Private Firefighting

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

2011-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

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.

TO read the full article

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

2010-08-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

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.
to read the full article clik here.

Private firefighting contractors are holding off

2010-01-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

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.

To read more>>

Private Firefighting: 2009 fire season

2009-12-28T01:16:00.000-08:00

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.
to read the full article.

PRIVATE FIREFIGHTING DOMAINS FOR SALE

2009-07-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Interesting domains for private firefighting companies. If you own a private firefighting business with a website maybe you would be interested to adquire those domains to direct traffic to your site.

This is the list of domains related with this growing business that I own:

www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTING.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTER.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREMAN.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREPROTECTION.COM

If you are interested in those domains, contact me, I would be glad to hear your offer.I own also those two domains in Spanish for sale:

www.bomberoprivado.com
www.bomberoparticular.com

Privatizing fire protection

2009-07-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

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.
...to read the full article
Via www.boston.com

PRIVATE FIREFIGHTING COMPANY STARTS

2009-06-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

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,"

To read the full article:
Property owners will pay for protection
By LANE WALLACE
Herald Staff Writer

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

2009-05-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

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

Private Firefighting Companies

2009-02-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Those domains that I own may be interesting to direct traffic to the website of your business.

www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTING.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTER.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREMAN.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREPROTECTION.COM

If you are interested in those domains, contact me, I would be glad to hear your offer.

I own also those two domains in Spanish:
www.bomberoprivado.com
www.bomberoparticular.com

Private firefighting crews gaining ground in the field

2008-11-24T03:55:00.000-08:00

An interesting article By Catherine Saillant and Jia-rui Chong November 24, 2008, at www.latimes.com

Some residents whose homes were saved in the recent blazes credit response teams dispatched by their insurers. But public firefighters express uncertainty about the private sector.

As Southern California deals with the reality of recurring, destructive wildfires, a sometimes-controversial cottage industry of private response teams has sprung up to help save the homes of well-to-do clients.Such teams were highly visible in the Tea fire, which raged across one of the nation's costliest neighborhoods, destroying 210 homes and damaging nine others.

Peter Jacobson believes one of these teams saved his home. The palm trees towering over his Montecito estate are charred black, but the retired developer's luxurious Italian villa-style home survived the devastating Nov. 13 fire mostly intact.A few hundreds yards away, all that's left of Hollywood uber-producer Marcy Carsey's $14-million retreat is a partial brick wall, jutting jagged toward the sky, and a still-green lawn with killer ocean views.Why was Jacobson so lucky?He credits Firebreak, which coated vegetation around his home with fire retardant and moved lawn chairs and other flammable items away from the home as flames approached the area after sundown. ."They saved my house. Homes around me burned, but mine didn't," Jacobson said of the company, which was dispatched by his insurer, AIG.AIG offers the extra protection free of charge to policyholders whose homes are worth $1 million or more or who pay at least $10,000 a year in premiums. Chubb Insurance this year introduced its own response teams.

Any Chubb policyholder living in a fire-prone area can sign up for the free service, said Scott Spencer, senior vice president for loss prevention.The hired troops were a presence in the most recent round of wildfires in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange counties. AIG says it is providing a valuable service that supplements, but doesn't replace, the work of public fire agencies.

Homeowners are happy when homes and memories are saved, and AIG saves money in the long run, spokesman Peter Tulupman said.With wildfires a frequent worry in many parts of California, such private response teams are becoming more commonplace.But as their profile grows, so does the debate within public fire agencies about whether the private firms are more of a help or hindrance.

