Home burns while firefighters watch, again

[Glassed Silver]

in austrlaia the fire dept is run by the government and they will help u, i think its completly wrong that they just sat and watched there house burn :/

Clearly you need "LESS GOVERMENT!!!11" asap! :o

Privatizing fire departments anyone?

Make them franchise and the holding company should be tradable on the stock markets! :woot:

</s>

Ok, they should have paid instead of gambling with the fate. It's still stupid, dear Americans! Sort yourselves out before I lose my illusion that it's still better than post-USSR. Over here old six-axle ZILs will rush to any little s*t and put it out sometimes going across region borders if no other forces are available, sorting all crud afterwards.

Wow, that's how it's done! (Y)

I'm shocked I "wow" at this after having read this article.

Normally (and luckily by German standards, too) I'd just "meh, okay... so?" :s

Glassed Silver:mac

[Astra.Xtreme]

Why not just tack on the $75 in their property tax each year? There are definitely better ways to go about this than a "subscription" method.

But in the end, rules are rules, no matter how stupid they are.

[DocM]

In much of the US rural areas there is no incorporated municipality to pay those taxes to - the "town" consists of no more than a general sore and post office, and often they're one in the same. There's a town near us lke that, and it's just 30 miles outside of Detroit; the post office is in a hardware store.

[Vice]

Maybe I'm an ******* but I think a fire fee is a good idea. Fire fighters risk their lives to save others but they do this for a living they are trained professionals who work around the clock if there is a fire at 4am they are there. If a fire happens on Christmas day they are there. For this kind of service they need and should be paid and their equipment should be the best possible to support them. And for these reasons I think people should pay the fee if they want their protection.

If I was in an area with such a fee I would pay it without fail. These people who had their house burn down will never make the mistake of not paying it again I'm sure.

[StevenNT]

Not sure why they can't pay out of their version of local taxation, if they don't already. Here in the UK my Local Council Tax pays towards local emergency services, etc. Just watching it burn is frankly disgusting and immoral. If there was buildings near by would they let the fire spread to them too? :/

[Gaffney]

Next Ambulances will be installed with credit card scanners and ATM's, may as well get a taxi.

[DocM]

People in US metropolitan areas & overseas often don't understand that the population density in the rest of the US is rather low, which means not much of a tax base to build a "city" service on. Also, our west you may only have a few hundred people in an entire county - at least 40 square miles. Often 100-200 square miles.

[jnelsoninjax]

I lived in a rural fire protection(RFPD) area in eastern Oregon, and we lived in the city, had a police department and a fire department. The fire department was all volunteers, so when you would call 911, the dispatch would page the firefighters whom would have to get to the station, gear up, and get into the trucks, would be the ones coming to your aide. No one complained that it took too long to get to me, etc. The EMT's were the same way, they consisted of volunteers. I only had need of the EMT service one time (for my wife) and it took a good 10 mins or so for them to get to us, and we lived a mile or so from the station. I never asked, but I would assume that property taxes paid for the equipment and supplies. So while it does suck for this to happen, you have to understand the reason behind it. @Vice, you are right! We all are so 'spoiled' and take for granted the fact that we can pick up the phone, call 911 and report a fire and they will come and take care of it.

[Japlabot]

Why not just tack on the $75 in their property tax each year? There are definitely better ways to go about this than a "subscription" method.

But in the end, rules are rules, no matter how stupid they are.

Because they don't pay any city property taxes!111111

[Twiddle]

So.... if firefighters have this option, does that mean police should too? I would love to skip my police subscription fee, so the next time I get pulled over, I can be like "Yeah too bad, I didn't pay my fee, see ya!"

Aside from joking, this is sickening. I have never heard of this here in the US, and it makes me sad to now.

[FiB3R]

Always amazes me just how little, Americans ACTUALLY care about each other. Yet you'll fly that ****ing flag all day long. United my arse.

Obviously, I don't want to tar you all with the same brush, but ffs people, make it right.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Because they don't pay any city property taxes!111111

Calm down...

How are we to know that a city isn't collecting property taxes?

[Miuku.]

Well, at least USA isn't short of amazing me in how little people care about each other over there. If I was a firefighter I would've paid my co-workers the damn 75$ to save the house instead of letting it burn down like that.

Seriously, it's just.. wow.

[Twiddle]

Also, it has little to do with the taxes, and more to do with, they made the effort to go out there, only to stand and watch. Fire fee or not, help your fellow man/woman. F***in seriously. How can you stand there and watch someone's life burn away, and not say screw this fire fee crap, and help.

[ahhell]

Good ol' US of A. Where everything is for sale.

