January 10Jan 10 5 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said: The fuck is a “private firefighter”? Does he think they are mercenaries or something? As mentioned further up the thread, several of the HNW insurance carriers have their own "wildfire defense" fire fighting teams that can be deployed around the country when properties insured by these carriers are in direct peril of an approaching wildfire. These teams do all the mitigation (clear/cut brush/vegetation, pre-treat with water, etc) they can to save a property before it catches on fire. Their last gasp effort is to coat the home in a fire-retardant/proof substance that is supposed to protect a home from the fire. The substance washes off with water after the fire is no longer present. I do not know if they do anything once a home has caught on fire. I guess they'll try and put it out if the house is still worth saving. But they're more likely to move on to the next house insured by the carrier if they can't save the one they're working on then. I haven't looked into the details in awhile but when these programs started 10+ years ago and only AIG and Chubb had the capability -- one had teams that were employees of the carrier (think that was AIG) and the other used private contractors who were vetted for quality, etc. Guess those were "private."
January 10Jan 10 9 minutes ago, C-Man said: Not exactly. If you think you have a claim, you file it with the carrier. Carrier sends adjustor out to look. Adjustor determines is there's hail damage and if so, the cost to repair or replace said damage. If the claim is denied you can go the third-party adjustor route. You pay for the third-party adjustor, who then does their own inspection. If the TPA feels that there's damage you can use that as evidence with the carrier to reconsider. If carrier still says no, all you're left with is taking legal action if you want. So basically there isn't a bunch of people filing fake claims over hail damage to the extent it would affect premiums?
January 10Jan 10 6 minutes ago, Ted Lange said: So basically there isn't a bunch of people filing fake claims over hail damage to the extent it would affect premiums? I don't think so. Not with regard to damage to roofs anyways. Frivolous liability and/or auto lawsuits are much more costly to insurance companies than roof claim lawsuits, I think. A bigger driver of insurance premiums as related to roof claims is the sheer number of approved and uncontested claims paid by carriers for legit hail/wind damage in Texas. The industry is finally starting to try and put that toothpaste back in the tube with mandatory 2% wind/hail deductibles. Forget expecting insurance to replace your roof every 10 years or so. The industry wants -- and, frankly, needs -- the public to think of roofs like we do A/C units and hot water heaters and set aside a budget (rainy day fund) to save for expenses like these for our homes. Edited January 10Jan 10 by C-Man
January 10Jan 10 9 minutes ago, C-Man said: As mentioned further up the thread, several of the HNW insurance carriers have their own "wildfire defense" fire fighting teams that can be deployed around the country when properties insured by these carriers are in direct peril of an approaching wildfire. These teams do all the mitigation (clear/cut brush/vegetation, pre-treat with water, etc) they can to save a property before it catches on fire. Their last gasp effort is to coat the home in a fire-retardant/proof substance that is supposed to protect a home from the fire. The substance washes off with water after the fire is no longer present. I do not know if they do anything once a home has caught on fire. I guess they'll try and put it out if the house is still worth saving. But they're more likely to move on to the next house insured by the carrier if they can't save the one they're working on then. I haven't looked into the details in awhile but when these programs started 10+ years ago and only AIG and Chubb had the capability -- one had teams that were employees of the carrier (think that was AIG) and the other used private contractors who were vetted for quality, etc. Guess those were "private." Probably puts a shitassload of PFAS directly into the groundwater.
January 10Jan 10 21 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: We're in Altadena. Smack in the middle of the devastation. But we were spared. Now you go Old California and build a bunkhouse for your neighbors. As rent, they agree to drive away any officials interfering with construction of the bunkhouse.
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, wood said: LOL. Dipshit's name checks out. Wasserman is, afaik, German for 'waterman' waterhead.
January 10Jan 10 5 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said: Now you go Old California and build a bunkhouse for your neighbors. As rent, they agree to drive away any officials interfering with construction of the bunkhouse. Did you just volunteer us? If so I am in. I would love to catch a Dodgers game with Bruin.
January 10Jan 10 30 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: Someone posted that they are now allowing a one time visit to grab essentials. Will go this afternoon to confirm. Nothing makes you understand life's priorities more than having to decide what to bring with you when you evacuate. We were in an evacuation zone 5-6 years ago. I grabbed photos, important documents, jewelry, and my Telecaster.
January 10Jan 10 27 minutes ago, Ted Lange said: So basically there isn't a bunch of people filing fake claims over hail damage to the extent it would affect premiums? There is a subset of the roofing industry that is proactive in soliciting work for hail damage under the pretense that insurance will get the client a new roof. Some of it is extremely aggressive in all aspects up to fraudulent claims. That subset seems to be more prevalent in the last few decades.
