Los Angeles residents hire private firefighters to save their homes. Here’s what they cost.

As wildfires continue to burn across Los Angeles counties, a solicitation on social media for firefighters ignited fury. It also put a spotlight on a lesser-known labor force that’s working hard to extinguish the blaze: private firefighting crews. 

In a since-deleted post on social media platform X, real estate investor Keith Wasserman queried his network for connections to “private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades.”

“Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount,” he added. 

City and county fire departments have been stretched thin, as they continue to battle the wind-fueled fires across Los Angeles that as of Monday have scorched more than 60 square miles of land, killing at least 24 people and displacing tens of thousands. Municipal resources, like fire hydrants, have run dry in some areas. 

Those who can afford to do so are reaching out to private firefighting crews in hopes of saving their homes from the furious wildfires. 

All Risk Shield, a California company providing professional wildfire protection services to homeowners throughout the state, told CBS MoneyWatch that it has responded to more than 120 calls to residences in Los Angeles counties that are at risk from the wildfires. 

“And just like municipal firefighters, we didn’t have enough resources to answer everyone’s call,” company spokesperson Jose Torres told CBS MoneyWatch. “But we have had some saves,” he added, referring to homes the company has spared from destruction. 

How much do private firefighters cost?

Some of the company’s firefighters also work for county fire departments. Others are retired from active duty, according to the company, which offers different levels of protective services ranging in price from $2,500 to $14,000. 

Clients called on All Risk Shield before the fires reached their properties to try and protect their homes from encroaching flames.

“We deployed our teams to these high-risk properties we knew the fire was going to possibly reach, and we were on the ground before the fire even made it to that area,” Torres said. That included fighting fires from homeowners’ properties, using residents’ resources like pools, spas, rainwater tanks and water tanks to extinguish flames, in addition to the company’s own fire retardants. Torres noted that the company never relies on municipal resources, like fire hydrants, to serve private clients. 

He added that the company operates completely independently from Los Angeles County Fire Department, but that “indirectly, we are helping each other.” 

“Our teams have been working alongside municipal firefighters in this event,” he said. 

The National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA), which represents private firefighter services, said that contractors often join forces with local, state and federal firefighting efforts. Contracts with private home and land owners account for a small share of business for these types of companies; the bulk of contracts comes from providing supplemental personnel and equipment to local, state and federal firefighting efforts, according to the NWSA.

Fire prevention and mitigation contractors also do work for insurance companies performing tasks to reduce fire risks, such as clearing undergrowth, trimming or removing trees near homes, and applying fire retardants. A growing segment of the industry, this work typically occurs during the off-season and not in response to active fires.

An “all hands on deck” situation

The association, which represents 369 private firefighting companies across the country, confirmed that its members have directed personnel and other resources toward containing the Los Angeles wildfires. Combined, its member organizations can pool up to 11,000 professionally trained wildland firefighters.

“The size and scale of these fires and the devastation left in their wake require an all-hands-on-deck approach to suppression, restoration and future prevention, including state, federal and private resources,” the NWSA said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.