To read the full article

California Fire Season

2008-11-18T02:11:00.000-08:00

From Bloomberg.com

California's fire season used to start in August and end by Christmas. Now it lasts year-round, and the number of blazes across the state may double this year.
Drought, heat, electrical storms and 60-year-old forest- management policies have all contributed to a threat of fire that exists every moment for residents of the most populous U.S. state. Firefighters are currently battling three wind-whipped blazes that have burned hundreds of homes near Los Angeles.
``We are in the mega-fire era,'' said Ken Frederick, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Boise, Idaho, and a former firefighter with 13 years on the lines. ``California has definitely been the epicenter of wildfire activity this year.''
More than 1.42 million acres have burned in California in 2008, up from 1.16 million last year, according to state and federal statistics. The 9,603 fires this year compare with 5,961 in 2007 and have cost at least $464.5 million to fight, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection figures.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the threat of fire now exists all the time because of California's two-year-drought and ``climate change.'' Across the state, rainfall is below normal while temperatures are higher than average.
``They are technically in a severe drought,'' said Michael Pigott, a meteorologist at private forecasting firm AccuWeather.com in State College, Pennsylvania.

to read the full article

CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTING

2008-11-18T02:04:00.000-08:00

I red this morning an interesting article published at wsws.org
Wildfires cause massive destruction in Southern California.
By Dan Conway and Kevin Martinez 18 November 2008

Thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes as wildfires continued to rage across Southern California last Friday night.
The fires were aggravated by a combination of low humidity, high winds, and high temperatures in Southern California. Indeed, the temperatures experienced in Los Angeles, which reached a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, were among the highest ever recorded for the city during the month of November.
At the time of this writing, the fires have burned more than 64 square miles (or 41,000 acres) and have thus far destroyed over 1,000 houses, mobile homes and apartments. A high school in the city of Brea was also among the many buildings destroyed.
White ash and smoke have been strewn as far away as 25 miles away from the fires, leading emergency authorities to advise that residents far from the fires remain in their homes due to the extremely poor air quality.
More than 484 homes burned to the ground in a trailer park of 600 homes in the town of Sylmar, the largest number of homes to be lost to fire in the history of Los Angeles. According to press reports, high winds blasted 50-foot flames horizontally through the grounds of the park, and poor water pressure hindered the efforts of firefighters trying to subdue the blaze.

to read the full article:

Private firefighting company known as a national leader in field

2008-11-04T03:57:00.000-08:00

An interesting article by:
ANNE SAKER The Oregonian
The Oregonian

State and industry officials say Grayback stresses safety and training

The Oregon company that employed the eight firefighters presumed dead in a California helicopter crash is regarded as a national leader in the private fire-combat business.
Grayback Forestry, headquartered in the Josephine County town of Merlin, has experienced calamity before: In 2002, a van carrying 11 firefighters overturned in Colorado, killing five.
State and industry officials said the company emphasizes safety and training and sets a national standard for other firms.
"Grayback Forestry is a longtime contractor for us, and they're one of the very best," said Rod Nichols, information officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Nichols said the department did a quick review Wednesday of Grayback's recent safety record and found no significant accidents or safety violations.
"The majority of accidents that occur in firefighting involve transportation," Nichols said. "There have been relatively few fatalities in actual firefighting compared to vehicle and aircraft transport."
In the 2002 accident, a 15-passenger van ferrying Grayback firefighters rolled over near Parachute, Colo. Investigators concluded that the driver had swerved, then overcorrected.
The private-firefighting business is largely conducted out of Oregon, and Grayback's founder, Mike Wheelock, has been instrumental in its growth, said Debbie Miley, the executive director of the National Wildfire Suppression Association, a trade group based in Lyons.

To read the full article

Firefighting application process COST

2008-10-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

Here’s a breakdown of what applicants paid in the Halifax regional fire service’s latest recruitment process.
•711 paid $20 to apply (total of $14,220)
•540 paid $50 for aptitude test ($27,000)
•415 paid $125 for integrity interview ($51,875)
•303 paid $250 for physical agility test ($75,750)
•180 paid $350 for polygraph ($63,000)
•Total paid is $231,845
Source: Halifax regional fire service

Interesting article:
Firefighting applicant feels burned
Testing cost Halifax man $800; fire service says it doesn’t make profit
By DAN ARSENAULT Staff Reporter

A private firefighting company... in trouble?

2008-10-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

There are many householders that have contracted the private firefighting services or protection that AIG Private Client Group offered, what will happend to them???