January 10Jan 10 9 minutes ago, Superhero said: Nothing makes you understand life's priorities more than having to decide what to bring with you when you evacuate. We were in an evacuation zone 5-6 years ago. I grabbed photos, important documents, jewelry, and my Telecaster. hypothetically, should you try to remove ammo in a fire evacuation?
January 10Jan 10 44 minutes ago, Bill Brasky said: but just think of how many likes they will get on their instagram page for getting the up close shot More likely he was angling for interactions on twitter so Elon would pay him.
January 10Jan 10 4 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said: hypothetically, should you try to remove ammo in a fire evacuation? No .Tell fire crews it is there. A few instances I know of in Bastrop. one dude owned a gun store and had secure storage at his house. He told the fire teams and they all sat back and let it go. There were some nice things in that collection. Edited January 10Jan 10 by InkaUtexas
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said: The fuck is a “private firefighter”? Does he think they are mercenaries or something?
January 10Jan 10 Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded earlier this week. - Los Angeles Times A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby. Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades. The revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames.
January 10Jan 10 57 minutes ago, C-Man said: That's how it works when there's a mortgage when the claim gets above a certain threshold. We had a water claim a couple of years back. Vault adjusted the claim and sent a check to us that we had to forward to the lender where it was held in escrow. I think we were given 1/3 of the overall claim check and then got the rest once we proved via video inspection we were doing the repairs we were supposed to be doing. At that point, First United released the remainder of the claim amount. that is how it works when there’s no litigation involved. In this case, I sued them and settled with them, then received the check -which they endorsed and I deposited it in my account. So now they want the inspector to “check the insurance adjusters report have done all the repairs.”. The problem is State Farm said I needed no repairs. I was given money to end the litigation. When I ask them exactly what document their inspector is going to use to check that the money was spent properly, they stare at me blankly. I just notified them they are very close to me suing them for negligent inflection of emotional distress over this - so we’ll see what happens. The first three Chase employees I spoke with were not aware that attorneys have a lien on the proceeds that primes chase. The only reason I’m communicating with them is to put everything in writing in case they do something stupid in the future. Then I’lI have my exhibits in place.
January 10Jan 10 Maybe the newly minted fire prevention efforts can tell us now in advance what other cities and areas are at risk. They seem to know everything after the fact,
January 10Jan 10 2 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said: Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded earlier this week. - Los Angeles Times A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby. Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades. The revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames. Article always says would not have saved the day. Department of Water and Power officials have said that demand for water during an unprecedented fire made it impossible to maintain any pressure to hydrants at high elevations. Had the reservoir been operable, it would have extended water pressure in the Palisades on Tuesday night, said former DWP general manager Martin Adams, an expert on the city’s water system. But only for a time. “You still would have ended up with serious drops in pressure,” Adams said in an interview Thursday. “Would Santa Ynez [Reservoir] have helped? Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don’t think so.” Can we just go back to talking about lack of goats?
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said: The fuck is a “private firefighter”? Does he think they are mercenaries or something? There are lots of them especially in wildland firefighting. They bid on fires and then go do the job. They still have to have certifications. There are also private fire departments depending on where you live. In some states in unincorporated areas people pay subscriptions for fire department services.
January 10Jan 10 41 minutes ago, Incredulity said: There is a subset of the roofing industry that is proactive in soliciting work for hail damage under the pretense that insurance will get the client a new roof. Some of it is extremely aggressive in all aspects up to fraudulent claims. That subset seems to be more prevalent in the last few decades. OU actually offers this as a major
January 10Jan 10 Popular Post 1 minute ago, cmontexas said: OU actually offers this as a major instead of a diploma you get a pair of Oakleys and a Salt Life sticker to put on the back of your leased and wrapped F250
January 10Jan 10 43 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said: Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded earlier this week. - Los Angeles Times A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby. Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades. The revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames. Edited January 10Jan 10 by David Dennison Inka beat me to it.
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said: Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded earlier this week. - Los Angeles Times A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby. Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades. The revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames. It’s never a good time for a war or a natural disaster and there will always be something unavailable that would have been helpful. I will just say that finding out about an ongoing repair of a reservoir cover is counter to the narrative that authorities were irresponsibly managing water.
January 10Jan 10 Before and after photos. Holy shit. This is much worse than I thought. https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/10/weather/before-after-images-los-angeles-fires/index.html
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, Leeroy Jenkins said: There are lots of them especially in wildland firefighting. They bid on fires and then go do the job. They still have to have certifications. There are also private fire departments depending on where you live. In some states in unincorporated areas people pay subscriptions for fire department services. That’s fucked up man
January 10Jan 10 Once you include small things like new firetruck costs and salary rises for firefighters, LAFD's budget increased by more than 7% YOY per the LA Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-10/how-much-did-the-l-a-fire-department-really-cut-its-budget Quote The City Council approved the firefighter raises in November, adding more than $53 million in additional salary costs. By then, the council had also signed off on $58 million for new firetrucks and other department purchases. Once those two line items were added, the fire department’s operating budget actually grew by more than 7% compared to the prior fiscal year, according to the city’s financial analysts.
