Use of Private Firefighters To Protect Assets of Wealthy Clients Stirs Outrage
“California’s private firefighting teams … are equipped to respond with their own water supplies, trucks, hoses, fire-quenching chemicals, and other industrial-grade equipment.”
Shortly after wealthy talent manager Adam Leber evacuated his mansion in Hollywood Hills last week, a private firefighting crew showed up to ensure it remained standing. The San Francisco Chronicle, which reported this story, describes Leber’s residence as a “6,000-square-foot home — once owned by filmmaker Preston Sturges and ‘rumored to be the site of Charlie Chaplin’s first wedding,’ according to an old real estate listing.”
The Chronicle notes that while using private firefighting teams is still relatively rare, the trend is catching on among wealthy homeowners in fire prone areas who see it as an extra level of security. “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.”
The media outlet contacted Leber, who said he had “first purchased private fire protection last September, as a different blaze — the Line Fire — came within a few miles of his family’s Lake Arrowhead [second] home.”
As the fire drew nearer, he recounted, “I immediately started researching private firefighters” and contacted All Risk Shield. “A crew arrived soon after, guarding the house until the local fire department arrived. Leber was so pleased with the company’s work that he bought a suite of services for his Los Angeles home, including fire hardening and emergency response.”
“My family and I are unbelievably lucky to be in the position that we’re in, given what everyone else is going through,” Leber told the Chronicle. “What [the private firefighters] do is unbelievable…I was 100% certain our house was done. Thanks to these guys, they were able to hold it off long enough so the fire department could come in.”
Imagine paying into one of the highest tax cities in the nation, and then none of the municipal services you pay for are there for you when you need them and so you have to resort to private services — and then are shamed for doing so! pic.twitter.com/b3kkccM5fE
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) January 12, 2025
Private firefighters guard this Hollywood Hills house from #SunsetFire. They’ve set up sprinklers to cascade water from the second story eaves. They will guard all night. pic.twitter.com/Wj9fIocM1y
— Matthias Gafni (@mgafni) January 9, 2025
Moderate Democrat and billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, who lost the Los Angeles mayoral race to Mayor Karen Bass in 2022, also turned to private firefighters to save his Palisades Village Mall.
Rick Caruso, the Businessman Who Ran Against Karen Bass for Mayor, Saved Palisades Village Mall with Private Firefighters, Water Tankers pic.twitter.com/DwUB3zLbvF
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 12, 2025
The public outcry over the use of private firefighting crews by wealthy individuals to protect their assets has been enormous.
Some argue that using private firefighters deepens the existing divide between the wealthy and the poor, prioritizing protecting the affluent’s interests while neglecting the less fortunate. The Daily Mail estimates the average cost of this protection to be anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 for one day. In a separate article, the outlet reported that some companies charge up to $2,000 per hour for a private team.
So, yes, the price tag takes it away as an option for many homeowners.
It also stirs resentment. As per The New York Post:
Millionaire real estate investor Keith Wasserman ignited a blaze of outrage when he put out a call for someone to connect him with private firefighters to save his house in the Pacific Palisades.
“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades? Need to act fast here. All neighbors’ houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you,” he posted to his X account, which he later deleted.
“Incredible nerve,” commented one critic. “His family is evacuated and he’s trying to hire private firefighters to risk their lives to save a home he most certainly has insured. Incredibly tone deaf.”
“So you’re suggesting that potentially lifesaving resources (even if ‘private’) should be diverted to save your house because you’re rich while tens of thousands of people try to evacuate?” said another.
Another criticism is the belief that private firefighters “compete with public teams for precious resources such as water.”
However, The New York Post refutes this claim, reporting that “California’s private firefighting teams have started offering ‘on-call’ services. These teams are equipped to respond with their own water supplies, trucks, hoses, fire-quenching chemicals, and other industrial-grade equipment.”
