Published on Monday, February 09, 2009
By JEFF HORSEMAN
Dick Benjamin knows he's not a firefighter. But he tries to help those who are.
After a 1989 wildfire, the 75-year-old retired engineer bought 400 feet of hose, some nozzles and a gas-powered water pump for his rural 32-acre spread east of Temecula.
The area has seen its share of wildfires, and Benjamin and his wife heed every mandatory evacuation order. But before he goes, he hoses down the house the couple built and lets the firefighters use his pump and water supply to fill their tanks.
"I'm delighted to have them do that," said Benjamin, who has lost three buildings and six antique cars to wildfires.
Benjamin is one of a number of Inland homeowners who have invested in their own firefighting equipment. Web sites sell water pumps, hoses and foam systems for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
But fire officials don't want private firefighters risking their lives to save their homes.
"Let us, the professionals, come in and do what we've been doing for years," said Capt
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