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Of course fire departments go to other areas outside their jurisdiction when backup is needed. One assumes they have mutual covenants. And riders to protect the participating fire companies. Nothing “LOL” about it.

That isn’t the question here. This is a municipal fire department. They cover a larger geographic area at the option of the homeowners. Its costs, all of them, are covered by taxpayers within the municipality, and by optional subscribers in the outlying area. It would be a safe bet that the municipality’s insurance policies covering the fire department have riders that allow them to service ‘subscribers,’ as the folks outside the city limits are termed. Such riders would not obtain for non-subscribers.

The family whose house burned showed no interest in paying the $75 annual fee to be included in the fire department’s jurisdiction. You don’t call GEICO or AAA after you’ve driven your car into the ditch or another car. They might be sympathetic, but they’re neither going to tow your car nor cover its damage.

So, under the scenario presented, as you would have it, no one in the outlying area would have to pay the optional subscription, but the taxpayers within the municipality would have to pay for their protection? And had the fire department responded, potentially bankrupted the town had something untoward happened?

All our lives require choices, and that family made a regrettable one.