This is an interesting article, published at Bloomberg, by Jeff Plungis

Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) -- In the event of an American International Group Inc. bankruptcy, life-insurance policyholders would be guaranteed at least $100,000 in cash value and $300,000 in death benefits under a system of state-run groups set up to protect consumers.
About 100 insurers have been declared insolvent since 1991, none as large as New York-based AIG. Every state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia has had a guaranty association in place since the last major industry crisis led to the failures of Executive Life Insurance Co. in 1991 and Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co. in 1993.

to read the full article

New Domains related with Private Firefighting

2008-10-01T02:47:00.000-07:00

Those are two domains that I have acquired, related with private firefighting and private firefighter. Both are in Spanish:

www.bomberoprivado.com

www.bomberoparticular.com

The other domains that I own are:

www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTING.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTER.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREMAN.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREPROTECTION.COM

I have received mails asking if I am interested to sell some of them. I am going always to answer the same: "If you make an interesting offer I would considered it, thanks".

Private Firefighting industry worth billions of dollars

2008-09-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer.

Fighting wildfires isn't just a public service any more. It has become an industry worth billions of dollars.

Private firefighting has mushroomed over the past 15 years as well, a period that also saw extended drought over much of the West.Miley said her industry began in the 1970s by managing controlled burns and other projects for big timber companies. A private firefighting company signed its first federal contract in 1987, she said.Today, her group has 125 member companies and many other companies operate independently."There has been a large amount of growth," she said.

The industry evolved from other programs in the woods, Miley said."They maybe had a bunch of tree planters working for them and decided to get into fire fighting as another means of revenue," she said.But doing so isn't cheap. Just training and providing gear for a 20-person hand crew costs about $100,000, she said.The company then charges the government $25 or more per hour per crew member, she said.Any type of firefighting can be hard, grueling and dangerous, especially for people working the fire lines. They get paid well, often racking up 1,000 hours of overtime in a fire season, according to Bill Breedlove, the Gallatin National Forest's fire management officer.

LINK to the full article

Private firefighting domains

2008-08-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is the list of domains related with this growing business that I own:
www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTING.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREFIGHTER.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREMAN.COM
www.PRIVATEFIREPROTECTION.COM

Private firefighting companies

2008-08-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Homeowners and insurance companies are hiring and supporting private firefighting companies in an effort to beat back the flames of this year’s wildfire season.
In a spirit of free enterprise, private firefighting companies are expanding almost as fast as the wildfires in California. With persistent drought and climbing temperatures, business for private firefighting companies is likewise booming as many homeowners and insurance companies are now contracting with private firefighting firms to protect their homes before flames start licking at their structures.
The New Jersey-based Chubb Corp., an insurance firm, began offering free fire protection to its clients in 13 western states just this year. Over 11,000 homeowners signed up, with more than a third from the Lake Tahoe and Marin County areas, regularly besieged with wildfires. Chubb hired the Montana-based Wildfire Defense Systems, Inc., to protect homes with a replacement value of $1 million or more with a fleet of over 50 fire engines.Just one blaze in San Diego County last year cost insurance companies more than $1.3 billion, so it’s no wonder that more and more insurance companies are opting for private protection. In Paradise, California, firefighting has cost taxpayers more than $56 million already this year – and the fire season is still young.Fireman’s Fund, who used to donate about $4.5 million a year to public fire departments, has now joined up with the Sacramento-based Fire Stop and two other companies to protect the homes they insure. American International Group, Inc. (AIG) has also partnered with private firefighters.

to read the full article

Private firefighting "It's big business"

2008-07-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Private firefighting "It's big business, and business is booming."
Increasingly, the job of fighting fires and protecting homes is being done not by the government, but by private companies.
In 2005, the insurance company AIG began offering wildfire protection services free to some customers who pay $10,000 in annual premiums or have homes valued at more than $1 million. Enrollment in the program more than doubled in the past year to 3,200 homes, AIG spokesman Peter Tulupman said.
Two other insurers, Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. and the Chubb Group, have started similar services.
"Wealthy people like to live in very attractive areas, and these beautiful areas are prone to natural catastrophes," Tulupman said.