My dad was a firefighter and was appalled that this sort of thing happens in the States. Firefighting is an essential service in Canada and is paid for by taxes.

[Astra.Xtreme]

You guys do realize that this fee is for funding the fire department, right? No fee = no fire department.

If they don't implement it this way, nobody would pay it, like was stated in the article.

If they supposedly don't have property taxes, this is the only way to do it.

[Phouchg]

Next Ambulances will be installed with credit card scanners and ATM's, may as well get a taxi.

Or they come over and proceed only to stand around and sing a gospel for your happy passing while you die.

Firefighting is an essential service in Canada and is paid for by taxes.

Unfortunately, Canada has a similar problem.

The Watch Lake-North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department won't put out fires at addresses that haven't paid an annual fee of $160 for properties with buildings or $90 for bare land.

Source

The argument about population density does not compute. That sort of situation is not an US-exclusive thing. Does that mean those other countries have an abundance of manpower and they swim in monies.

[Stetson]

I guess this is what the "Don't tax me for X, if I wanted it I would pay for it myself!" argument gets you.

Like others have said the strange thing is that they bothered to show up to the fire at all, but maybe that was to keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't become a large wildfire.

Maybe if you specifically called and asked the fire department to come they should put out the fire and then bill you for their costs, but they probably wouldn't collect much since people who have had their house partially burn are probably going to be in a bad financial state.

[Rohdekill]

And how much money did the department spend to dispatch just to watch? Obviously they must have known beforehand that the fee wasn't paid. It's not like they got there and started going through finances with the owner. So, why dispatch unless they wanted to make a point? The fire could spread, but then again, they'd still have to verify the next address is paid up. So, I don't see the point of driving out there just to watch.

The fee should be in with the property taxes.

I'm also surprised the mayor's house hasn't been hit with a rash of arson attempts.

[DocM]

In the small farm community I grew up in, population <2,000, the fire was volunteer, the fire engines 45 years old, and there were 3 full time cops that worked 8:00am to 8;00pm.

After hours you policed your own area, using your own firearms if needed, and if something happened you called the Sheriff or State Police post - both a 40 minute drive and then only if you had a phone (50% didn't). They'd come out, clean up the mess and fill out the paperwork. Case closed.

[Vice]

Also, it has little to do with the taxes, and more to do with, they made the effort to go out there, only to stand and watch. Fire fee or not, help your fellow man/woman. F***in seriously. How can you stand there and watch someone's life burn away, and not say screw this fire fee crap, and help.

Did you read the article? If they helped other people would say well why should we pay the fee either if they will come and help regardless? Then the fire department has no money, cant service the trucks cant pay for firemen and then there is no fire fighters for anyone at all. At-least this way people who choose to pay can get service if they just help everyone including those who don't pay there would be no service for anybody.

[Anibal P]

All these people need are a good lawyer, there has to be one in TN, and these retarded fees would either go away or dealt with in a manner where these situations would be outlawed completely. I've live in rural and cities, with volunteer and career firefighters, it's completely bull that they were forced to st there watching for "safety" reasons, no the Mayor and his supporters are just showing they kind of scumabgs they really are deep inside, pay up or burn, I really hope that something serious happens like a death before other retarded mayors try and do bull like this, me I would personally go strangle my mayor if he tried a stunt like this.

[DocM]

A lawyer wouldn't help - they are not in the city fire departments catchment area so services are not mandated. Example; you live outside Philadelphia but call Pittsburgh for your fire. Can you sue Philly for not responding? No.

[matt4pack]

Firetrucks don't magically appear at the station and get filled with gas in the US like I guess they do in other countries and I don't think many fire truck makers just give them away for free. They have to be paid for and with no city taxes this is how they afford everything.

What should be done is they put out the fire and then are charged much more then the regular fee so everyone else would still pay normally for fire protection.

[ILikeTobacco]

A lawyer wouldn't help - they are not in the city fire departments catchment area so services are not mandated. Example; you live outside Philadelphia but call Pittsburgh for your fire. Can you sue Philly for not responding? No.

Not to mention that they confessed to not wanting to pay for the services that everyone else pays for. They knew the consequences of not paying what amounts to a voluntary tax. If you don't want to pay for the service, you don't get the service. Everyone else does through city taxes. If you want the services that bad, move inside city bounds. The reason most Americans move into rural areas is to avoid city taxes though.

What should be done is they put out the fire and then are charged much more then the regular fee so everyone else would still pay normally for fire protection.

What was done was 100% correct. If they don't pay the city tax which amounts to insurance, you don't get the service. No lives were threatened so there was no need for them to do anything other that protect the properties nearby that weren't being cheap and gambling with their livelihoods.