I know a woman who hired some private firefighters for her bachelorette party...

Firefighters are something that should be available for everyone. If one person choses to let their house burn because they don’t want to pay, that puts everyone around them at risk and should not be permitted.

So you shouldn’t-need- extra firefighters

That said if you really want to hire extra firefighters who the fuck cares, I don’t see why this is a problem. The government could alsp call on them if they need backup like if there was , say, massive firefighters sweeping the region above and beyond what their people could handle .

Meh, this follows along with the same progressive/liberal/socialist attitude. Extraordinary, over-the-top life-extending medical care is my RIGHT! I have a RIGHT to a good job and a happy life! I have a RIGHT to have every firefighter in the quadrant come defend MY house!

Maybe the fires will melt all the snowflakes...

"So you shouldn’t-need- extra firefighters"

Clearly these people think it is needed and are willing to pay for it. How about California start responsibly managing it's forest so they don't catch on fire all the time. Then this service would go away because it doesn't bring any value with it.

I'd never heard of private firefighting teams until this story broke.

So you shouldn’t-need- extra firefighters ~ Nicolek at November 16, 2018 5:31 AM

Ideally, we'd have all the firefighters we'd ever need paid for by our taxes. But who wants to pay that much in taxes? Who's willing to bear the burden of paying for firefighters we might never need?

It does bring up an interesting model however, traveling teams of pay-to-play firefighters. On-call teams ready to respond, but paid only by the fires they fight. Perhaps a small team of taxpayer-funded firefighters for smaller fires, cat rescues, etc., but once the fire spreads beyond a certain size, you call in the pros from Dover.

Of course, paying firefighters by the fire might give rise to some other issues. As Terry Pratchett points out in his Discworld novels, a firefighters guild paid by the fire needs a steady supply of fires to fight. Problems arise "as those men who are paid per-fire extinguished eventually begin to guarantee a regular supply of fires to be put out. This has led to the frequent destruction of large portions of the city and ultimately to the Guild's being banned."

This is a microcosm of California's new social order: The ruling class imposes measures (in this case, the banning of all responsible methods of wilderness management) which puts everyone's asses on the firing line. Having done that, they then use their wealth and connections to ensure that their own asses are shielded from the chaos that they have imposed on everyone else.

Fire is a part of the natural environment in California. Native Americans who lived there knew that, and they knew how to set controlled burns that would clear off underbrush while leaving trees mostly intact. Even the Sierra Club in California supports controlled burns, with some reservations. But the enviro-religionists have made it impossible -- it takes months for Cal Fire to get a permit for a controlled burn, and when they finally do, the weather window has closed.

Let's face it, there are some areas of the U.S. where it's really just not that great an idea to live there. The Florida coast has hurricanes; the California wilderness has fire. In both cases, if you choose to live there, you have to recognize that you are living with risk, and you have to either spend the money to harden your property, or accept the financial risk and remain prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.

Don't forget the reciprocity with neighboring states to send trained wild firefighters to help. I don't have a firm grip on how many states are providing such help, but it is more than a few.

As well as prisoners, working off their debt to society.

That said, would any of those complaining consent to having their home burn because it is more economically sound - or politically expedient - to defend Kanye's compound? or would they suddenly see the wisdom of Kanye and his insurers paying a relative pittance to protect his compound, and freeing up resources for other locations?

I thought you were a history buff Conan. The US has a long history of private firefighters. That is how things got started in fact. Arson wasn't really much of an issue (at least in the general sense). It was more a problem that rich people like to have their space while poor people can't afford that. So rich homes have a lot of area between them while poor homes crowd in on each other. So those rich homes have natural fire breaks between them and one irresponsible poor person can leave whole subdivisions homeless. Private firefighters understandably only protect the homes they are paid to protect. But in those crowded poorer areas you really can't do that. So they actually lead the effort to pay firefighters from city taxes leading to the situation we have today.

In rural areas you often still have private firefighters. If you don't pay they will watch your property burn and water the edges around you. But the collective danger is much smaller in rural areas so that works.

Where do these private firefighters get their water from?

Is there an abundance of water in those areas, what is their priority on water and other resources?

Can they call in airdrops?

If Kanye's crew is fighting with their own resources, or only using their fair share of taxpayer resources that Kanye's taxes pay for, it's one thing, if the crew, has preferential access to taxpayer resources, that's crossing a line.

Let's face it, there are some areas of the U.S. where it's really just not that great an idea to live there. ~ Cousin Dave at November 16, 2018 7:28 AM

If we let insurance companies charge by the risk, we'd alleviate some of those issues. California, however, does not allow that.

In response to devastation on this scale, one would expect insurance premiums to shoot up, and for many of the [a]ffected residents to move away from fire-prone areas into larger, safer cities. But thanks to California's funky way of regulating insurance, this is likely not going to happen, says Ray Lehman, an insurance policy expert at the R Street Institute.

"California makes it really difficult for the market to do what it would normally do in these cases, which is when assessments of risk go up, insurance rates go up, and a place becomes less attractive to build there," Lehman says

Florida has a similar problem with building housing in the direct path of hurricanes.

If we let insurance companies charge by the risk, we'd alleviate some of those issues. California, however, does not allow that.