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said: Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded earlier this week. - Los Angeles Times A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby. Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades. The revelation comes among growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving firefighters struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames. Let the recriminations begin!
January 11Jan 11 12 hours ago, wong said: Do we really have LAPD rolling around in Crown Vics from the '90s? This looks like a fucking Cops episode https://www.police1.com/patrol-vehicle/lasd-still-has-hundreds-of-crown-vics-thanks-to-2011-stockpile Quote LOS ANGELES — Agencies across the nation have been working to phase out their fleets of Ford Crown Victoria cruisers. But the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department still has hundreds, The Drive reported. The LASD ensured they would continue to be one of the Crown Vic’s top buyers by purchasing a “stockpile” in 2011, the last year of production, according to the report. Of the 600 cars in that final purchase, 429 are still in use. “The Crown Victoria is a rugged and durable platform that has held up great over the years,” Sergeant David M. Davis told The Drive. He noted that veteran deputies tended to prefer the Crown Vic, while deputies newer to the force opted for the Ford Police Interceptor Utility. The panther platform is one of the best American cars ever made. V8, body on frame as rugged as a pickup, Toyota-like reliability. Mostly old-school simplicity but built with modern-day quality standards. When they do break they are cheap to fix. If I were looking for a cheap daily driver I’d be scouring the classifieds for a Grand Marquis.
January 11Jan 11 7 hours ago, Superhero said: Nothing makes you understand life's priorities more than having to decide what to bring with you when you evacuate. We were in an evacuation zone 5-6 years ago. I grabbed photos, important documents, jewelry, and my Telecaster. Now me, I would have started with my wife, kids and pets. But I am sure it is a really cool Telecaster.
January 11Jan 11 14 minutes ago, ABSR said: Now me, I would have started with my wife, kids and pets. But I am sure it is a really cool Telecaster. The wife and daughter weren't in the neighborhood at the time, and wasn't allowed back in. I had my boy with me at the time. The fire was still ~1/2 to 1 mile away so it wasn't THAT urgent. He waited for me in the car while I packed up the stuff, a change of underwear, and left. And yes, it's a cool Telecaster.
January 11Jan 11 Popular Post Motherfucker the Palsades fire is moving over the hill to the valley. Professionally we have an office building at Ventura blvd. This shit needs to end. i had an angel come down and bless us. One of my lifelong friends (I was his best man) has offered his Hancock Park parents home to my family. His 92 year old father was just moved out to assisted living and they were getting ready to sell it. But we’ll get it for the next couple of weeks while we wait to be let back into our home. It’s a true miracle for us.
January 11Jan 11 5 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: Motherfucker the Palsades fire is moving over the hill to the valley. Professionally we have an office building at Ventura blvd. This shit needs to end. i had an angel come down and bless us. One of my lifelong friends (I was his best man) has offered his Hancock Park parents home to my family. His 92 year old father was just moved out to assisted living and they were getting ready to sell it. But we’ll get it for the next couple of weeks while we wait to be let back into our home. It’s a true miracle for us. Towards Encino or woodland hills?
January 11Jan 11 28 minutes ago, gsoda3 said: Towards Encino or woodland hills? This station is on the scene and is reporting that the Palisades fire has switched direction toward the east and is heading toward Encino.
January 11Jan 11 Popular Post This shit is overwhelming for my soul. And I’m a lucky one. What our communities are dealing with is incomprehensible.
January 11Jan 11 Just now, Sbbruin said: This shit is overwhelming for my soul. And I’m a lucky one. What our communities are dealing with is incomprehensible. It really is. I can only express my gratitude for your personal well-being and that you didn't lose your family’s home while, at the same time, so many others didn't have the luck of the draw.
January 11Jan 11 Popular Post 43 minutes ago, gsoda3 said: Towards Encino or woodland hills? Encino sorry moron for not finishing the thread. @Sbbruin man if you need anything please let me know even if we can just provide a meal or 2 for you guys. Edited January 11Jan 11 by Zepol87
January 11Jan 11 24 minutes ago, bolverk said: This station is on the scene and is reporting that the Palisades fire has switched direction toward the east and is heading toward Encino. fuck. I have a sibling who lives near the 405 and Ventura in Sherman Oaks
January 11Jan 11 19 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: This shit is overwhelming for my soul. And I’m a lucky one. What our communities are dealing with is incomprehensible. As much as anyone can say, "It's just stuff," I don't know how these families are coping knowing that it will be years, plural, before they are whole again. And these are largely people with means. Makes me think of those in Maui too.
