Didn't Pay Your $75 - Sorry, No Fire Dept For You

[Fox]

Personal responsibility, dude, he made his choice. If it was really so important to him he would have paid the fee.

Is it better to use the tax system to force him to pay for fire protection like a bunch of nanny-state socialists?.

-Charles

Charles, that is a great comment and I agree. However, you seemed to be making an opposite argument (re: socialism) in this thread, making me wonder whether you are being sarcastic?

 

[Jfire]

I live in a rural area too, and we use volunteer FDs as well. They hold fundraisers like cookouts, yard sales, etc....they even deliver pizza. However, there was a major fire on our mountain just a few weeks back, one that the local FDs couldn't handle, and over 10 Depts responded from 3 different states came up to help. The fire departments in the other states didn't have to help, but they did.

Greg with out volunteer fireman many parts of our country would go unprotected. I would like to add this. I started my career on a volunteer dept. Many of us do to get a start. My only question to you is do you have a sprinkler system and if not what in your home do you value? Many volunteer fire departments don't have the manpower or resources to respond in the appropriate time to save most structures including your home. For whats it's worth.

 

[Greg]

Greg with out volunteer fireman many parts of our country would go unprotected. I would like to add this. I started my career on a volunteer dept. Many of us do to get a start. My only question to you is do you have a sprinkler system and if not what in your home do you value? Many volunteer fire departments don't have the manpower or resources to respond in the appropriate time to save most structures including your home. For whats it's worth.

Yeah, I know. These guys do one hell of a job up here, and the we support them as much as possible--they are very much tied to the community.

I don't have a sprinkler system, and I know that if my house caught fire, it's a goner. I would just grab my pets, and maybe my MacBook Pro, and my grandfather's shotgun, and then I would be out. I realize this, and others should too if they move here.

But refusing to put out a fire over $75? I'm not sure I believe that, because I believe most firemen are basically, heroes. But, I'm not sure about the specifics, i.e., at what stage the fire was when they arrived, did they get there in time, or were they truly deliberating over the $75?

EDIT:

Shameless plug here :grin:

http://www.brmvfc-harpersferry.com/

 

[Treinenwj]

From an interview on MSNBC:

"Without a doubt, the best is a fire tax," Olbermann quoted Edmison as saying. "The last thing a firefighter wants to do is not be able to help when they'd like to."

Other locals have been sympathetic during this trying period, Cranick told Olbermann.

"Most everybody has been compassionate and neighborly," he told MSNBC. "I understood some of the firefighters went home and were sick. Some of them even cried over it."

To me, that says the firefighters on scene recognized their calling, and knew their orders to stand down were wrong. That had to be very hard to do, stand there, hose in hand, (no pun intended) and be told to just let the motherf*cker burn.

 

[r3db4r0n]

I guess having your house burn down wouldn't be THAT bad if everything was properly insured, save for say a few things like family heirlooms or vital information stored on a hard drive etc.

 

[iCraig]

From an interview on MSNBC:

"Without a doubt, the best is a fire tax," Olbermann quoted Edmison as saying. "The last thing a firefighter wants to do is not be able to help when they'd like to."

Other locals have been sympathetic during this trying period, Cranick told Olbermann.

"Most everybody has been compassionate and neighborly," he told MSNBC. "I understood some of the firefighters went home and were sick. Some of them even cried over it."

To me, that says the firefighters on scene recognized their calling, and knew their orders to stand down were wrong. That had to be very hard to do, stand there, hose in hand, (no pun intended) and be told to just let the motherf*cker burn.

I didn't hear that.. man is that good to hear though absolutely horrible that they were ordered to not do anything.. I'd have had such a hard time not doing anything.

I play hockey with a few firefighters and I'm sure this'll come up in the locker room today pre-game. I'm curious to hear their perspective on it.

 

[itallushrt]

Many rural areas don't have fire departments that are funded with tax dollars as is the case here. I know, I live in one...most of eastern colorado has volunteer fire departments and they survive off of fees, contributions, and fund raisers.
The guy knew the rules and ignored them and is now playing on bleeding hearts to make a case, most of which don't have a frickin clue how it works.

Exactly. What a better douche bag bleeding heart to go drum up support with than Olberman.

The home owner gambled and lost.

 

[itallushrt]

What's next, we can't stop your murderer because you didn't pay your Police Department Fee?

If folks plan on the police stopping their murder they are going to consistently be about 5 - 10 minutes dead wrong.

 

[CAJoe]

Fire Departments are paid by the taxpayers, they should have helped. The house and posessions can be replaced but family pets cannot. If that happened to my pets I would be out for blood, that is BS.

 

[Fox]

Fire Departments are paid by the taxpayers, they should have helped. The house and posessions can be replaced but family pets cannot. If that happened to my pets I would be out for blood, that is BS.

Joe, you apparently have not read the entire thread. You are flat out wrong. Such is the nature of rural areas in many states. He did not pay his "insurance" fee and lost the bet.

 

[Greg]

I've read the reports now, and much as I would like to agree with John and Mike here (if you live in a rural area, you better damn well support your local FD...in most cases, it's all they have), I still must disagree.

A human being just cannot watch another's house burn down. There is no excuse for that.

 

[tobii3]

A human being just cannot watch another's house burn down. There is no excuse for that.

No, there is a REASON for that.

 

[smokem94]

Wel....it's just like any other issue that becomes politicized.....varying opinions and positions and that is to be expected. Good discussion here and it really shows how diverse the country is and the need to be sensitive to the differences in circumstances that exist in the different regions.....with that being said, my final words are a quote from The Duke (John Wayne)

"Life is tough, it's even tougher if your stupid"

 

[Cigar Cowboy]

Easy solution.

