OWNING OR BORROWING INFLATABLES
KNOW YOUR REAL COST AND LIABILITIES

Once in a while we hear good intentioned people say "WHY SHOULD I PAY A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS TO RENT AN INFLATABLE WHEN I CAN BUY ONE AT MY LOCAL SUPERSTORE FOR JUST A FEW DOLLARS MORE?" Here are a number of points that are often not considered:

• Commercial grade bounces cost $2000 to $15,000 each and can easily last 5 to 10 seasons of use. The materials of construction and stitching is significantly higher quality than low cost toy knock-offs that may last 1-2 seasons. The lower grade, thinner materials used make the cheaper toy bounces much less stable than their commercial grade counterparts - increasing the risk of accidents. Use of low-grade bounces in a commercial setting (such as a church, business or public outing) greatly increases the potential award $ amount whenever an accident occurs.

• The manufacturer labeling and warnings on the superstore units typically strongly state "FOR PRIVATE USE ONLY". There is an expectation by the Court that you know toy bounces are not to be used in commercial settings or where multiple families have access.

• You MUST have insurance on your bounces. In most locations it is the law. To risk everything over an bouncer accident would be foolish. BUT, most liability policies exclude bounces, especially if you allow anyone who is not a member of your organization (a visitor or other member of the public) to use it. A low cost policy would be $2000 or more per year. EarthTraces pays $16,000-$20,000 per year for a $2MM aggregate liability policy so that its members events are properly covered.

• You MUST be inspected and licensed by the State. If a visitor or other member of the public has access to your bounce, most states require you to have an annual inspection and license for each bouncer. This also means keeping a maintenance log and training log to prove everyone supervising the bounce is of the correct age and has been properly trained. You must document that each setup was done by a trained individual and that both the State requirements and the manufacturer's requirements for setup and anchoring were met.

• You MUST clean and disinfect any bounce not used in a strictly private setting on a regular basis (typically after each use). This means having the correct materials and people on hand. You remain liable if you fail to do this on owned or borrowed inflatables (EarthTraces does this for its members).

BOTTOM LINE: The true cost of owning and operating an inflatable bounce is far greater than just the purchase price. You risk your entire organization when you do not follow State law, maintenance or insurance requirements. Because we operate on a non-profit basis and nearly half our costs are offset by endowments, When you belong to the EarthTraces Onsitechallenge Equipment Pool you receive equipment at a cost truely lower than doing it yourself AND you are not stuck with using the same piece of equipment over and over --- you have an ever changing wide variety of equipment to choose from.