If this claim is accurate, I see no reason why those who can afford protection shouldn’t be allowed to purchase it. California residents, especially those at or near the top tier of earners, are among the highest taxed individuals in the U.S. The accumulation of decades of woke (and foolish) policy decisions by bureaucrats who are more interested in sheltering the homeless population and illegal immigrants than they are in meeting the most basic needs of their constituents such as a proper water infrastructure, have shown people the government does not have their back.
This fire did not come out of the blue. Wildfires are a fact of life in California just as hurricanes are in Florida. Because the government fails to prepare for emergency situations, citizens must do so themselves, or flee the state. And rather than shaming those who plan ahead, maybe they should think a little harder about who they vote for.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
Rich man buys ice cream for desert. Everyone who can’t afford ice cream outraged.
Rich man buys sneakers for his child. Everyone who has to wear store-brand shoes outraged.
This is little person syndrome, like JR & Rags.
Looks like these people need to come to grips with the fact that the elected the wrong people and they have been cheated.
More like rich man buys expensive sneakers, while people who are barefoot because they can’t afford shoes at all are outraged. Which explains their feelings better, but doesn’t justify them at all. Your poverty is not the rich man’s fault, or his problem. He has no duty to deprive himself just to assuage your feelings.
Especially if he’s already paying through the nose for a shoe tax that’s supposed to provide you with shoes. It’s not his problem that the money has been stolen.
The barefoot people DID pay for the shoes. They just paid a known swindler.
Of course, they can’t blame themselves for their own stupidity, because it would be Threat to Democratocracy..
The politics of envy. Instead of demanding the people they pay taxes to be competent and get what they are paying for they are angry that someone is rich enough to pay not only a ton of taxes for nothing but have to shell out even more for private firefighters. The headline mentioning “equity” is the woke game that got them where they are.
Rich man buying ice cream for the desert?
I eat mine for dessert… but if you really love a cactus go for it@
🤣
Can someone please explain to me how non-rich people are better off if a rich person’s house burns down when s/he could have saved it by getting private fire protection? At a minimum, private fire protection reduces the amount of financial pressure on insurance companies by reducing claims, which helps everyone. What the hell is with these people, other than hatred of success?
It just looks bad for people to take advantage of their wealth and position. This is why the President, the VP, the Cabinet and all Senators and Representatives always fly commercial.
It’s their wealth , they can and should use it
Of course, everybody here knows our government representatives never fly commercial!!!
Taking advantage? Of what, their wealth? Isn’t that the point of working to become wealthy, to make your position in life better than others? More power to them in that regard. Isn’t this the American Dream?
The president and VP aren’t allowed to fly commercial. This restriction costs them significant money, because whenever they fly on their own private business they have to pay the price of a first-class ticket to wherever they’re going, even if they would have flown on a cheaper ticket had they been allowed.
Almost other officials do fly commercial, certainly when they’re on private business, and thus at their own expense, and usually also when on government business, and thus at government expense.
Why? If they are paying their taxes like everyone else why do I care what they fly around on. Trump flying around on Trump Force One while I drive a 30 year old car doesn’t matter to me or impact me in the least. He can afford it. If I could afford a 2025 3/4 ton diesel pickup up is everyone that can’t afford one entitled to get one? Should they hate me because I can buy one? This envy over wealth crap is appalling.
I look at it more as the rich elites in California spend their money on getting limousine leftists elected, then protect themselves from the very policies enacted by the leftists, while those who can’t buy their representatives have to live with the problems.
DiCaprio spirited off to Mexico with his side piece, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the fires.
I rarely defend the rich anymore, they already have bought enough politicians that they’re not in need of my help.
But if people really want to show their anger, then they need to quit voting for the democraps in every election. And if there is no one running against a democrap for any office, then someone has to bite the bullet and run as an anti democrap.
Otherwise I just ignore all that bit*ching about the rich. Most didn’t get rich by being stupid.
I concur, and I don’t begrudge anyone who is successful, regardless of their political bent. They produce a product or service, and people buy it. Simple economics.