To read the full article

Private firms help in fighting state fires

2008-07-23T02:59:00.000-07:00

The federal government has spent $75 million on private contractors in the state since Oct. 1, which includes the wildland fires that devastated Southern California last fall.
From June 1 to July 10 – which includes the current firefight in which one firefighter and one resident have died and about 100 homes have been lost – California has spent $254 million. Of that, $170 million was distributed to local agencies and private contractors.
During this siege, contractors have generally accounted for nearly one out of every four firefighting crews; almost one out of every three engines; eight out of 10 bulldozers; nine out of 10 water tenders; and two out of five helicopters.
Private companies also provide equipment and services, from a DC-10 leased for the fire season at $7 million to $1,000-a-day bulldozers.
“If we didn't have these folks, we wouldn't be making the progress we are,” deputy incident commander Jim Thomas said by phone from the scene about 80 miles west of Redding.
Contractors are often overlooked outside the fire zones, but they are considered valuable allies as strained state and federal forces battle blazes such as the ones in recent weeks that have scorched more than 900,000 acres from Big Sur to Mount Shasta.
Private pilots take to the skies, bombarding flames with retardant. On the ground, private crews use bulldozers and handpicks to break fire lines to slow a fire's march. Back at base camps, contractors provide meals, showers and tents for exhausted teams.

To read the full article

Wildfires boom demand for private firefighters

2008-07-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article published at: Associated Press - July 15, 2008 5:34 PM ET

The wildfires scorching California during the last three weeks have been a boon for private firefighting companies that insurance companies send in to protect high-end homes.
The explosive growth of private contractors concerns officials at the International Association of Fire Fighters.

To read the full article

Wildfires bring demand for private firefighters

2008-07-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

those are some notes froma an interesting article By MALIA WOLLAN Associated Press Writer,

Business is booming for private firefighting companies as drought and soaring temperatures combine to create one of the worst fire seasons in years across the West.

The move toward private fire crews is in some ways a throwback to earlier era, when homeowners in colonial times joined together to form "fire clubs" that protected members' homes. Early fire departments were often supported by insurance companies that had a vested interest in preventing disaster.
In modern times, timber and oil companies have used private firefighters for years, but now insurers concerned about the high cost of home replacement are hiring private contractors, too.

New Jersey-based Chubb Corp., which employs Breglia, began offering free fire protection to its clients in 13 Western states in March. Already 11,000 homeowners have signed up, more than a third of those in wealthy and fire-prone enclaves like Lake Tahoe and Marin County. The company plans to expand the service to other states before the start of next fire season.

Fireman's Fund Insurance Company donated $18 million over four years to support public fire departments. But this year it jumped into the private firefighting business, too, joining with Sacramento-based Fire Stop and two southern California companies.

Fire Stop, with nine fire engines, has doubled its employees over the last year. The company is also in talks to acquire helicopter support.

American International Group Inc., or AIG, sends pickup trucks carrying fire retardant to spray down property in 200 wealthy zip codes, including homes in Aspen, Colo., and Malibu.
Enrollment in AIG's Private Client Group shot up 60 percent after wildfire burned large tracts of homes and land in San Diego and Los Angeles counties last fall.

"Insurance companies are hot on this," said Chris Dusa of Fire Stop. "Public firefighters wait until the bell goes off and then they go out to the fire. We do things more proactively by creating a moat around the property before the fire gets there."

"Very wealthy people like to live in places that are naturally perilous," said AIG spokesman Peter Tulupman. "With the fires right now, we're getting a lot of calls about fire protection."

To read the full article

Trade group founded in 2000 now represents 10,000 private firefighters

2008-07-15T01:25:00.000-07:00

An interesting article by Miriam Raftery

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, insurance companies started issuing plaques to show private fire brigades which homes to save--and which to let burn. Insurers organized their own firefighting companies. Not having a plaque didn’t mean your home went totally ignored, but it certainly didn’t help.
Today, a decline in public funding for firefighting services has sparked explosive growth in the private sector. The world’s largest insurance company – American Insurance Group – now has “Wildfire Protection Units” in 150 US zip codes. During the 2007 California wildfires, AIG’s firefighters saved homes in wealthy areas, while less fortunate neighbors were left with rubble. A trade group for private firefighters founded in 2000 now represents 10,000 private firemen.

to read the full article