Monday, January 13, 2025

Are private firefighters repugnant (in Los Angeles)?

 The SF Chronicle has the story:

Private firefighters protected a Hollywood talent manager’s home. Why are some people so mad?
By Matthias Gafni, Susie Neilson

"Leber is one of a growing number of Californians who, faced with the growing threat of wildfires in populated areas, have turned to private firefighting teams as an added layer of protection. Supporters of private firefighting teams argue they can augment the work of government-run efforts, stepping in to fill the cracks caused by depleted city and state budgets and an ever-worsening climate crisis.

"But not everyone is a fan of private firefighters, particularly those that contract directly with homeowners outside of insurance, like the company Leber hired. Critics contend that when wealthy individuals hire their own firefighters, they compete with public teams for precious resources such as water, and could potentially interfere with those teams’ efforts by, for example, blocking or crowding narrow access points.

"Moreover, they say, private firefighters widen the already-vast chasm between rich and poor, safeguarding the interests of the former at the expense of the latter.

"“The rich suffer zero consequences of anything, even cataclysmic natural disasters,” one user wrote on X, responding to a video the Chronicle posted showing private firefighters saving Leber’s house. “Private and firefighter should not be in the same sentence,” wrote another.

Joe Torres, CEO of All Risk Shield, thinks some of these criticisms are unfair — especially during major disasters like this one.

...

"He disputed the idea that private teams siphon water away from the public: His teams primarily bring their own to a site, or draw from homeowners’ pools."

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