What I do begrudge are people who make it, and then create an environment that builds barriers to entry and intentionally limits access through the politicians they buy off.
Follow that with others who spend money to destroy good people who want to run for office, and buy off the media to destroy others.
Why, that’s crazy talk!
Class envy is the secret ingredient inside every Commie in history, from Marx to Kammie.
They will faithfully perform the Lobster Effect until it kills them, rather than see anyone escape the common misery they have inflicted on everyone else.
That’s why Galt needed a Gulch.
And, right on cue…!
City’s infamous red tape preventing private security from helping homeowners, firms say
Even though it’s California, there aren’t enough rich people to elect anyone.
If you want to decry their influence over the people, that’s fine. But that’s the people’s fault, not the rich.
It’s not like DeCaprio was going to provide any help by staying in LA as things burn.
But entertainment is his JOB, and he’s shirking it.
You hit on a common theme. For many “it’s insured” means the owner should not take action to prevent losses. Never mind that almost all of these people claim the cost of insurance is too high (whatever it might be). They never make the connection that by failing to prevent losses, claims are much higher, and therefore, the cost of insurance is too.
Even worse is the economic ignorance this attitude always reveals of the speaker. The property is insured, so it’s OK to steal it or burn it because free money falls from heaven to compensate the owner, so it’s not really a crime. In these people’s mental DIsneyworld, the free money is always sufficient to cover the full cost of the rebuild or restock, plus the income lost from not being able to operate your business in the meanwhile or having to live in a rental; and the insurance companies never raise their rates on others to compensate, or pull out of the neighborhood market entirely, raising the cost of goods and services to the ignorant speaker and their neighbors.
The attitude from these people is, “you paid for insurance to cover people stealing from you or burning your place down, so now there’s nothing wrong with me doing it,” And they’re always too stupid to see any more than one move ahead on the checkerboard of consequences. That’s a big reason that they vote for the fools they do.
You’re asking for logic. You won’t find it with those who reflexively complain about everything.
Sour grapes driven by envy. Now if these same folks doing the complaining about hiring Private Fire fighters want to be equally outraged by hiring Private Security or purchase of security systems then let’s see where they did so before now…to include those provided by employers.
There’s a video of the Palisades Village Mall and during that short video there were at least 3 very large water tenders among all the other private fire fighting vehicles/equipment – so they’re not even drawing water from the public supply.
And in this instance, the livelihood of many small business owners and employees was saved.
Well … the physical mall was saved, but the area around it is now desolate so I don’t know who’s going to be shopping there.
This is the dilemma of those who saved their structures while everything came down around them. They are now isolated and might not be able to occupy their buildings, since many of them are essentially “off the grid”, now. Of course, they could set up solar panels and generators for electricity … except that I think gas/propane generators are banned in Cali and Bill Maher tried to get approval for solar panels and was taken on a year or two long ride through the city planning offices. So, if the electricity lines came down in the neighborhood and the neighborhood is mostly gone (so there is no need for electricity at the moment) things might be unlivable for those whose properties made it through.
I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see what happens with stuff like that.
That’s why the possibility that this was a government-caused opportunity to land-grab is on a repeat loop in my mind.
That’s the thing. If they were drawing water from the public supply, it would be a different story.
.
Why? It’s my understanding water is metered in California so they would be not only paying for the private firefighters but the water they are using to preserve structures that will continue to pay taxes unlike buildings that are burned to the ground.
If it reduced the water available to the public firefighters (see Palisades losing their water) then it would be a valid complaint, certainly. If they’re taking your slice of the pie, that’s different than them bringing their own pie.
If the private owners were opening up every faucet to pour it down the drain then yes that waste would be diverting scarce water away from fighting fire.
I don’t find the argument of ‘waste’ very persuasive when have Private owners using water to fight fires and prevent burning. That isn’t a diversion from fire fighting.