If you pay $75 you are covered

If you did not pay, the fire Dept should put out the fire and bill the home owner $10K or whatever the cost + % needs to be.

You don't watch it burn.

Isn't government bureaucracy great? Idiots!!!

 

[tobii3]

Here's some of the underlying problems that no one here has addressed.

The Fire Department that responded? It's an ALL Volunteer Department.

Of the 17 Firefighters in that department, only 5 (five) of them are FF1 (Firefighter Level 1) trained.

This requires an academic training program which has a minimum of 348 hours of specific fire fighter training plus 6 months paid experience or 12 months volunteer plus experience.

Putting your boots in the oven doesn't make 'em biscuits.

Quite literally, you have a bunch of guys who have the heart, mindset and equipment to fight a fire, but they are NOT TRAINED.

 

[itallushrt]

Wel....it's just like any other issue that becomes politicized.....varying opinions and positions and that is to be expected. Good discussion here and it really shows how diverse the country is and the need to be sensitive to the differences in circumstances that exist in the different regions.....with that being said, my final words are a quote from The Duke (John Wayne)

"Life is tough, it's even tougher if your stupid"

You know the one thing that everyone who is on the "They should have just put the fire out" side of the discussion is? This family's possessions. Their stuff.

Frankly, I'm not surprised in a society dominated and defined by what folks either do or don't have. It's all about material things. Some people are just so defined by what they own materially that it completely clouds their judgement because they couldn't imagine not having all their junk. I mean what would they do? How could they survive?

Look no one was killed in this fire, and no one was even injured. When the 911 operator received the call I would be willing to bet anything the first question she asked after where is this was "Is anyone inside". Response, "No".

Had someones life been on the line then you better believe those fire fighters would have been in there trying to save their life...fee or no fee paid. That is HUMAN DECENCY not saving some smoked up mattress, t-shirts and nick-nacks.

I've already said it in this thread, but I'll say it again because I really think it makes a difference on how one views this incident. I had a house fire. I lost everything. No one was seriously injured in the fire and thankfully even my pets got out. Just what the incident taught me...stuff is just that...STUFF. It didn't matter that day, that week or even 2 months down the road that I didn't have my precious stuff. What mattered is that my GF didn't die, that I didn't die, that our pets got out safe. I learned more from that incident about life and myself than any other event up until then. After my insurance company paid for everything, I got a new place and I started replacing my furnishings I realized how foolish I had been in the past. How I felt the need to "keep up with Joneses".

These, and all fire fighters, watch people loss a lot more than their "stuff" quite often, and probably damn sure often enough to have learned the same lesson I did. That stuff is just stuff and that these folks will move on from this incident. So don't go blaming these firefighters, their chief or questioning their integrity because in the end these are the same guys who will dive headfirst into a burning building the next time there is someones life on the line...fee or no fee.

 

[bdc30]

If you did not pay, the fire Dept should put out the fire and bill the home owner $10K or whatever the cost + % needs to be.

Really though if the guy couldn't come up with the $75, what are the odds he's going to be able to find 10k+ somewhere?

 

[Greg]

You know the one thing that everyone who is on the "They should have just put the fire out" side of the discussion is? This family's possessions. Their stuff.

Frankly, I'm not surprised in a society dominated and defined by what folks either do or don't have. It's all about material things. Some people are just so defined by what they own materially that it completely clouds their judgement because they couldn't imagine not having all their junk. I mean what would they do? How could they survive?

Look no one was killed in this fire, and no one was even injured. When the 911 operator received the call I would be willing to bet anything the first question she asked after where is this was "Is anyone inside". Response, "No".

Had someones life been on the line then you better believe those fire fighters would have been in there trying to save their life...fee or no fee paid. That is HUMAN DECENCY not saving some smoked up mattress, t-shirts and nick-nacks.

I've already said it in this thread, but I'll say it again because I really think it makes a difference on how one views this incident. I had a house fire. I lost everything. No one was seriously injured in the fire and thankfully even my pets got out. Just what the incident taught me...stuff is just that...STUFF. It didn't matter that day, that week or even 2 months down the road that I didn't have my precious stuff. What mattered is that my GF didn't die, that I didn't die, that our pets got out safe. I learned more from that incident about life and myself than any other event up until then. After my insurance company paid for everything, I got a new place and I started replacing my furnishings I realized how foolish I had been in the past. How I felt the need to "keep up with Joneses".

These, and all fire fighters, watch people loss a lot more than their "stuff" quite often, and probably damn sure often enough to have learned the same lesson I did. That stuff is just stuff and that these folks will move on from this incident. So don't go blaming these firefighters, their chief or questioning their integrity because in the end these are the same guys who will dive headfirst into a burning building the next time there is someones life on the line...fee or no fee.

Good points here, actually, great points.

However, couldn't the firemen have saved these people their house? I was under the impression that the initial call was made hours before the fire reached the house?

 

[Cigar Cowboy]

Really though if the guy couldn't come up with the $75, what are the odds he's going to be able to find 10k+ somewhere?

Just like an unforeseen hospital stay works now. You pay what you can till you pay it off.

I bet the $75 checks are rolling into them now. LOL

 

[bdc30]

I bet the $75 checks are rolling into them now. LOL

haha exactly. What a great way for them to raise funds!

In all seriousness, I bet what you'll see out of this is the insurance companies making the payment of the fee mandatory for coverage (or just building the fee in to the policy and paying it themselves).