--- title: "Wealthy Californians Are Hiring Private Firefighters" description: "Wealthy people in California are choosing to supplement local government firefighting services with the help of third-party private contractor firefighters." date: "2019-10-28" modified: "2019-10-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/wealthy-californians-hiring-private-firefighters" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "california" - "firefighters" - "firefighting" - "the digest" - "wildfire" --- # Wealthy Californians Are Hiring Private Firefighters ![Wealthy people in California are choosing to supplement local government firefighting services with the help of third-party private contractor firefighters.]() *\Image: California National Guard\* ## Private Firefighters Money can buy many things — but can it buy you the assurance that your resort-sized beachfront property will be safe during the next wildfire? As wildfires are becoming [more frequent and more ferocious]() than ever thanks to climate change, wealthy Californians — [Kim Kardashian and Kanye West included]() — are choosing to supplement the firefighting services provided to them by local and state governments with the help of third-party contractors, [*The New York Times* reports](). The dystopian story comes courtesy of private firefighting services — though as the *Times* points out, most don't actually pull up with a firehose, opting instead to fireproof homes before the next blaze. ## A Growing Trend It's a trend that's catching on like, well, wildfire. LA-based private security firm founder Chris Dunn is even hoping to make federally accredited firefighting temp work a reality. "It would be like a temporary worker during Christmastime," Dunn told the *Times*. "Retail has them, why wouldn’t fire season have them?" The trend is nothing new — private firefighting has been around in the U.S. since [at least the 80s](). But it's a startling reminder that the poor will be [most affected]() by climate change. **READ MORE:** [While California Fires Rage, the Rich Hire Private Firefighters]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on wildfires:** *[New Fire-Resistant Homes the Next Line of Defense From Wildfires]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()