What if they were drawing from the public water supply? Aren’t the property owners entitled to the use of that water for the protection of their homes and businesses? Aren’t the hydrants for use against fires? I wouldn’t have a problem with private firefighters even if they are using “public” water. Oh, they’ll draw down the water supply during an emergency? If there were enough public firefighters, they’d be doing the same thing (and appear to have done exactly that in the current situation).
Exactly. And, on the other side, the public firefighters would draw from private pools without a second thought if they needed to.
Speaking of which, smart people with a pool have some sort of pumps around to use for fire emergencies. How many gallons are in your average home pool? About 20,000 or so. That’s not too shabby; tanker trucks only hold about 8000.
Again. Pay attention. It’s the lunatic left attacking the contractors – not the resident homeowners.
So, pumping pool water to fight fires is not even a problem. It’s encouraged.
Water tender tank capacity varies greatly. The tenders shown in the video are the largest – that type of water tender isn’t used in mountain firefighting – too big to maneuver on two lane mountain highways and on dirt-gravel logging roads.
USFS/CalFire contract hundreds of private water tenders to service fight fighting crews.
FO.
Why? Because leftist lunatics are attacking the for-hire fire fighting contractors. If those firms are self-contained there’s nothing for the lunatics to claw onto..
You’re aware that the water pressure to Palisades fire hydrants dropped to nil.
“You’re aware that the water pressure to Palisades fire hydrants dropped to nil.”
Pay attention. I alluded to that in my comment.
Nothing for the lunatics to claw into? There is always something for them to “claw into,” no matter how ridiculous it may be. In this instance, the object (rich people) is targeted in an attack of class envy.
And “Why?” what? I don’t see anything in my comment to which this question might apply.
Roman fire departments were private and no drain on the public purse. They’d run out to a burning house and offer to buy it. Take it or leave it.
I first heard about that yesterday when elsewhere I mentioned the multiplicity of different FD organizations we have here. Starting with- not everywhere even has FD coverage for structures. I’m not sure how fire insurance works for them… Where I live now I’m in a VFD fire district, that covers my town and some parts of nearby towns. Fire districts in NY are taxing districts. If I don’t pay my tax, the government will seize my home and I’ll lose it. But the VFD will show up and put out a fire. By the time they get here, the house will have burned down, but that’s besides the point. I recall when I moved here my insurance company asked “Where’s the nearest fire station?” to which I answered “About 5 miles.” That kind of floored them. “Well, where’s the nearest hydrant?” “In front of the firehouse.” Maybe a little closer. 1.1 miles down my street to the major road, then 3 miles to the village boundary, then a little bit further to where the water district with hydrants is… I don’t pay sewer and water fees. I’m my own department for both.
When I lived in SC I lived in a subdivision in an unincorporated area of the county- didn’t belong to any local government other then the county. We had a VFD there- and a nearby hydrant. The VFD was still pretty far away. The VFD was not a taxing district, totally volunteer, relying on contributions and fundraisers. When they came by yearly to tell you the recommended “contribution” you wrote a check to them for that amount- or more. Then if they responded- they should attempt to save the structure. Otherwise, as required by law, they would check to see if there were people in the structure, rescue them if there were, then watch the structure burn down, keeping the fire from spreading to neighboring structures that had “contributed” to them. Or watching them burn down if they hadn’t… By law, if you lived in a fire district and didn’t contribute for coverage, you didn’t have fire insurance no matter what your policy said. If you lived outside a fire district, well, then you did- if the insurance said so. We had water and sewer- and fire hydrants – though we had no government to provide them. A small company set up by the developers when they built the entire subdivision. The lots were too small to each have a well and septic. Their rates were reasonable. Governments don’t have to do everything.
I’ve got fire insurance on a structure over 10 miles from a town and several miles up a dirt road blocked by a couple of gate. There is no way anyone could reach it. Basically, I pay a fairly hefty “rebuild it” insurance premium every year. My current house is also about 10 miles from a VFD and there is no municipal water for farther than that. People that prattle on about fire hydrants and stuff are the same ones that live on the coasts and hate “fly over” people. They think everything is within walking distance.
