Private firefighters in place to protect Rick Caruso's Palisades home and neighborhood

A fire engine, non-potable water truck and about a dozen private firefighters were stationed outside Rick Caruso's Brentwood home Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters said they represented five different private fire departments hired by a Los Angeles real estate developer to protect his property and surrounding neighborhoods.

“I heard there were more people coming,” said firefighter Laron Whitfield, who said he arrived from Riverside on Friday with a company called Wildland. Come. “He's smart and he wants to be ready.”

Caruso was one of many residential and commercial property owners who used private firefighters to help during the deadly fire storm that overwhelmed Los Angeles firefighters.

Another firefighter said he was working a 48-hour shift “specifically protecting Caruso's house, but also the surroundings of it” and would work until 9 a.m. Monday.

“Then I had two people replace me and my partner,” he said.

His full-time job is with the Los Alamitos Fire Department, but as the fires raged Tuesday, he said he contracted out services for the first time while off duty. He was employed by a company called West Coast Water Tenders; the company's website says it provides “2,500-4,000-gallon tactical water tenders, grading equipment and mobile fire-retardant bases.”

A third firefighter, who identified himself as Shane, said that while the neighborhood south of Sunset Boulevard seemed peaceful, it was “just a precaution.”

Other private firefighting units on site include All Terrain, which was founded in 1996 by retired military and firefighters and says on its website that it serves clients in “high-threat environments across all disciplines.”

Firefighters say their private service rates depend on the contract.

Caruso, a 2022 Los Angeles mayoral candidate, owns several malls including The Grove, Americana in Glendale and Palisades Village . Palisades Village, a retail-residential complex in the heart of Palisades, was damaged in the fire but remains standing.

On Wednesday, he told The New York Times that he had deployed a private fire department to save the complex, which includes a movie theater, Erewhon grocery store, restaurants and retailers including Lululemon and Saint Laurent.

Calls to Caruso's representatives were not immediately returned Sunday afternoon.

Private firefighting units have been a controversial topic in recent years, becoming a symbol of wealthy people entering the fire service and being criticized for exacerbating class divides during disasters.

The companies say such services are a win-win: If a homeowner's home is saved, the insurance company doesn't have to pay a big bill. Some are contracted with insurance companies, and some are hired directly by wealthy homeowners.