Private firefighters, prison inmates join California first responders to battle blaze

Private firefighters are being hired by wealthy homeowners to protect properties in high-risk areas, which has drawn criticism from some who see it as exacerbating class disparities in the crisis. One Pacific Palisades homeowner’s social media post seeking private firefighters at any cost fueled backlash online, according to the LA Times.

“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades? Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning,” the now-deleted post read. “Will pay any amount.”

Insurance companies are also enlisting the help of private firefighters to protect their covered homes. Wildfire Defense Systems, a private company working with insurance agencies, deploys its private-sector wildfire personnel to help combat the flames. Similar arrangements have been made with industrial clients, including petrochemical facilities and utility providers.

The practice of the wealthiest Los Angeles residents paying private firefighters is not new; in 2018, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West credited private firefighters with saving their $60 million Santa Monica home during a wildfire.

Kardashian has been in the news once again during the most recent wildfires, as she has now turned her attention to incarcerated firefighters working on the current blazes. Kardashian, who has been an activist for criminal justice, praised their contributions while demanding fair compensation.

“I have spent the last week watching my city burning. And have seen and spoken to many firefighters who are up all night long using every ounce of their strength to save our community,” Kardashian said in a social media post.

“On all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us,” she continued. “They are on the Palisades fire and Eaton fire in Pasadena working 24 hour shifts.”

Nearly 1,000 incarcerated individuals are assisting firefighting efforts across Los Angeles, according to the BBC. Wearing prison-issued orange jumpsuits, they work alongside the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Conservation Fire Camps Program. Their duties include removing vegetation to create firebreaks, reducing fuel behind structures, and performing support roles like cooking and laundry.

“The incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1/hour to risk their lives, and this pay has been the same since 1984. It has never been raised with inflation. It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many died.” Kardashian explained. “This year there was an agreement to raise the incarcerated firefighters pay to $5/hour, but it got shot down last minute.”

The reality star went on to call for California Governor Gavin Newsom to raise their wages. She urged the governor to “do what no Governor has done in 4 decades, and raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate that honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes.”

Since the fires began, over 200,000 residents have been displaced. The fires have also scorched more than 39,000 acres.