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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday November 29 2018, @05:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the a-seller's-market dept.

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


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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday November 30 2018, @12:52AM (3 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday November 30 2018, @12:52AM (#768074)
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @01:19AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @01:19AM (#768084)

    This doesnt answer my questions. We all know already about the existence of restricted airspace.

    The issue is whether private firefighting air personnel could get approval to enter if they so desired (assume they have all the same certifications as the gov-paid ones who are being allowed to fly). I mean really it isnt "whether" they could, it is what would they need to do to accomplish it. You claim there is no way?

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday November 30 2018, @02:03AM (1 child)

      by bob_super (1357) on Friday November 30 2018, @02:03AM (#768099)

      Outside of active battlefield air support, I can't think of a more dangerous mission for a pilot than low-flying surrounded by smoke, shifting winds, and extreme thermals. It's hell.
      Would you allow guys who, regardless of training, have different objectives and do not answer to the same chain of command ?
      Fire support aircraft collisions have happened before, and nobody wants to make a terrible situation worse.

      I was watching up to 6 aircraft attacking a hot spot at the top of my mountain. It's an awesome synchronized ballet where the two small tankers, the bigger one, and the three helicopters come in sequence. I'm pretty sure that they rehearse regularly to avoid mishaps (need to ask the neighbor).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @02:09AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @02:09AM (#768106)

        OK, so you are just assuming things based on some weird fantasy world where the right money wouldnt make it happen.