January 11Jan 11 10 minutes ago, Gatorubet said: fuck. I have a sibling who lives near the 405 and Ventura in Sherman Oaks They should be fine. The winds are mellow. They’ll contain it to the hills.
January 11Jan 11 24 minutes ago, bolverk said: It really is. I can only express my gratitude for your personal well-being and that you didn't lose your family’s home while, at the same time, so many others didn't have the luck of the draw. Exactly. I have a lot of survivors guilt. Why did we get so lucky? But we didn’t get that lucky. Our community is decimated. I’m numb.
January 11Jan 11 9 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: They should be fine. The winds are mellow. They’ll contain it to the hills. You’re typing fingers to God’s eyes. I saw the new fire map outline - and heading east - and thought the worst. I guess the good news is as long as it’s not hurricane strength wind the air support will be able to drop water and fire retardant. I can’t imagine that reinforcements from other mountain states would not be rolling in to help fight the fires. I’m very glad you found a house to reside in until you regroup.
January 11Jan 11 fuck. I have a sibling who lives near the 405 and Ventura in Sherman OaksHad a family member who used to live there. Many visits growing up allowed me to build my CD collection from that Tower Records on Ventura Blvd. She is the reason a Texas kid became a lifelong Dodgers fan.I hate seeing all of this. Good luck to Sbbruin and all the other surly Angelenos.
January 11Jan 11 There is a lot of anguish on social media about the "defunded LA Fire Department". It takes about one minute of research to learn that the current LAFD budget is 7% higher than last year's budget, with most of the increase going to higher salaries. Approximately 1.7% of budget savings included the elimination of unfilled civilian positions. The Fire Chief is saying response has been hampered by a lack of funding for training, etc., which doesn't make a lot of sense, given the fact this budget was only implemented in November, and when you consider the fact that she has been clamoring for awhile now that the city nearly double its number of fire stations, equipment, and personnel, you get the feeling she's not exactly impartial. (Not that the city has all the fire personnel and equipment it may need, this is a problem nationwide, but there isn't some recent reduction in any of that infrastructure or personnel.) And then you have the most obvious question: if LAFD is incapable of dealing with this tragedy because of recent budget slashing (again, didn't happen), then how does that explain the Eaton fire, which is being fought by LA County FD and Pasadena FD? Were they affected by (nonexistent) LAFD budget cuts? The need to make everything political is a beating. Yes, I get the irony. Regardless, this is Mother Nature doing her thing in the midst of a years-long extreme drought.
January 11Jan 11 There is a lot of anguish on social media about the "defunded LA Fire Department". It takes about one minute of research to learn that the current LAFD budget is 7% higher than last year's budget, with most of the increase going to higher salaries. Approximately 1.7% of budget savings included the elimination of unfilled civilian positions. The Fire Chief is saying response has been hampered by a lack of funding for training, etc., which doesn't make a lot of sense, given the fact this budget was only implemented in November, and when you consider the fact that she has been clamoring for awhile now that the city nearly double its number of fire stations, equipment, and personnel, you get the feeling she's not exactly impartial. (Not that the city has all the fire personnel and equipment it may need, this is a problem nationwide, but there isn't some recent reduction in any of that infrastructure or personnel.) And then you have the most obvious question: if LAFD is incapable of dealing with this tragedy because of recent budget slashing (again, didn't happen), then how does that explain the Eaton fire, which is being fought by LA County FD and Pasadena FD? Were they affected by (nonexistent) LAFD budget cuts? The need to make everything political is a beating. Yes, I get the irony. Regardless, this is Mother Nature doing her thing in the midst of a years-long extreme drought. Again, the conservatives I follow are beating the “DEI means you DIE!” drum relentlessly. Nevermind that nobody can state any connection between such policies and a negative impact on the response.It is indeed a ridiculous beating, but we live in ridiculous times.
January 11Jan 11 Popular Post 3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: Again, the conservatives I follow are beating the “DEI means you DIE!” drum relentlessly. Nevermind that nobody can state any connection between such policies and a negative impact on the response. It is indeed a ridiculous beating, but we live in ridiculous times. Why do you do that to yourself? The reality is that hate should have no quarter. They hate that she is a woman, and they hate that she is a lesbian. The fact that Elon and his ilk cannot fathom that she was the best person for the job is insidious misogyny that should have no place in society at all.
January 11Jan 11 16 hours ago, Gatorubet said: I just notified them they are very close to me suing them for negligent inflection of emotional distress over this - so we’ll see what happens. How out of tune does one's crying have to be for this to rise to the level of an actionable tort?
January 11Jan 11 Take from Palos verdes as it moved toward Encino last night. I’d say this is 20 miles away as the crow files. We ride the strand from this area up past Santa Monica pier which is maybe 15 ish miles. To show the magnitude at night
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