Fourmile Fire: Private Firefighters Protected Houses At The Behest Of Insurance Companies

The Huffington Post's article..

Some homes threatened by a wildfire in the Colorado foothills west of Boulder were protected by a private team of firefighters hired by an insurance company to look out for its clients' property.
The crew hired by Chubb Corp. was operating under an agreement the company has with Boulder County, the Boulder Daily Camera reported Tuesday.
The agreement limits them to fire-prevention work, such as spraying fire-suppressing gels on homes, setting up sprinkler systems and clearing trees and brush away from structures. They aren't allowed to fight fires if the homes ignite, and they're required to get permission from firefighting commanders.
Three homes insured by Chubb were destroyed and at least 10 others in the fire zone were spared, the newspaper reported. It wasn't immediately clear how many homes Chubb insured in the fire zone, what impact the private crew had, or how much the extra protection costs.

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Kenya's private firefighting business is now estimated to be worth Sh5 billion

AllAfrica.com anounces that Kenya's private firefighting business is now estimated to be worth Sh5 billion, a large fraction of which is currently in the hands of G4S. Since the operation was launched early last year, fire fighting has become an important revenue stream for G4S which not only sells the service directly to corporate clients but also charges fees for backup services to competitors' clients.

Increasing levels of fatality in fire accidents with the deterioration of service quality offered by public firms has forced business leaders to seek alternative means of protection from private security companies.
Private firms have responded to this need by rolling out a number of service packages that include guarding, escorts and firefighting to their clients.
The business is expected to double in the next two years as corporations, foreign missions and high net worth individuals turn to these firms to manage their fire risks.
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Private firefighting contractors are holding off

Article of: By Larry Meyer Argus Observer

The numbers confirm 2009 was a slow fire season, and that fact may be a key reason private fire-fighting contractors are holding off committing personnel to training until they have a better idea what the 2010 season might be like.“It was a slow year,” Tom Cuellar, assistant manager of the SRV firefighting program, said. “Nearly all the numbers were down.”According to Crystle Carpenter, Vale BLM Dispatcher, there were only 37 fires that crews were dispatched to in the whole Vale district, which stretches from the Oregon/Nevada border to a small corner of southeast Washington. The largest of those was the Pine Ridge Fire, near Moore’s Hollow at 865 acres, Carpenter said. Most blazes were small ones that were put out quickly.

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Private Firefighting: 2009 fire season

As North County Times informs:
After the recent soaking, San Diego County's 2009 fire season appears to have fizzled without ever really igniting.
Of course, fire officials no longer define a "fire season" in a state that has seen devastating wildfires erupt year-round, but a particularly fire-prone time of year has come and gone without any widespread destruction to San Diego County.
Because of the decreased likelihood of wildfire until next year, state firefighters have reduced staffing. San Diego Gas & Electric has called off the private firefighters it hired to put out any fires the company's equipment might spark.
It's hard to pinpoint why something didn't happen, but a lack of prolonged Santa Ana winds this year was one key to avoiding a widespread fire, officials said.
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Privatizing fire protection

Interesting article, by By Peter Funt
June 30, 2009

WHILE NEW ENGLANDERS ponder just how soggy a summer this might be, Californians are bracing for another dangerously dry season, with high temperatures and increased risk of fire. Nationwide, there have already been over 41,000 wildfires this year - 10,000 more than the 10-year average.
And as fire danger climbs here in the West, fire protection is gradually being added to the list of essential services for which the rich are better off than their less fortunate neighbors. It’s a list that already includes better healthcare for those with costly medical insurance; better education for those who can afford expensive private schools; greater personal safety for wealthy residents able to fund private security patrols.

Privatization of fire protection, especially in the Western United States, has emerged in several forms. In some instances, private contractors are hired by state and local government to deal with extreme fire emergencies. The National Wildfire Suppression Association, formed in 1991, represents over 150 private firms that employ firefighters and equipment to assist locally on an “as needed’’ basis.
Quite a different form of private fire protection is being funded by large insurance companies. Last year, Chubb Corp. began offering fire protection to its clients in 13 Western states as long as their homes have a replacement value of at least $1 million. According to an Associated Press report, Fireman’s Fund has retained private fire fighting companies in California; AIG employs private firms to dispense fire-retardant foam on valuable homes as soon as there is a wildfire threat for clients in the 200 wealthiest Western zip codes.
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Via www.boston.com

PRIVATE FIREFIGHTING COMPANY STARTS

A former volunteer firefighter is planning to fight fires again — by starting his own company.
"People are building more and more houses" in rural areas while public firefighting agencies are reducing staff, he said.
His new company, Golden Valley Fire Suppression, plans to hire trained firefighters and station trucks in areas where it signs up customers — usually closer than public firefighters. The company is already selling foam systems; it expects to begin firefighting services in the first half of July.
He expects to hire a staff of more than 100 within 12 months, with similar operations to start in Las Vegas and Tucson, Ariz., soon after. "Our three-year plan is to be in 20 states, and in 30 states in five years," Shephard said.
The firefighting service sells for $30,000 for a long as the customer owns the home, but Shephard said it's a small price to pay to protect a home worth
$2 million or more. "We will place units within three-to five-minute response time,"

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Property owners will pay for protection
By LANE WALLACE
Herald Staff Writer

Cuts to state forestry firefighting budget could put private property at risk

Article By Addison Taylor KVAL News

The Oregon Department of Forestry is looking into some budget cuts that will affect this coming fire season.
"Anytime there are cutbacks there is cause for concern," said Dave Lorenz from the ODF Western Lane District in Veneta. "If it gets to be larger, like 500,000 acres those fires are really really expensive."
Lorenz said large fires can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight, maintain and clean up.
"If we lose that ability to staff those fire teams we lose the ability to catch some of those fires," he said.
The report of proposed cuts shows the ramifications to cutting the forestry budget, including directly impacting the safety of firefighters and public citizens, as well as more land destroyed.
"It is likely that with some reductions in staffing we will see some fires get bigger and see greater resource damage and see greater firefighting costs," Lorenz said.

Queen Creek homeowners formerly paid a private firefighting company for coverage

Some of the states' spending was the necessary consequence of rapid population growth. Take Queen Creek, where city officials had to build a "community from the ground up"--in the words of Mayor Art Sanders, himself a real-estate developer--including a lot of public-sector infrastructure.
For example, Queen Creek homeowners formerly paid a private firefighting company for coverage. As the town expanded, however, it wanted to participate in a local program through which neighboring towns' firefighters would help one another out. But a combination of state regulations and its own recalcitrance kept the firefighting firm from participating in the program, and it didn't provide stellar service anyway, Sanders says. So Queen Creek created its own public fire department and funded it with a new property tax.

From: Forbes.com

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www.bomberoparticular.com