California s megafires spur insurers to send in special, private crews before a blaze hits sfchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wildfire Defense Systems, based in Bozeman, Mont., provides private firefighting for insurance companies. It is considered the third-largest fire agency behind the federal government and the state of California. It s not a first responder service, it s mitigating structures, preparing them for fires, and so it s a service that s not in there with the first responders, said Torgerson.
He explained that the fire crews will be away from the active fire, preparing homes that are insured with companies they work with. We would do things like fuel mitigation, embers, leaves, sprinkler systems, retardant fire lines outside of the property on natural vegetation, fire blocking gel sprayed on the property. We just keep going and apply the tactics that it takes to make sure that the cycle of ignition does not occur on that structure, said Torgerson. We take a lot of firewood piles and move them 100 feet away from the property. We turn off barbecues. Actually, one of the big things that
KVRR Local News
May 18, 2021
FARGO, N.D. A Calumet, Michigan man arrested for vehicular manslaughter in a collision that killed an Alexandria man in Fargo last September changes his plea to guilty.
The move avoided a trial for David Torgerson and the judge sentenced him to six years in prison followed by two years of probation.
He was given credit for nearly 8 months of time served.
Police say Torgerson hit 39-year-old Peter McKenney who was walking in the one thousand block of 42nd Street South.
Shanyell Headswift was originally identified as the driver.
She pleaded guilty in January to hindering law enforcement and was given one year of probation.
By Alexandra Ulmer
ST. HELENA, California (Reuters) – Last October, firefighter Ryan Bellanca and his crew battled to keep the raging Glass Fire from devastating an upmarket Napa Valley vineyard.
But Bellanca wasn’t working for any fire department. He owns a private company that had been hired to protect the vineyard. Authorities from Cal Fire and the Napa County Sheriff’s office eventually stepped in and detained the private firefighters for several hours, according to Bellanca and a sheriff’s office report. Bellanca said Cal Fire accused his crew of lighting dangerous backfires and failing to leave an evacuated area.