Our lesson of the day regards when not to expect sympathy. Our second lesson is on private firefighting services.
No Sympathy Department
KTLA5 reports Wealthy L.A. investor blasted for seeking paid firefighters: ‘Will pay any amount’
A 40-year-old Los Angeles millionaire, well known for his success in real estate, has deleted his X account, after facing intense criticism for pleading on the social media platform for private firefighters to save his Pacific Palisades home on Tuesday.
Keith Wasserman, whose X bio used to read “entrepreneur, investor, contrarian, compounding,” is a partner and co-founder at Gelt Venture Partners, described on his Linkedin page as “Multifamily Real Estate Investments with High Net Worth Individuals and Families.”
“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades?” the 40-year-old posted on X Jan. 7 as the fire raged. “Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you.”
Wasserman, who, according to the Daily Beast, had previously posted about his disdain for paying property taxes, writing “real estate ballers don’t pay any,“ was immediately “dragged” by other X users.
“Congratulations on no longer having to pay property taxes,” one user wrote, tagging Wasserman whose home reportedly burned down in the fire.
“You really can’t make this stuff up,” another X user said. “The rich guy Keith Wasserman bragged about not paying taxes & now wants private firefighters to protect his home while neighbors’ home burn.”
Kim Kardashian’s Private Firefighters Expose America’s Fault Lines
Please consider Kim Kardashian’s Private Firefighters Expose America’s Fault Lines
Note: This post is from 2018
As multiple devastating wildfires raged across California, a private firefighting crew reportedly helped save Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s home in Calabasas, TMZ reported this week. The successful defense of the $50 million mansion is the most prominent example of a trend that’s begun to receive national attention: for-hire firefighters protecting homes, usually on the payroll of an insurance company with a lot at risk.
The insurance companies AIG and Chubb have publicly talked about their private wildfire teams. AIG has its own “Wildfire Protection Unit,” while Chubb—and up to a dozen other insurers—contract with Wildfire Defense Systems, a Montana company that claims to have made 550 “wildfire responses on behalf of insurers,” including 255 in just the past two years. Right now in California, the company has 53 engines working to protect close to 1,000 homes.
Lesson on When to Hire Private Firefighters
Wasserman’s timing was a bit off. I wonder if he had insurance at all.
Dear Keith Wasserman, I have two suggestions.
- Don’t brag about not paying property taxes
- If you want private firefighters, I suggest paying for them before a fire breaks out
Wasserman could not take the heat and deleted his account from X.
Firefighters Protect Historic Mt. Wilson Observatory From Eaton Fire
Here’s a bit of good news Firefighters Protect Historic Mt. Wilson Observatory From Eaton Fire
The blaze threatened the observatory and communications infrastructure at the peak. Later, an observatory official said it appeared to be under control.
“The fire is making a run toward the historic Mount Wilson area,” Robert Luna, the Los Angeles County Sheriff, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Footage from local news stations and webcams showed the Eaton fire going up Mount Wilson as smoke billowed across the sky.
The Mount Wilson Observatory said on social media around noon that it had lost power, and that firefighters were on its grounds.
The Mount Wilson Observatory said later Thursday evening that the nearby fire appeared to be under control.
“Our core crew at the Observatory are all safe. Maybe exhausted, but they can sleep through the night now,” said Dan Kohne, the observatory’s chief operating officer, adding that they anticipated that power would be restored on Friday.
How would it harm you if Wasserman had succeeded in protecting his house?
Not in the least, and I wish he did. But he is still a proven asshole.
It’s the 2nd time in several years, that Mount Wilson has been threatened by fire.
Saw story on an absolute worse case occurrence on the news last night. Extended family members of the Williams family lived in 8 nearby houses in Altadena. All 8 houses were burned down. They are living in a hotel now. The Alder Law Group is “underwriting” 100 hotel rooms for fire victims, including the Williams Family.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/eaton-fire-leaves-generations-of-southern-california-family-homeless/
The central issue is not whether this guy paid property taxes, you largely can’t avoid them on residential property, the issue is whether the people of CA are getting a fair return of services for their taxes. Clearly not when CA gives Medicaid, which costs hundreds of millions to billions, to illegal aliens and other services to illegals. Plus the fire budget is separate from the water system not having water in reservoirs. What good are firefighters without pressure water?
Did Wasserman’s house burn down?
As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The rich think differently.”
I can understand why Mr. Wasserman doesn’t pay federal income taxes (because he has a little army of attorneys and tax experts to shield him from these mundane obligations most of us have) But I don’t understand how he gets away without paying property taxes. The state of California is hardly a tax haven. The franchise tax board is Nazism personified. (I speak as an ex Californian for 9 years now)
few years back south lake tahoe had a fire headed their way. contacted by insurance company for permission to foam the house if needed. never got close enough, but they were ready
this is what real serious wildfire defense preparation looks like: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=993204849311688
I suppose the pun here is that Wasserman is German for “water man” and that is precisely what he does not have!
water and apparently a soul, are at least 2 things he lacks..
Funny. Probably politically related to Debbie does Washington Wasserman Shultz with Hot Lips Hillary.
I used to have home in mountains AZ
sold 5 years ago
last year I was again looking and when I found one I called about insurance
insurance company said they would insure provided no TREES within 25′ house
I was like why would I want huge pines if I’d have to cut them down
Wasserman is not entirely devoid of charity. His firm Gelt venture Partners sponsored a fundraiser for Global Soul.
https://jewishjournal.com/moving-shaking/234214/moving-shaking-jww-fundraiser-big-brothers-golf-classic/
Bigger swimming pools and store your own water.
Fire suppression systems are readily available and since there is no real winter no Ice problems to deal with.
Climate so gentile it lulls thinking capacity of people.
Money is not everything but it sure can make life easier.
cold climate use underground cisterns with plumbing feeds up inside the heated Home envelope. This if home is in off grid location where public utilities unavailable or if in area with weak water supply.
Once a wildfire gets going, with ambient and self-generated winds upward of 50mph blowing flaming debris and glowing embers, the fire dries out everything in its path, and even a swimming pool worth of water is irrelevant. Experience from Paradise, Santa Rosa etc
Houses are in general not designed to go thru a Firestorm.
They can be designed with a higher level of Fire suppression techniques then are currently mandated.
Housing affordability in Building codes gives leeway to strictness in Fire Codes. There are tradeoffs.
Simple things incorporated on a Large Scale can mitigate the creation of Firestorms.
This one occurred where a Large population center was subject to environmental criteria designed for wilderness areas based upon a perception of naturalism.
Totally inappropriate to proximity. A Park situation where there are people engaged in maintenance and ground clearing would have not accumulated Fuel for a Firestorm.
People in the area can walk to what was treated as a wilderness.
Parks exist in and around major Cities. They are not left on their own.
LA a case where desire and worship of Mother Nature failed to account for consequences of turning ones back on Her Wraith.
google monolithic dome, a concrete shell, over rebar. fireproof. and not more expensive than current construction techniques and much faster to build.
there are a number of techniques and designs that can lessen or mitigate fire damage.
notice all the chimneys are still standing?
brick and stone are more or less fireproof.
underground safe room would lessen or remove the need to evacuate homes and neighborhoods.
no one thinks, no one plans, they are all walking zombies, they just believe like children the stories they are told. They are safe until they aren’t because they have no critical thinking or planning skills.
Hat tip thanks,
Am aware of monolithic domes and construction techniques as have a piece of land in a remote area.
Have been researching different approaches to Building as there is little aquifer and no Fire Department within many miles.
Rain water capture and storage only viable method of stockpiling sufficient amounts for domestic use, garden irrigation and any potential emergency needs.
Also looking at building in ground (Earth Ship type) as area subject to major Caribbean Hurricanes. Might not have sufficient elevation above Ocean (50 foot seas possible) but mounding as approach is feasible.
There are quite a few approaches to Building sustainable structures which are not eyesores and also offer significant strengths when dealing with elements of Nature.
Doing this in an Urban setting on small plots in areas with Historic districts is a Challenge. Am all on board using masonry in its many forms as Fire stopping a persons Home.
Right, so the issue is not “have your own swimming pool”, nor is it “put a better fire suppression system in your house”. It is “don’t allow massive amounts of combustible firestorm-fuel in the immediate vicinity of dense residential areas”, and “don’t allow dense residential areas to spring up amidst massive amounts of combustible fuel”.
This will be coming out in the post crisis analysis.
Failure of Government to protect its citizens.
People need a place to live. Building a Home remains viable for shelter.
Doing it in a community is desirable.
Governments are organized around the needs of the community.
Purpose of government is to provide the service structures at a level where the individual can not do for themselves.
Thus a community forms as core purpose existence, around Adults, Children, Elderly.
All other endeavors which becomes the economy, supports that community.
Government must serve the needs of the people it governs over.
California has experienced a Failure of its Government leadership at Highest places.
Seems like there need to be stone and concrete homes with slate or steel roofs in the fire prone areas – you know, the way structures used to be built.
Can’t forget the impact of lack of prudent forestry Managment Practices like installation of fire stops and controlled burns to reduce all that fuel lying around – but they said that would be bad for the environment!!!
Please don’t let California set the National precedents for EPA controls anymore – I like diesel engines!!!
that is the way everything is built in Brazil …..(like my house). Over the weekend the whole mountain above the town of Piata burned off ….everyone came out and stayed up and partied and watched all night, had a good time. No property damage at all to anybody…..but we all know how backwards (and melatonin-favored) Brazil is…..
Those fires are generating heat levels close to 1000 F or hotter.
You do know that once the heat inside the home reaches say 451 F that all the wood/paper etc will combust into flames. Also concrete itself starts cracking once you get temperatures over a couple hundred degrees (and cracked homes will have to be rebuilt under code).