Pretty similar situation for me. I do have a small 15K gallon pool to draw from along with multi acre ponds within 50 yards of the structures. The IN co only seems to care about lack of a hydrant and the volunteer fire.dept to form their risk rating.
I suspect the IN industry gonna have to get away from mechanical ratings based on the presence or lack of hydrants and instead focus on availability of water. Hydrants didn’t do LA area any good when the lack of pressure due to absence of water to feed into the system from empty water reservoirs.
It’s a lot more recent history than that. Private fire fighter services in the US predate the public ones. My elder sis was a volunteer ambulance and volunteer FF (first woman at her station actually a full member and not just “ladies auxiliary”) and informed me of the history. Some FFs collect the olde tyme metal plaques private FF companies used to loan paid members to post on the front of their covered bldgs. If your house or business caught fire and you were next door to a covered customer they might show up to protect your neighbor, but legally had no requirement to prevent your place burning down.
It’s a lot more recent history than that. Private fire fighter services in the US predate the public ones.
Yep. That was how Crassus funded Caesar’s rise to power.
This enrages the libtards because it prima facie evidence that virtually none of this had to happen. It all could have been prevented had the elected representatives not been totally incompetent.
But hey, there’s a very well-funded gay men’s choir and ample decorations visible during Pride Week.
Speaking of which:
Priorities!
It’s a “trans hydrant” — as long as it looks believable, it doesn’t actually have to work.
They had the money to paint their firetrucks rainbow for Pride Week, too.
Envy is one of the demonic sins. Not just to want something for ones self, but also to want someone else not to have it.
Yes. That’s the traditional Jewish understanding of the tenth commandment. It’s perfectly fine to see your neighbor’s house, car, etc. and want one just like it. It’s not fine to want that specific house, car, etc., because that inherently means depriving him of it. It’s OK to make him an initial offer to buy it, but if he says it’s not for sale you must accept that and not keep hankering after it.
I think about that every time I see a red convertible. The mental conversation goes: “Lord, I’m sorry, but I’m about to covet. I could have had that car if I didn’t have kids. Then again, I’d rather have my kids than a mere car, so never mind, Lord, and thank you.”
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE resurface the story on Mike Shaw… the forestry dude in Oregon who was fired for not being woke enough.
Also note… there’s at least a hundred private contractors in Oregon and Wa alone they could call to roll on down there. They are all contracted during fire season to remain staged and pick their noses. It’s not fire season, so that equipment is just sitting there and it’s under a day to get there. spoiler alert- you don’t even need much equipment if you get ahead of it….
But how will Sacramento clear all of those extra people in time to be helpful? They’re already swamped trying to authorize all the public firefighters Oregon sent.
Fire crews from around the west routinely show up in other states to fight forest fires. Why are some not down there cutting breaks?
Their vehicles might emit too much carbon.
You say that in jest, but SoCal has been deadly serious about not permitting NoCal fire equipment into the area because it may not meet their emissions standards.
They’ve been using private security forever. You’re not in the club. You don’t matter. You are your own first responder. Plan accordingly.
So . . . are the private firefighters supposed to work for people who cannot afford them, or should they simply not work as firefighters at all?
We can resent those who are wealthy enough to afford such services all we want, but the fact is they are paying for them, the private services are NOT being subsidized, and the subsidized public services are that much more available for use elsewhere.
The local and state agencies won’t be coming to the rescue. LAFD and police have been defunded. They are high on the target list of looters, as police are busy elsewhere. It remains to be seen how much insurance will pay out, claims could be tied up in litigation for years.
Why should they stand by and watch their properties get burned and looted?
Envy is part and parcel of Democrat and leftist ethos. You can’t argue with them and you can’t reform them.
You can only ignore them while you go about your life being an adult.
Cry harder.
Don’t come (bleep) to me when the consequences of your stupid voting bites you in the (bleep).
