Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Some Californians are hiring private fire crews to save their homes
LA Times ^ | 11/27/18 | HANNAH FRY, JACK FLEMMING

Posted on 12/03/2018 5:33:30 PM PST by Libloather

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last
Full title - Some Californians are hiring private fire crews to save their homes. Regular firefighters aren't happy about it
1 posted on 12/03/2018 5:33:30 PM PST by Libloather
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Libloather
Union Regular firefighters aren't happy about it
2 posted on 12/03/2018 5:35:21 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

What they should do is pay a little more for water and get desalinated seawater instead of river water.


3 posted on 12/03/2018 5:37:31 PM PST by Brilliant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

We are looking going in with our neighbors.

In the last fire, some non firemen guys and a few gals saved many homes of people that we know.

Today we talked to a woman who was told to evacuate and leave with her husband. They sneaked back in with a lot of hoses and rain bird sprinkles and nailed the rain birds to their roof, connected the hoses to them and to outside faucets. Then they turned the faucets to the on position and threw their yard chairs into their back yard away from their
home and left.

Their home was spared the yard chairs were burnt up and neighbors’s homes were destroyed. Their water bill was over 2 grand, but their home and garage were okay with some paint blisters.


4 posted on 12/03/2018 5:50:40 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Why are the libs suddenly in love with our fired AG/ and want to protect him?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
the private sector could supress and prevent wildfires 1000 (or more) times better than the established government fire system. Wildland fire suppression requires brute force and wise choice of equipment similar to construction operations. Structure protection and rescue requires more specific training with chemicals and medical training etc.

Imagine a fire crew pulling up and instead of a shiny engine and six guys , 6 modern water tankers pull up with 4 bobcats on trailers, all operated by construction workers with extensive excavation experience in all types of terrain (for example)

the government wildland fire establishment is lame and uncoordinated, top heavy with admistrative idiots running the show and wasting money

5 posted on 12/03/2018 5:50:44 PM PST by KTM rider ( .......than to post and remove all doubt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Hooray for the private sector..!

But seriously:

This is looking more and more and more like the Third World, with elites UNDERSTANDING that the public sector is basically BROKEN.

They are insulated from the consequences of the election outcomes they aggressively sponsor.


6 posted on 12/03/2018 5:54:03 PM PST by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Smart people with money want to get around damaging government actions such as not allowing proper forest management.


7 posted on 12/03/2018 5:54:13 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

If Victor Davis Hanson were a freeper, I would sooooooo ping him his thread with a double-black flip.


8 posted on 12/03/2018 5:55:58 PM PST by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
This takes us back to colonial times where there were only private fire companies. Homes that purchased insurance posted Fire Insurance medallions on their homes and the fire companies saved those homes, not the ones who had refused to buy insurance. Sometimes competing fire companies would get into fights and forget to fight the fire with the building burning to the ground.

Or, sometimes, it was Clowns vs. Firemen."

9 posted on 12/03/2018 6:20:15 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Kanye and Kim do.


10 posted on 12/03/2018 6:21:14 PM PST by zanarchist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

O holy hell.

Some Californians are hiring private security.

Some Californians are hiring private drivers.

Some Californians are hiring private swim coaches / tutors / pilots / singing coaches / acupuncturists / chefs.

IN OTHER WORDS, RICH PEOPLE CAN HIRE PEOPLE TO WORK FOR THEM. Duh.


11 posted on 12/03/2018 6:22:38 PM PST by Yaelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave

I absolutely love that story.

I do wonder though, if everyone did that, if there would still be any water flowing out of the hoses.


12 posted on 12/03/2018 6:23:39 PM PST by Yaelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Competition is more competent? I always wondered why those planes and helicopters didn’t spray the fire retardant directly on the towns and around the towns instead of the backwoods .... seems like the towns like Paradise always burned completely because of it.


13 posted on 12/03/2018 6:31:29 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Start using cash and checks or the elite class and bankers will make "cashless" the norm.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

From the comments-

If anyone had done a little research they’d find that the ‘private’ firefighters are either currently employed as ‘real’ firefighters somewhere or retired with years of experience. It’s not like they’re some derelicts picked up from a prison or under an overpass, put into yellow shirts and given a list of addresses to spray foam on. These guys are professionals with as much or more experience than the union guys who don’t want them on scene and do everything within their power to prevent them from gaining access. Clearly CALFIRE and other jurisdictions are overwhelmed every year by these predictably costly fires. To say they present a liability and safety problem is only a smokescreen to further their single-minded and stoic operational routines which prevent entry of any fresh ideas or management. These private companies offer additional resources that are every bit as valuable and deployable as any city or county fire department resources. They don’t need to be ‘rescued’ and ‘evacuated’ any differently than the ‘regular’ firefighters; and it doesn’t cost the regular firefighters/management anything for them to be there...oh...except the overtime that the regular guys would have made by having to protect the structures that the private companies were denied access to! Hmmm... agenda???


14 posted on 12/03/2018 6:36:50 PM PST by dennisw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

“Some Californians are hiring private fire crews to save their homes”

Probably illegal in that shithole state.


15 posted on 12/03/2018 6:37:20 PM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Homes with swimming pools could have a pump hooked to draw water from the pool to feed a fire suppression system. Seems like a no brainer.


16 posted on 12/03/2018 6:41:20 PM PST by Rebelbase
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

We will see this with police also.


17 posted on 12/03/2018 6:48:39 PM PST by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
20,000 homes destroyed and scores dead

15,000 of those homes were in Paradise, Concow, Magalia, Yankee Hill, and they've confirmed the deaths of 88 people so far. It is unlikely that all remains will be recovered at this point.

18 posted on 12/03/2018 7:01:49 PM PST by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
their job is to protect specific homes under contract with insurance companies.

And the real meat that belies the title - insurance companies don't want to take the loss when firefighters are stuck doing rescues and traffic control instead of fighting the actual fires, something that happened in Paradise - by 9:30am, very few fire crews were actually fighting flames, most were rescuing those who were trapped, protecting those who sought shelter in commercial properties, or bulldozing through abandoned cars to help others reach safety.

19 posted on 12/03/2018 7:05:17 PM PST by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave
They sneaked back in with a lot of hoses and rain bird sprinkles and nailed the rain birds to their roof,

A class 1 roof won't catch on fire, so sprinkling it is a waste of time (and water). One way houses burn is embers going through openings like soffits, attic vents, or windows that break from heat. Or flames on the side of the house melting the vinyl and burning through walls. If they kept the perimeter cleared then kudos to them. That's mainly what saved them and lack of openings.

20 posted on 12/03/2018 7:59:21 PM PST by palmer (...if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson