Dan Weiss, 68, a longtime volunteer firefighter in Carmel Valley, California, has started a private firefighting company that he hopes to expand to 30 states in five years. His plan is to sell his service to clusters of homeowners with the promise of placing a fire engine within a three to five minute response time of the homes. Mr. Weiss says his company, Golden Valley Fire Suppression, will send two Type 3 wildland engines and four firefighters, with at least one EMT, to fires at property owned by its customers.
For this service, customers will pay $30,000 for protection as long as they own the home. The company also sells foam systems to homeowners at an average cost of $9,500.
The fire trucks, according to Mr. Weiss, will be stationed on public and private lands in addition to a main station in Ryan Ranch near Monterey, California. He expects firefighters to live in tent-like structures during the fire season.
According to his web site, the company will also acquire a helicopter with night vision capabilities:
It will be able to have a cargo net with quick release capabilities to be able to deliver supplies or whatever is needed to area that are inaccessible by vehicles and to haul out and necessary items.
We will have a board certified paramedic who will also be certified to do repelling duties. It will be able to rescue a person on the ground, treat them and get them to the nearest medical aid.
Our helicopter will only be dispatched when given authorization by the incident commander and Air Co. Outside of a fire zone, the helicopter will be under the jurisdiction of the FAA.
Mr. Weiss expects to hire a staff of 100 within 12 months and to begin his firefighting services in July.
