Jake Nicol/The Wall Street Journal
As wildfires rage throughout Southern California, insurance companies are sending in private firefighters to protect homes of the wealthy.
Many high-end insurance carriers increasingly offer firefighting services in certain ZIP codes or states that are prone to wildfires.
The private firefighters carry water in their trucks but aim to reach homes before the fire does. They will clear combustible items away from a property and can spray houses with fire retardants.
State fire officials won’t allow private fire crews into areas under an evacuation order and want to make sure the units don’t slow down public firefighters.
Consumer advocates say these programs create a two-tier system that favors the wealthy.
In the video below, we follow a private fire crew working to protect homes from the Thomas wildfires outside of Ventura, Calif.
The post Insurance Carriers Offer Firefighting Services in Tony Zip Codes Prone to Fire appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
from DIYS http://ift.tt/2AwVDYr
No comments:
Post a Comment