Wealthy Get Extra Shield for Wildfires (Courtesy AIG Insurance)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

The wind shifted, and suddenly the wildfire that has been raging just west of these exclusive high desert hills appeared closer than ever to Al LaPeter’s 7,000 square feet of the sweet life.

“Oh, God,” Mr. LaPeter said.

Then he exhaled, and relaxed. After all, he has insurance. His big house on the Big Wood River? The Ferrari 430 Spider in the garage? The immaculate Model A Ford? Covered. Literally.

Right then and there, Tom Futral, a guy from Montana with a spray gun and a truckload of the magical goop that has quickly become the envy of the second-home set in this pricey part of the parched West, was applying fire retardant to Mr. LaPeter’s shake roof and wood house, courtesy of his insurer, the AIG Private Client Group.

“They called me,” Mr. LaPeter, 62, said. “I didn’t even know that they did this.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/us/28idaho.html?hp

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Must be nice to be rich. I must admit not a bad idea by AIG. Just ticks me off all the average people who get screwed over by the other insurance companies.

[NJCher]

1. my insurer

Many years ago, I was burglarized. My insurance company offered reimbursement if I installed deadbolts and some security lights. This was ipso facto.



Cher

[Stargazer99]

2. We are surprised?

I used to work for an educational institution for the well to do. I've seen first hand the "perks" the wealthy receive in this culture. What irks me is that the common man so often just worships the monied and do nothing about this inequity.

[Raster]

5. One of the carrots dangled in front off the "common man" is the "maybe you too" carrot.

Not to mention the media's absolute idolization of the uber-wealthy just for their wealth. Glamorized in the most in the most disturbingly inane fashion, i.e., Paris Hilton. Need I say more?

[barb162]

3. I like this idea.

They should do it for everyone they insure. They'd save a bundle in the long run.

[Cobalt-60]

4. Fireproof materials should be mandatory in these fire areas

Indeed an argument could be made to restrict all residential construction to fireproof metal and masonry.
But where wild fires are as certain as the sunrise, only fools build of wood.
I saw an interview with a gentleman once with a Fireproof house. Everything around it was ash from the wild fire.
The journalist asked why he built that way.
He waved his hand at the torched landscape around him and said "Wood burn."

[aggiesal]

6. I live in San Diego. In the section of the city ...

that lost 300+ homes due to a raging fire storm started by a hunter using a flare,
a couple of years back.

My home sits on the side of the hill, which one day will catch fire and climb the hill.
So when I had the home landscaped, I had a 1" water pipe setup to spray the hillside
with 5 sprinkler heads, should a fire start making it's way up. I control the water
valve on my property, so anytime there is a fire in the area, I start spraying the hill
until the fire is completely out. I'm the only house on the hill with this capability
and the water shoots about 100 ft. down the hill and covers at least half the properties
on either side of my house.

I'm not waiting for an insurance company to show up 30 minutes before the fire hits.

[Beerboy]

7. No wonder I dumped AIG insurance,

their premiums are way high compared to their competitors.
Fuck AIG running!

[RantinRavin]

8. So it would be better

if AIG did nothing to help prevent the houses from being burned ?

[NOLALady]

9. Maybe

the point was that AIG should do this for all of their clients.