Los Angeles fires impact staffing firms, clients and candidates
Los Angeles fires impact staffing firms, clients and candidates

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The fires in Los Angeles are affecting staffing firms, clients and candidates as well as devastating the region. People are scrambling. At the same time, firms that supply private firefighters are coming in to help stop the blazes.
Just one of the fires alone, the Palisades Fire, had burned 23,713 acres and was only 17% contained as of 6 a.m. on Jan. 14, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It had destroyed 1,280 structures. Other fires continued burning in Los Angeles as well, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released a 3-D map of the blazes. Bloomberg reported that at least 24 have died.
Firms that supply private firefighters send in a number of resources, according to the National Wildfire Suppression Association.
“Members are sending type 2 initial attack crews as well as some potable water trucks from various locations across the West to bolster the existing agency resources,” the organization said in a press release sent to SIA.
The association represents 369 member companies in the US, Canada and Australia. Its members can field up to 11,000 professionally trained seasonal wildland firefighters and 18,000 pieces of equipment, according to the group. The industry has existed since the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Staffing firms are also responding.
“We reached out to every colleague, associate and client to make sure they are OK,” said Ziba Alizadeh, VP-healthcare solutions at RemX, a division of Employbridge.
Alizadeh said clients are also seeing a big impact, specifically hospitals, as people are being evacuated and seeking help. In addition, clients themselves are offering support such as sending clinical care teams to evacuation centers in places including Pasadena and Westwood.
In addition, Alizadeh’s team itself is stepping in to help. They are bringing water, Gatorade and protein bars to fire stations and elsewhere. They are also taking supplies to shelters.
Alizadeh was evacuated herself at one point — she lives near the Kenneth Fire — but is back and her house was OK.
“It’s sobering walking through your home and thinking, ‘What’s truly valuable?,” she said of the evacuation process. “Many people didn’t have time to do that. Some said they had five minutes to get out.”
Alizadeh noted that many have stepped up to help. One client paid an employee for time worked despite having to leave to evacuate their home.
All this is happening amid the confusion of fires, evacuations and power outages.
Mark McComb, president of Partners Personnel, said his company is working closely with each client potentially impacted by the fires.
“Fortunately, none of our clients have sustained any significant damage to their facilities as a result of the fires,” McComb said. “Many clients have experienced short-term interruptions to their operations, as they have postponed operations in order to enable the workers to be safe in their homes.”
Some clients have also experienced power outages as a result of precautionary fire prevention by power companies, he said. Partners Personnel is continuing to monitor the fires.
Keep Running
Southern California Edison, a power utility covering much of Southern California, in a statement on Jan. 12 said that it has thousands of its own workers and contractors working to restore power. Many staffing firms worked to keep things running smoothly during this time.
For instance, ActOne Group, which is based near Los Angeles in the city of Torrance, kept back-office operations running smoothly in addition to ensuring everyone remained safe.
“We are very fortunate in that we are set up to operate from everywhere — Covid trained us for this,” Stacie Habegger, chief sales officer at The ActOne Group, said in a note to SIA. “We have made sure that our folks from back-office operations remain safe, but we have not had a delay in support.”
Resources
During the blazes, a question popped up over the use of private firefighters, according to media outlets including ABC News — in particular, questions about private firefighting personnel being hired by individuals.
The National Wildfire Suppression Association said a majority of its members work through state and federal contracts to supplement fire agencies — contracts that require workers to meet or exceed federal training guidelines. It said that most of its members do not participate in home protection-related services, though some provide individual prevention and protection for homeowners and insurance companies. Less than 1% of contractors are hired directly by private homeowners or landowners.
Companies Stepping Up
A number of companies have stepped up to offer aid during the fires.
For example, The Walt Disney Co. committed $15 million for initial and immediate response as well as rebuilding efforts.
“As this tragedy continues to unfold, The Walt Disney Company is committed to supporting our community and our employees as we all work together to recover and rebuild from this unbelievable devastation,” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Co., said in a press release.
Netflix said it will donate $10 million split between the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Community Fund Wildlife Recover Fund, World Central Kitchen, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Entertainment Community Fund. Netflix is also working to assist impacted employees, including assistance with temporary housing needs, and double-matching employee charitable contributions.