gregory, Shayne Richardson, and myself.
It is important to note that they individuals are just regular small-scale display fireworks shooters, who do not profess to know any more than any one else.
In fact, they profess to know less (than they would like), but hope to be a part of the solution by volunteering their time to help start an association and find as much information to share as possible.

Lastly, if an member were to sign up for a program from the association and that program was not delivered, I can assure you that you would receive a refund from the program vendor. Programs delivered are guaranteed for the contract term (which for insurance is a fixed one year period, such as March to March).

Hope this all helps. Please feel free to message me anytime if you need further information or have questions that I haven't answered fully.

Hello Pyrojunkie,

I wanted to touch base to see if you wanted more information or would like me to put you in touch with other members who may be able to provide first-hand experience with the programs available through the association?

I am a shooter and a member. I got involved with the association last fall during the initial conception stage because I believed in the industry need for a place that shooters can come together, share knowledge, and help navigate barriers that may exist. I volunteer my time to work with the association now; hence my now responding to online queries.

On a side note: For those that might be checking the website, please note that the association is finalizing a version 2 that will be launched and have more capabilities/functionality for members. There will also be an exciting announcement from a supplier sponsor on November 20/21, 2018 on the associations social media pages!

Stay tuned! This association's membership is working hard to deliver many benefits.

Im a member now with insurance, and my city has approved me as a fireworks vendor. So anyone looking for an approved vendor with the city i live in im on a sort list of like 5


djwolf

Lets say a community league wanted a fireworks show, they can goto the City and ask for approved vendors, and they would give my name. I only do Firework shows, I wont get into the selling part, Anyone in my city can apply for a Fireworks permit, but you have to get approvals from other groups within my city.

Land owner approval first
then apply for permit with city with insurance, product list, site plan, safety plan,
Then if the Fire department is happy they issue a permit,

Where I live they have issues with people just doing Firework shows 1.4, don't know about 1.3 but people will just discharge fireworks and they are trying to make it safe for everyone, but if someone doesn't follow the rules, it causes headaches for use that do