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With California experiencing two years of unprecedented wildfires that have left more than 20,000 homes destroyed and scores dead, the private firefighting business is booming. These brigades work independently from county firefighters; their job is to protect specific homes under contract with insurance companies.
Their work can vary from pushing back flames as they approach properties to reaching the site before the blaze arrives and spraying homes with fire retardant.
But the private forces have generated complaints from some fire departments, who say they don't always coordinate with local crews and amount to one more worry as they try to evacuate residents and battle the blaze.
"From the standpoint of first responders, they are not viewed as assets to be deployed. They're viewed as a responsibility," said Carroll Wills, communications director for California Professional Firefighters, a labor union representing rank-and-file firefighters in the state.
What began more than a decade ago as a white-glove service for homeowners in well-to-do neighborhoods has expanded in recent years as the wildfire danger has increased, said Michael Barry, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, a not-for-profit organization that educates the public about the insurance industry.
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-private-firefighters-20181127-story.html
(Score: 3, Interesting) by archfeld on Thursday November 29 2018, @08:21PM (7 children)
A great portion of the homes lost in the wildfires were due to lack of foresight and failure of maintenance. Whether the landscape control and clean up was the responsibility of the resident, the landlord, the county, the state, or the Feds varies greatly depending on the area, but there was a huge failure nonetheless. Some times bad things happen, but usually they are assisted by a lack of cleanup.
Our local fire department, outside the city in unincorporated county area is by subscription only. They will show up and insure that the fire does not spread, and allow you to suddenly decide you need fire service but at that point it is more expensive than the $900.00/year.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Thursday November 29 2018, @10:54PM (6 children)
> A great portion of the homes lost in the wildfires were due to lack of foresight and failure of maintenance.
Tell that to the people who lost a house in the middle of an urban area, after the fire jumped a 10-lane highway.
At this wind speeds, the only foresight applicable is "don't live anywhere anything can burn a mile upwind", which is more obvious for the isolated houses in the Santa Monica mountains than for the houses which burnt in the heart of Thousand Oaks, or 90% of the city of Paradise.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 30 2018, @12:09AM (5 children)
I gather more than a few houses were destroyed. That means they're not a great portion of the homes lost. I don't get what the point of the exercise is supposed to be. "We're very sorry that you lost your home so we're going to implement dumb societal changes in order to feel better about ourselves."
Sure, private firefighters get in the way of public ones. But there wouldn't be so many of them to get in the way, if California was doing its job.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @03:47AM (1 child)
"if California was doing its job."
You're a moron. You're not genetically hampered so I can only guess you are evil and say moronic things due to your lack of moral fiber. Best of luck in hell buddy.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 30 2018, @02:23PM
(Score: 3, Interesting) by edIII on Friday November 30 2018, @04:34AM (2 children)
Not that simple. Nobody has been doing their job, and there was a multi-decade period in which the prevailing paradigm was stop fires at all costs everywhere to protect public land and properties. The environmentalists were wrong in this case. Forest fires are natural and required.
We've known this for over 10 years now, and there ARE efforts underway. You might like this article regarding them [yale.edu].
It's both the feds and the states too, and the main issue is that funds are allocated for reactionary behavior, and not the proactive behavior we desperately need. If you read the article, it's bad. Really, really bad.
The only reason why I'm against the private companies here is that saving the properties in these cases now isn't possible when experience these "perfect storm" conditions we have. Yes, it was due to many people dropping the ball in the last few decades.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2, Informative) by khallow on Friday November 30 2018, @02:20PM (1 child)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by edIII on Friday November 30 2018, @07:59PM
I agree with you what you said, as well as your other comments (you were on fire, no pun intended :), and California has its own share of mismanagement. What I don't think is helpful though, is forgetting the role of the feds in it. California isn't the only state with forests either, and I don't think we are responsible for most of our forests. Although, you are correct, California still needs to make sure that the feds are doing there job too. The buck stops with the top leadership in California.
It's a blame game right now, and that's unhelpful because the blame can be shared everywhere. Let's just hope this results in more funding for prescribed burns, and working with the timber industry to clear dead forests where possible.
I pray something constructive comes out of this.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.