What is the firefighter's rule?

"Stated in its most traditional terms, the firefighter's rule 'is that which negates liability to firemen by one whose negligence causes or contributes to the fire which in turn causes the death or injury of the fireman.' [Citation.]" (Calatayud v. State of California (1998) 18 Cal.4th 1057, 1061.) The legal foundation for this principle is that "a member of the public who negligently starts a fire owes no duty of care to assure the firefighter who is summoned to combat the fire is not injured thereby." (Neighbarger v. Irwin Industries, Inc., supra, 8 Cal.4th at p. 538.) The same rule applies when it is a police officer who responds to an emergency call. A member of the public whose conduct precipitates the intervention of a police officer does not owe a duty of care to the officer "with respect to the original negligence that caused the officer's intervention." (Ibid.)