Californians have allowed in an affirmative way for their governments to displace essential services such as law enforcement with the blunt force of a billy club and fire suppression with water.
Equity doesn’t prevent crime nor does it put out fires.
There are many stories of residents that stayed behind and used garden hoses to save their properties and those of their neighbors – see James Woods – when there weren’t sufficient resources.
Folks, stop thinking that government will be there to save your sorry (bleep). Just as it is with 2A arguments, when seconds count, they’re just minutes away (if at all).
I can’t help but think that what I’ve written above isn’t just an extension of what Tocqueville wrote about two plus centuries ago. That will take some time to work out.
You’re kidding right? Like not a single one of us would take advantage of our ability to pay for things in order to not have to deal with the frustration of rebuilding? I understand people that can’t do so are not happy about the fact that other people can, but it isn’t taking anything away from them. In fact, it’s probably shortening the lines when they eventually have to go rebuild. If the state of California even lets them rebuild, God knows with the permitting process out there that it takes God damn forever to do anything.
There are lots of things you can get and do when you’re rich that you can’t otherwise. That’s one of the main reasons why people want to be – and should want to be – rich.
California, and Californians, will never learn. They are too far gone. They are totally consumed by envy and stupidity.
Of course, a lot of the rich peole doing the right thing and hiring private firefighters are as dangerous and destructive to society as the envious mobs calling for their blood. Rick Caruso, so-called “moderate” Democrat, was a big supporter of Traitor Joe and then Kamala, the idiot marxist. For all his good sense he is still a moron who, if given his druthers, would have the US run completely into the ground.
It is disgusting to hear such class envy from Americans. What a bunch of losers! Class envy is a very European attitude, as the European aristocracy has been treated with deference, and resented, forever. Here in the US, capitalism provides for all, not just the few at the top. The American Dream is to find success through hard work and risks. That’s why European peasants streamed to our shores through Ellis Island.
But California has been turning into a medieval state for well over fifteen years. The Weekly Standard carried a cover story on it back in the day, focusing on how the middle class was being sqeezed out by the very, very rich and the working poor (primarily from Mexico) being imported to serve them. I mean, somebody has to mow the lawn, wash the dishes, clean the toilet.
Instead of whining about what they don’t have – the cash to hire private fire departments – why aren’t they questioning why private fire departments are a thing? We don’t have them where I live. Our fire departments are competent. Why can’t the LA Fire Department keep fires at bay in LA? Why isn’t it competent?
Sadly, it’s difficult to empathize too much with people who vote for incompetent leadership, time after time. Seems the California electorate would rather take another hit of their favorite recreational drug than to take a hard look at the political leadership in their state.
Wealthy people use private fire departments for the same reason the use private security. The state is incompetent and is not interested in protecting the citizens they serve.
My grandmother used to say, “making your second million is easier than the first million so I am skipping the first million and working on my second million”. Being wealthy enough to hire private fire protection in the Kalifornia fires to maintain your belongings works for me. But you could not pay me to live in Kalifornia.
“And rather than shaming those who plan ahead, maybe they should think a little harder about who they vote for.”
They won’t. It’s a derangement in much of the electorate in California. They had a vastly superior candidate for governor in Larry Elder (1 of 46!) during the 2021 recall election of Newsom.
Elder laid out a litany of failure from Newsom: crime, homelessness, schools, and all on the heels of the infamous French Laundry restaurant scandal where ‘little people’ were COVID mandated to stay at home, but Newsom was living it up w/ friends at this posh restaurant.
A straight ‘Yes or No’ vote resulted in a whopping 62% who voted to keep Newsom in office.
The people are the problem.
I have to think the electoral process in CA is also part of the problem. Fraud, anyone?
When an appallingly inept municipal government fails to provide basic services such as policing and firefighting, no one — least of all, the vile and stupid Dhimmi-crats — should be surprised that citizens with financial means will hire private contractors to provide those services.
