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Californians Hire Private Fire Crews to Save Their Homes. Regular Firefighters Aren't Happy

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

An Anonymous Coward writes:

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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Original Submission

• Re:They are the real firemen. Re:They are the real firemen. (Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Friday November 30 2018, @06:13AM (1 child)

  by Magic Oddball (3847) on Friday November 30 2018, @06:13AM (#768187) Journal

  I'm not sure how it would work out in terms of miles per hour, but according to SFGate [sfgate.com]:

  The Camp Fire erupted about 6:30 a.m., spreading to more than 18,000 acres by 3:15 p.m. At that rate, the fire is burning the equivalent of about 10 Costco warehouses per minute.

  I might be wrong, but that sounds like it'd have to be moving more than 5 miles per hour.

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• Re:They are the real firemen. (Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday November 30 2018, @08:26AM

  by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Friday November 30 2018, @08:26AM (#768208)

  Been awhile since I did this kind of math, feel free to correct if I messed up.

  Lets say the fire burns outward in perfect circle to keep it simple.

  time = 0 hr radius= 0 surface area=0
  time =1 hr radius =5mi surface area =~78 square miles
  time = 2 hr radius = 10mi surface area =~314 square miles
  time = 3 hr radius = 15mi surface area =~ 706 square miles
  time = 4 hr radius = 20mi surface area =~ 1,256 square miles

  and the bigger the radius the faster the surface area goes up, so even a "slow" fire can eat up a lot of area in very little time.

  --
  "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."

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