Private firefighters vaulted into the spotlight during January's devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and the press wasn't necessarily positive. According to the New York Times, one wealthy Angeleno became the target of widespread online backlash after he sought private firefighters through social media and promised to pay "any amount." Critics also took aim at former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso for hiring private fire crews to protect his Palisades Village Mall property, which still stands, albeit surrounded by ruins.
With nearly 12,000 structures destroyed in the fires, the allegations of a two-tiered system for the wealthy and everyone else may not be unwarranted. But at the same time, misinformation about private fire prevention services is spreading like — well, wildfire.
At least 250 private fire services operate in the U.S. Private firefighters are not cheap. For $10,000 per day you can hire a crew of 24 and four trucks, according to Fox Business. But even the ultra-wealthy might have trouble retaining their services — most of them don't work directly with homeowners. Most of them contract with government agencies or insurance companies to fight wildfires, support local fire services when personnel are spread too thin, and protect properties against fires (also called fire hardening) before the flames spread. According to Yahoo News, less than 1 percent of private contractors work directly with homeowners to protect homes, and those that do are more likely to work for insurance companies.
Still, some friction exists between private contractors and public agencies. In an interview with the New York Times, Brian Rice, president of the 35,000-member California Professional Firefighters, called private fire crews "a liability," and pointed out that many crews were not trained to work in urban environments.
