Fire, Inc.
Wildfires are out of control. Last year, California spent more than a billion dollars fighting wildfires, a 150 percent rise in a decade. In response, people like Malibu resident Gisella Guttman — who lost her home in a fire — are now turning to private, for-profit fire protection companies that promise to be there when their clients’ property is threatened. Their main product is a fire retardant gel or foam that they can spray on their customers’ homes if a fire is nearby. You can buy this service for a couple of thousand dollars a year — or get it from your insurance company if you’re a high-end customer. It turns out that this is just the latest firefighting business run by for-profit companies. Last year, an astounding 60 percent of the U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting budget went to private companies — who provided everything from tents and trailers, to planes and helicopters.
But many public, municipal firefighters, like Capt. Eli Iskow of Santa Barbara County Fire Dept., are worried that some of these private firefighters lack training, may get in the way during a wildfire, and worse, might be encouraging some of the recent homebuilding in fire zones by leading people to believe that their new, private policy will protect them.
6 Comments
Dear So Cal Connected,
I've been watching KCET for about ten years and made sure to catch the first episodes of So Cal Connected. On the positive side, I've liked the stories in your first programs. They're subjects I didn't know much about.
What I don't like about the show are your graphics, music and how the stories are introduced by your anchor. It's all kind of cheesy and overbearing, like your trying to copy the self-indulgent junk on commercial television. The conversations with your reporters also seemed a little thin and awkward.
Stay with what works and change what doesn't. Good luck.
Charlie
From what I have heard from several fire agencies, if the fire department is involved in protecting an area or neighborhood of structures from an approaching wildfire, these private fire companies will not be allowed to enter the area because they will be jeopardizing their own lives along with those of the courageous professionals who are battling the blaze. The gel product seems to work, but it would be a better idea for the homeowner to have properly prepared the structure and surrounding area beforehand, and not have to gamble on whether or not these private companies will be able to get to them when it matters. The Wildfire Solutions Group approach mentioned in the other comment may be a better plan.
Many people forget when residential sprinkler systems came out, the fire service DID NOT endorse them. In fact, California State Firefighters Association (CSFA) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) when public in their publications and press against this new technology for the home. They felt it would jeopardize their jobs. Now, they endorse residential sprinklers 100%. At one time, fire departments didn't feel women were capable of doing firefighter work - that too has changes.
The fire service just needs to be educated themselves and use these private organizations as an "avaialble resourse" for combatting fires.
property and casualty insurance companies as we know them started in the 1800s as fire companies. people subscribed to the fire company of their choice in their neighborhood. their home was given a usually wrought iron plague with the name of the company and they attached to the area near their front door.
fire companies only responded and tended to the homes of their subscribers.
so when insurance companies, like chubb shown in the mueller piece, bring their own equipment to protect their insureds home they are simply reverting back to their beginnings...before we had public fire companies.
at some point, some of these private fire companies formed mutual support networks and worked together to fight fires...just as we now have the fire departments of various cities/counties/states now working together in times of extreme fires.
i hope you will inform your viewers of these facts so they are better informed.
thank you.
That's absolutely right ROZm, and it's one fascinating piece of background information we had to lose when editing this story for time. (And I remember how they dramatized that period of firefighting history in the film "Gangs of New York")
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joe crowley says :
i believe that homeowners should understand that they have a personal responsibility to properly prepare the homes for the eventually fires they will face but i do not think private firefighters are the key. you should look at a company called www.wildfiresolutionsgroup.org - they have been working with the fire services, insurance providers and homeowners to properly prepare property to withstand a wildfire by themselves when needed. just like the local fire agencies these gel squads cannot be everywhere in socal during a large fire so homeowners should look into how to properly harden off their home and know what to do when diasater strikes.