Los Angeles: Super-rich offer private firefighters a lot of money

It’s burning in Los Angeles – and the fire makes no distinction between rich and poor. Luxury areas in the US West Coast metropolis are also badly affected by the fires; stars such as Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins have lost their villas. “My home looked like Dresden,” said Mel Gibson, comparing his hometown to the Saxon city after the bombings of World War II.

And yet it turns out once again that the rich and famous are a little better off than the rest of the population who is suffering from the fire disaster. Some celebrities and the super-rich hope to use their financial resources to save their belongings threatened by fire: They hire private firefighters to fight the flames – and offer a lot of money in return.

“This week’s events have shown that the city cannot be trusted to protect our property. I have the money, so why not?” the Daily Mail quoted a source who did not want to give his name publicly. Others are more open with their offers. A real estate manager from Los Angeles posted online: “Does anyone know private firefighters who can protect our house in the Pacific Palisades? Quick action is required, the neighbors’ houses are all burning. I’ll pay any amount.” After a huge shitstorm, he not only deleted the post on X, but also his account.

The politician and billionaire Rick Caruso, who lost the mayoral election in 2022 against the current incumbent Karen Bass, has also come under criticism. According to the New York Times, he also hired private firefighters and ordered additional water tanks – with success.

“My phone is ringing off the hook. Demand has never been higher,” Chris Dunn, owner of fire protection company Covered 6, told the Daily Mail. The rich customers should offer an hourly wage of $2,000. Normally, a private two-man fire department with a small vehicle costs $3,000 a day, Bryan Wheelock, vice president of a firefighting company in Oregon, told the New York Times. For 20 firefighters with four fire engines, up to $10,000 would be due.

For comparison: Firefighters employed by the city of Los Angeles earn up to $125,000 a year at the highest wage level. But the wealthy no longer want to rely on the municipal fire department. They are having great difficulty getting the fires under control, and there have also been occasional problems with the water system.

But celebrities should also have their share of these problems. In the past there had been repeated fines against stars because they were too wasteful with water resources. Los Angeles has strict garden watering rules due to water shortages. She is said to have used 800,000 liters more than she was entitled to for the approximately 30,000 square meter park on her property. Other celebrities have been fined by the city in the past for wasting water, including Sylvester Stallone and Kevin Hart.