none of the volunteer forces here charge you anything, not a penny...
Posted on 12/06/2011 4:33:24 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
A Tennessee couple helplessly watched their home burn to the ground, along with all of their possessions, because they did not pay a $75 annual fee to the local fire department.
Vicky Bell told the NBC affiliate WPSD-TV that she called 911 when her mobile home in Obion County caught fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene but as the fire raged, they simply stood by and did nothing. "In an emergency, the first thing you think of, 'Call 9-1-1," homeowner Bell said.
However, Bell and her husband were forced to walk into the burning home in an attempt to retrieve their own belongings. "You could look out my mom's trailer and see the trucks sitting at a distance," Bell said. "We just wished we could've gotten more out."
South Fulton Mayor David Crocker defended the fire department, saying that if firefighters responded to non-subscribers, no one would have an incentive to pay the fee.
Residents in the city of South Fulton receive the service automatically, but it is not extended to those living in the greater county-wide area.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
This is sad to me as I have always considered firefighters and paramedics the real hersos in our society. They train to enter burning buildings, handle hazardous materials, and perform all kinds of dangerous duties to save our lives and properties.
When I see this type of story I can only wonder just how screwed up our govenrments are to allow this to happen.
If this is about a fee then, frankly, this is about the government acting as a for-profit corporation and is unconstitutional.
Ridiculous story, as it was then.
You can't stop a flood, and you can't contain the flood to just your house.
They should have gotten ObamaFire. Force everyone to buy fire insurance, because people are irresponsible and can't be trusted to do the right thing, so the lazy force everyone else to pay more. < /sarc>
-PJ
Fires have a tendency to spread if not tended to. Their presence was necessary.
Do you pay taxes for that?
No tickee . . . no washee
Way it ought to be... Big cities like mine (*) can afford to include it in with the taxes. Those small towns most likely do not get enough revenue.
So, you no pay ‘da fee, you no get service. Way it works. This is not the same story; this is a new one.
(*) = FWIW I don’t live in Detroit proper, I live in the Southern Suburbs. So, we’re not as big as the big D. But we’re big in our own right. So, it’s tossed in with the taxes; which is like $800 in the summer and about $1300.00 in the winter. For that we get trash collection, fire and police and SUPPOSEDLY road maintenance! Although, you couldn’t tell it by our street here... 8-/
So when did this city get involved in the insurance business? Was this even legal for a municipality to leverage insurance fees on the public? What are the real estate taxes for, to send the mayor and his cronies on vacation?
none of the volunteer forces here charge you anything, not a penny...
“”I suppose they expect to be able to buy car insurance after they wreck their car, too?””
obozo says - “What’s wrong with that? Makes sense to me. That’s at the top of my priority list.” (As soon as I can find that list)
So, what if one of these peoples children were trapped in the buring trailor?
>>Force everyone to buy fire insurance, because people are irresponsible and can’t be trusted to do the right thing, so the lazy force everyone else to pay more<<
That is what they do. It is called taxation (frequently municipal).
They showd up to protect the property of the people that were smart enough to pay BEFORE they had a fire, if the fire spread.
I agree with you on that (maybe fiddle with the amount a bit) but I'm sure you'll get arguments on this thread.
Last time this story came up, I had someone who insisted that the chance of a fire is so low that a bill of $10,000 in the off-chance of a fire would be the chosen option over the $75 fee so no one would pay.
I wanted to insist that the dude was loopy and smoking something more than the house, but I didn't want to get flagged by the moderator.
“Nope. In a lot of rural areas fire protection comes from either purely volunteer fire departments”
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Yes and no....Someone has to pay for the fire truck/trucks and other equipment.
As a volunteer, I paid nothing towards the trucks.
They were obviously paid for by tax money from county and town.
I understand the point that if one person gets by without paying, no one would pay.
As for service not paid for, I think it would be easy for the fire department to file a lien on property that they save.
Watching a house burn, however, would be unconscionable for me.
Its a moral issue to me but I grew up in a small town where our local fire chief was an ass but he wouldn’t let your house burn down even if he had to put the fire out with a bucket brigade.
Maybe, but on the other hand we used to have this thing called ethics...doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, much less when everyone is looking.
A neighbor in need is exactly where we should focus our attention, and if its your profession, I think its callous to stand by and watch suffering when you have the capacity, much less the duty by profession, to help.
There is a lot wrong with this story. Bad acting all around.
I have heard of this before. They should have paid the 475 dollars. Was it an all volunteer fire dept? There has to be some way to support it.
Agree...see post 77
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