Speaking of insurance companies, how many do you think will go belly up after the losses in Paradise, and shuffle off the rest of what they owe onto their reinsurance backstop? More than a few, I'm thinking.

How many more will pull out of the California market entirely after the beating they're about to take?

First, it was the insurance company that sent the fire crew. The insurance company has a vested interest to protect an asset that they insure to the tune of $50m. When you pay an insurance company the premium on a $50m insurance policy, you too can have a private fire crew. Trust that it was cheaper to pay a for-hire fire crew, than to rebuild that house should it have burned. Does it suck that the average person would not get the benefit of this bargain, NO, because you don't pay what KimYe and all the other rich people pay in insurance premiums.

California has the highest effective state income tax rate by far - 30% more than every state but Hawaii.
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/fun-facts/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-taxes/L6HPAVqSF

Clearly, there is money to spend on fire prevention and suppression. However, progressives prefer to spend money on their pet causes and then whine.

"Where do these private firefighters get their water from?"

Around here, it depends on the area. E.g., a department that operates near a river may pump from the river. In other areas where there is county water, they may pay a privilege fee to the county. In some areas, there are pond pools, if you will. You can volunteer to register your pond or swimming pool to be pumped to fight a fire. If the fire department pumps from your pond or pool, they will reimburse you to refill it.

IRA: Don't forget the reciprocity with neighboring states to send trained wild firefighters to help.

Wild firefighters. In my next life I want to be a wild firefighter. One of the wildest.

Snoopy: I know a woman who hired some private firefighters for her bachelorette party...

Were they wild firefighters? I'll bet bachelorettes really like wild firefighters.

> Were they wild firefighters? I'll bet
> bachelorettes really like wild firefighters.

They had a wild time, for sure.

I think the reason liberals and leftists are sneering at Gerard Butler is that he attended a function supporting The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Since he supported the IDF anything he says or does is bad, and anything bad that happens to him, he deserves. Kind of like for people who hate Trump anything Trump says or does is bad, even if it's something they agreed with before he said or did it; and anything bad that happens to him is good and he deserved it.

http://www.israellycool.com/2018/11/12/israel-haters-taunt-gerard-butler-after-his-house-burns-down/

Sometimes I wish Trump would drink a beer, just to deprive liberals of beer.

In my next life I want to be a wild firefighter. One of the wildest.

Will there be whiskey and hawt bachelorettes? in which case, I'm so there.

Sometimes I wish Trump would drink a beer, just to deprive liberals of beer.

Someone send him a PBR, stat!

"Firefighters are something that should be available for everyone. " Nicolek

Something available for everyone? and what if the firefighters decided to quit or there aren't enough of them. do you make them slaves? draft them?

"If one person choses to let their house burn because they don’t want to pay, that puts everyone around them at risk and should not be permitted."

Depends very much on the situation and area. Would an igloo have to pay, or a house boat? or a stone/metal "nonburnable" structure. not everyone lives in cites or wooded areas, not all are close to the same risk of fire. If a nearest neighbor is more than 50 yrds away and there is no burnable material in between, highly doubtful it could put a neighbor at risk.

People are often surprised that there are many ways to organize or pay for services like fire fighters or ambulances. The local one to me is volunteer, asks for donations twice a year. Back in PA our local ambulance had a subscription service. Pay 50/yr to join and you get 3 "free" calls/rides per year. more than that or if you didn't join you'll get a rather hefty bill for services.

Same boo-hooing from the Wall Street Journal last year:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-wildfires-raged-insurers-sent-in-private-firefighters-to-protect-homes-of-the-wealthy-1509886801

"something that should be"

The root of unhappiness.

In other news, I was in Boulder Creek today when the Bear Fire exploded about two blocks away. A team of planes, choppers, and trucks had it halfway knocked down by this afternoon.

Awesome work by the most public of public servants.

Envy is one of the worst emotions. Some rich people got lucky. Some have immense talent. Most worked their butts off to get rich. It is funny that no one sneers at rich ball players or singers.
In ancient Rome the fire fighters were slaves. If they did the job for 6 years they earned their freedom.
Much of the $ to fight fires comes out of the Forest Service budget not the state. The rising trend of fire in cali is due to the inability to cut, thin the forest, bush-hog the brush, or do a burn. Environmentalists would rather see houses burn than the land managed.
The Indians used to control it by burning every 7 to 15 yrs, which would largely prevent the worst fires. Under these conditions, in the forest the fires burn under the tree canopy and the pines are mostly not killed. This would mean burning 10% of the state every year, which no one will tolerate anymore.

Joe, I'd say firefighters are a necessity so if you don't have enough hires you make the job more attractive.

We have a volunteer fire department here too, as I live in a small village out in the sticks. Much as I like my neighbours, I have my doubts as to whether they would get here in time.

Something available for everyone? and what if the firefighters decided to quit or there aren't enough of them. do you make them slaves? draft them? ~ Joe j at November 16, 2018 3:12 PM

Slavery is what happens when people decide that the fruits of your labor belong to someone else by right.

"Slavery is what happens when people decide that the fruits of your labor belong to someone else by right." Conan the Grammarian

Exactly