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.”
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.
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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