Los Angeles fires revive debate over private firefighters for the rich
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A firefighter working to extinguish the fire as the Palisades Fire burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, on Jan 7.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES - As his Los Angeles neighbourhood burned on Jan 7, resident Keith Wasserman posted a plea on X: “Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades? Need to act fast here. All neighbours houses burning. Will pay any amount.”
Mr Wasserman, co-founder of real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, sparked outrage online, renewing debate about the role of private firefighting services as increasingly fast-moving, climate-driven wildfires overwhelm governments’ ability to respond.
Mr Wasserman’s X account has since been deleted, and he did not respond to a request for comment.
Private firefighters were being deployed in Los Angeles as several wildfires continued to burn out of control
But the role of private firefighters and their effectiveness in an era of catastrophic conflagrations is not clear cut.
The hurricane-force winds that drove the extreme speed of the Palisades fire and forced residents to flee for their lives would have left little time for private firefighting teams to respond, according to Mr Don Holter, an owner of Mt. Adams Wildfire, a Northern California firefighting service.
“With those kinds of winds, the fire is coming straight at you and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Mr Holter said.
Private firefighting services for hire have drawn criticism in recent years.
When celebrities Kim Kardashian and Kanye West credited private firefighters with saving their US$60 million (S$82 million) Los Angeles mansion from a 2018 wildfire, the move was seen as a sign of widening inequality, with the rich paying to protect their property with everyone else left to sift through the ashes.
A firefighter battling the Palisades wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, on Jan 8.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Covered 6, a Los Angeles-area security firm, is assisting cities with evacuations and fire suppression, according to company founder Chris Dunn.
He said Covered 6 sent staff to Pepperdine University in December when the Franklin fire threatened the campus.
Under California law, private firefighting services must register with the local authorities before entering a wildfire zone.
“There is no replacing, or circumventing, or subverting public safety,” said Mr Dunn. “There’s only augmentation and support.”
A firefighter spraying water on a burning home while battling the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan 8.
PHOTO: AFP
Mr Holter said Mt. Adams Wildfire has seen a jump in demand from residents in recent years.
Typically, a home owner will sign an agreement with the company to provide advice on how to protect their property and be on call to respond to a wildfire if needed.
“There are a lot of opportunities and I work more now than I’ve ever worked,” said Mr Holter, whose company mainly contracts with the federal government to suppress wildland fires.
He declined to say what Mt. Adams charges home owners, but noted that the cost depends on the size of the property and the equipment and personnel deployed.
Mr Holter said the time to engage private firefighters is before a blaze, rather than send out a distress flare like Pacific Palisades resident Mr Wasserman did as flames bore down on his house.
“We try to get them ahead of the curve and know what to do,” he said of his clients. “When we respond, it’s usually someone who has called ahead of time before the fire gets there.” BLOOMBERG