So unless you are planning to live a Flintstones lifestyle with stone furniture and interior stone walls that those homes are going to burn from the inside out and the concrete is going to crack.
you can have a self powered sprinkler system to put down a wet zone around the exterior of your home to cool the area and make the plants less flammable.
You can put a sprinkler system on your roof.
If you have a million dollar home, why not spend 600$ on a gasoline powered pump to be able to pump out your swimming pool and save your own home. These people have no sense, they’ll drop 600$ on a nice dinner, but can’t plan for a fire.
Its not rocket science, its planning for the environment you live in. You don’t build a house of kindling in a fire zone.
Nothing is absolutely fireproof, but one should plan and build to make reasonably fire resistant buildings if you live in a fire zone, just as building above the flood plain is a neccessity for those living in flood prone regions.
Maui I>No water. DEI infested. Smart City plans. . LA>No water. DEI infested. Smart City. Plans.
Getting the picture yet?
Anti dei equal to white supremacist.
Good luck with that, pal.
The color of the people’s population of the world is turning towards brown-ish yellow-ish.
It’s numbers, like an economist like yourself should very easily grasp and acknowledge as a eventuality that will not be prevented.
People just like to get laid and make caramel-yellow colored babies.
Fighting it is futile, you most definitely will not defeat them, so, why not accept and include, maybe celebrate, wow, wait, join them you racist hideous reactionary soon to be exterminated cocka-roach?
Just reporting the facts presented, kill the messenger at you and your families peril.
Now, now, now, let’s not be raccisss.
Or, you’ll have to choke on some hard-to-swallow reality.
Like this: why is it that the “melanin heavy” populations are so desperate to get outta their native countries and into the “melanin light” countries?
Every single European and North American country has been FLOODED WITH NOTHING BUT MELANIN HEAVY economic asylum seekers from every sh!t hole country on the planet.
I guess there must be some reason for that..
Perhaps because the melanin heavy folks have problems building safe, prosperous societies?
Because they have unbridled population growth where they live because they don’t want to use birth control. With unlimited kids, they run out of food and other resources and have to move to other countries.
This is why 1st world countries should cease sending food and other aid to poor countries via the UN and other aid NGO’s because doing so doesn’t fix the problems they have, it only makes those problems worse!
when you say DEI infested you mean black people, am i getting that right?
He is probably referring to any type of hiring/managing/governing process that is anything less than merit based.
Like Michael Jackson said when asked about the large percentage of non-POC musicians and dancers in his troupe: “I hire competence, not color.”
The world’s most successful entertainer can’t be racist, can he?
Where do these private firefighters get their water when water runs out? Is it fair that they protect high end clients and use limited resources when government firefighters are vying for the same resources?
Also curious on methods / materials used since PFAS / AFFF is on the environmental bad boy list, especially in California.
I’ll bet you two were also against utilizing prudent forestry management techniques that are utilized elsewhere in the world, you know, like raking the forest and removing old dead trees
You’re bet would be wrong looking at my comments on this blog a couple of days ago.
Where I’m at the main thing is idiots planting silver maples too close to sewers, houses and sidewalks. Best not to have planted them in the first place.
Silver maples are the weediest of weed trees, except in LA, they have imported Palm Trees and Eucalyptus, which are even worse.
Yes, of course, its fair.
That’s what money can buy.
That’s how capitalism work.
Don’t learn communism when you’re in USA.
Most mansions have big pools and fountains and many have private lakes
Tanker Trucks..
Believe me, if these Private Companies are doing ANYTHING illegal, they would be prosecuted and used as an example by the California Marxist Powers That Be.
They are probably buying water from private companies far out of the fire zone & using tankers to truck it to the protecter’s property.
Also, using water pumps to utilize the property’s swimming pool water, which, on high-end properties like the ones referenced, would likely have a relatively large amount of water, in most cases.
One or two tankers would probably be sufficient to keep the main structure(s) from burning; typically, put a couple of hose crews on the roof and keep the structure bathed in water until the fire passes.
It’s not as difficult as most people think.
If I had the resources and foresight, I would do the same.
If you had the resources and foresight, would you let your house burn??
No, you would not.
in the old days, all fire companies were private fire companies. it would do some home owners well to contemplate, that the fortunes spent for insurance might be better spent on a private fire fighting company.
0% rates 2008-2022 offered to special hedge funds and private equity has created a class of humans that really have no reason not to remind all of us that they are the lords and we are the serfs. Our politicians created these monsters and it will be a lot of work reminding them that anyone can borrow hundreds of billions of dollars free like Wasserman. He should have never have been created in the first place.
You have it backwards. The rich own the politicians and the fed.
Our society has become feudal over the past few decades. It will not last.
They ARE the politicians and the Fed.
revolving door, bankers,government, pharma, government,fema,government.
one of the best statements ever made was Dennis O’leary, statement that politicians should have to wear jumpsuits or overalls like stock car racers, with all their corporate sponsors logos on them. just so we know who is putting those words in their mouths..