This phenomenon is simply a testament to the outrageous and indefensible incompetence and dereliction of duty of Commiefornia’s Soviet-style apparatchiks.
What the naysayers don’t mention is that every private firefighter on the line is doing the work of a government firefighter who is then able to fight the fire elsewhere. That government firefighter is protecting the property of someone not wealthy enough to pay to have his property protected.
Kind of surprised that the naysayers, having become aware of the hiring of private firefighters by some wealthy people, didn’t complain that everyone in L.A. is paying for the protection of rich people’s property, rather than being required (by law) to pay for the protection themselves!
Plus, a house not burning down is one less producer of blazing cinders. In the 100mph winds, it’s not really fire that gets a house but a constant rain of hot/burning bits of carbon/wood/grass blown horizontally like blazing hailstones. A house that is built to resist that is far more likely to remain standing afterward. Clay/metal shingles, metal/stucco siding, roof vents that can be shut to prevent internalizing sparks, a clear area around the house with gravel, and steel roll-down shutters for fragile windows are a good start. Get enough of those houses around makes the other houses less likely to burn, and they can get more fire department attention.
he inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings.
The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.
–WINSTON CHURCHILL
Two delegates to the convention in Philadelphia had a conversation something like this:
“We must do something to avoid the accumulation of wealth in a small number of people.”
“The accumulation of wealth in a small number of people is an inevitable result of the freedom we’re proposing.”
Implying there’s nothing to be done about it without restricting that freedom.
And let us not forget the big story of not too long ago, which was about junkies in California stealing fire hydrants for scrap. Just taking them right off of the streets. I don’t remember if that was up north or by LA, but it was just emblematic of the overall shape and future of Cali.
The scare quotes around “private” say it all. This is the leftist mindset fully exposed. They think private property is only ‘private’ by sufferance, but it really belongs to them and they can take it away whenever they like. They think it’s like when parents let a child “own” a room, but it really belongs to the parents, and they can take it away when they need it, e.g. for a guest.
It is one of the most revealing tropes of the left –absolutely exposing the infantility of their entire philosophy.
It’s the entire premise of the Green movement: you “own” a property and pay taxes to us for the privilege of continuing to own it, but we can tell you what you may and may not do with that property because someone else might object.
prioritizing protecting the affluent’s interests while neglecting the less fortunate
And just how does this prioritize the affluent when it means public firefighters need to do less work to save those houses?
Yeah, same thing most everyone above has said: the people making this complaint can’t or won’t actually think it through, and way too many people will just act on their envy as if it’s a virtue. (It is one in Progressivism.)
The funny (not haha funny) part is that these people will complain loudly about those awful, self-centered rich people, while at the same time looking to them for how to live their lives/vote. And they won’t see the irony in that, at all.
The leftist mindset at work! Don’t demand competence from elected officials. Rather, make some utterly stupid case to stop those with the means from protecting their property. This is the same empty-headedness that talks about “racial disparities” in certain diseases—where, if we don’t look out, the leftist “solution” would be kill more whites to even up the percentages.
There is no bottom for blue California.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/01/13/there-is-no-bottom-for-blue-california-n2650357
Envy is a component of these peoples thinking, but not all. They hate the idea that somebody can think for themselves. If you read Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer”, he works through this mindset. Like in the Russian proverb about the goat, they would rather that all houses burn down than one be saved. It is a form of mental illness, but widespread. The parallels with firearms laws are very strong: the same group would rather see thousands of woman raped and people killed rather than issue a single gun carry permit.
As a retired member of the board of directors our local fire protection district, I have some experience with the details. I stood for public election twice and have a feel for the details involved here. Private fire protection is good in some cases. OTOH, much more serious prep for fire (or earthquake) is good for all of society. Do not discount the union angle here: the unionized municipal firefighters *really hate* the idea of commercial — and even volunteer — firefighters. In the same vein, they *really hate* the idea of non-union mechanics fixing their equipment, which explains why there is so much non-functional equipment in LA.
