Private firefighters hired by the government, insurance companies or individuals are among the thousands of responders battling flames across Los Angeles County.
When devastating wildfires erupted across Los Angeles County this week, David Torgerson's team of firefighters went to work. The thousands of city, county and state firefighters dispatched to battle the blazes went wherever they were needed. The crews from Torgerson's Wildfire Defense Systems, however, set out for particular addresses.
“Contract firefighters who are hired by the government are the vast majority,” he said. The federal government has been hiring private firefighters since the 1980s to support its own forces. According to the National Wildfire Suppression Assn., there are about 250 private sector fire response companies under federal contract, adding about 10,000 firefighters to U.S. efforts.
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