You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for.
Liz Warren, “You didn’t build that”, September 21, 2011
“And then we spend that money on booze and hookers. Suckers!”
I live iņ an area where wildfire is part of the picture. My insurance company includes a wildfire endorsement as part of the policy. That means that if there is a wildfire in the area, one of the private fire companies will show up, do whatever is necessary to make the built part of the property as fire-safe as possible. They will also provide direct firefighting protection while it is safe enough (in their terms) to do so. If they have to leave for their own safety, they will use fire-retardant materials on their way out.
When I replaced the roofs with steel roofing, which reduced my insurance cost significantly. There are other things that I can do to lower what I pay, too.
I have applied FireWise practices to ensure a safe space around the built environment on the property. I make sure to have buffers along each side of the driveway to make sure it’s safer for the fire company if there is a fire. I have also maintained the old logging roads on the property for better apparatus access. I also work with a gleaner who comes iņ to remove deadfall and hazard trees. He sells the wood to elderly and veterans who heat their homes with wood, which helps him support his family.
I also maintain a flat open space on my property where firefighters can set up their temp-pond to dump tankers of water during a fire. The local fire department has used the space on more than one occasion when there were structure fires in the neighborhood.
Some of this is done so that I can mitigate along my boundary with the forested county park next door. The county thinned a couple of years ago. They had told us they would remove the thinned stems after they were cut down. Then they learned that it would cost them additional money to have it removed. I used some public comment time to let them know that was not satisfactory. They responded that it was a common practice. I then asked how healthy their risk pool was, because I would be tapping it if they had a fire in there and it jumped to my property. They could not answer the question. After some one-on-one conversation with my county commissioner a few days later, I and my neighbors who also shared boundaries with the park are now allowed to clear up the debris to protect ourselves. That means our gleaner has more firewood available.
So, there are other ways where at least some of us have access to private fire companies. Yeah, we have to do a little extra property maintenance work to optimize the effectiveness of those who have access through insurance wildfire endorsements, but that’s a small price to pay. And let me assure you, not all of us are rolling in spare dough.
It means we don’t need to pay for gym memberships, so there’s a useful trade-off, too!.
Good comments about FireWise and gleaning. Here is a bit more legal detail: your insurance company almost certainly uses the ISO fire rating system to classify risk at your property. As is done everywhere in the US. You can lower your ISO rating, and cut your rates, by adding a water tank of the right size and with the right fire-department-approved fittings and access. The reduced rate typically applies for all structures in a 1000 foot radius from the tank. You need at least 10,000 gallons, but this can be made from a tank farm of 2500 gallon tanks. The 2500 gallon tanks can be moved with a flatbed truck or car trailer and installed by hand with 3 men: this radically changes the delivery and installation cost. Depending on the number of structures, this will pay for itself in a few years.
After installation, work with your local fire department and have the practice with your setup. If there is a fire, they will show up to the tank they know about and have practiced on.
I don’t have a problem with privatized anything (legal) per se.
What I have a problem with is the suspicion that most of these people who had private firefighters protecting their homes are the same ones who donate vast sums of money supporting the politicians and policies that create the environment in which everyone who can’t afford private firefighters have their homes burned to the ground.
It’s no different than the rich anti-gunner with private armed guards (and usually a concealed carry permit that they would deny anyone else), or the celebrity with a yacht and private jet lecturing the rest of us on our carbon footprint. It’s the hypocrisy that’s the problem.
I’m sure for some (especially in ultra liberal Los Angeles) that are only upset because of jealousy over the fact they can’t afford it themselves, but I don’t suffer from that malady. I don’t envy rich people their riches, I only oppose the hypocrisy that so many of them display. I’ll leave you alone to enjoy all the perks and comforts your money can buy and you leave me alone to do the same…deal?
If the rich are prepared and paying for private services, that should result in more public money helping the not-so-rich.
What is there to be outraged about that other than it showing that the political class is inept at doing what they are paid to do?!?!