What services should you have to pay for?

[allison443]

Im kinda surprised they took the time to figure out if he'd paid the bill or not...surely they had to look it up once the call came in...

I saw the local news report and apparently they didn't respond to the scene because he hadn't paid. Only when the fire spread to a neighbor's field and the neighbor's fee was paid up, did they respond and put out the fire.

 

[johnsontrio]

Several years ago our extended family celebrated Christmas at the home of my BIL and SIL. I went out on the driveway to get something out of the car and noticed smoke coming from the ridge vents of the next door neighbor's home. I took a quick look around and noticed that the upstairs windows were shattered. I ran into the house and had someone call 911. They live in a city that relies on volunteer firefighters and uses well water. The city has had tremendous growth in the last 10 years.

We waited 10 minutes until the pumper truck came and then we waited another 15 minutes until the water truck arrived. It was 30 minutes from the call until water was finally put on that home, all the while our family watching with angst. The home was a total loss and all our children were witness to the firefighters carrying the neighbor's dead St. Bernard out of the home. Luckily the neighbors had gone to a family Christmas gathering.

My BIL and SIL live in this city partly due to the lower tax base. Their taxes do not include fire protection and the infrastructure that would support city water and sewage. My DH and I learned a very valuable lesson that day. We have vowed to not live anywhere that we do not have city water and great fire and police services. The taxes in our city are quite high but we have excellent response times. We have had one 911 fire call and one 911 police call and both times we had a response within 3 minutes. In this case, you get what you pay for.

 

[golfgal]

Im kinda surprised they took the time to figure out if he'd paid the bill or not...surely they had to look it up once the call came in...

It is probably cross linked to the 911 info when it comes up on the dispatcher's computer when the call comes in to know if they are in the service area or not-probably took no time at all.

 

[allison443]

oh wow we have ALL volunteer depts around me.. we dont pay to subscribe or pay for them to show up, or pay for anything they do while on scene... it blows my mind they just stood there and watched.. shame on them.

Doesn't your municipality pay for the equipment, fire hall, etc. (through your taxes) and if you live in the town you automatically receive the service?
This guy's town didn't provide any fire service...he would have had to pay to get it from a nearby town.

 

[bgirldeb]

I heard some pets died in the fire. I feel they could have put the fire out and then billed/sued the homeowner for either the 75.00 or the man hours. How they could stand by and not put that fire out is difficult to imagine.

 

[HelenePA]

Doesn't your municipality pay for the equipment, fire hall, etc. (through your taxes) and if you live in the town you automatically receive the service?
This guy's town didn't provide any fire service...he would have had to pay to get it from a nearby town.

Nope each fire co raises their own funds. Block parties baby.. every weekend in the summer Sadly they are over for the year Now the ambulance co's DO send out membership forms now if you dont send $ you WILL get billed if you use their services... but they dont sit around and let people die if you dont send it back.

 

[Tinkermommy]

Well, to answer the OPs question "whatever your taxes don't pay for." And apparently his taxes didn't pay for the Fire department.

I can see both sides (it would be terrible to watch your house burn down), but you can't just order things up like this when you need them or else no one would pay until they have to.

While I think it's a shame his house burned down, it is more his responsibility than the fire departments.

Also, I agree with a pp that Firefighters should not have to put their lives on the line just to save property. You can replace most stuff but not replace a person's life.

 

[hereyago]

What if the guy didn't get out, he was in the burning house. Or he was able to get out but another person was trapped in there?

The firemen weren't sure, but for a whopping 75.00, they don't go in. Seriously? These firemen didn't take some sort of oath?


I used to live in rough part of a city. They had a volunteer fire station right by the house and I got used to that alarm going off. BUT, they didn't just say" oh no, we aren't going to hose out that fire" their jobs was to put out fires.

 

[Hannathy]

I heard some pets died in the fire. I feel they could have put the fire out and then billed/sued the homeowner for either the 75.00 or the man hours. How they could stand by and not put that fire out is difficult to imagine.

and again How could he stand by and be so cheap as to not pay $75. Why should he reap the benefits without having to pay for it. If everyone pays after the fact there would be no money to Provide the service BEFORE the fact.

You get what you pay for and he chose not to pay for fire protection and therefore didn't get any.

 

[SaraJayne]

My understanding is that the firefighters were required by law to NOT fight this fire, since the fee had not been paid. I'm optimistic enough to believe that they would have gone in if someone's life was in danger. At least, I would HOPE no sane human would stand by and let another lose his life!~

No sane human would stand by and let a person lose their house if they had the power to stop it.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, to answer the OPs question "whatever your taxes don't pay for." And apparently his taxes didn't pay for the Fire department.

I can see both sides (it would be terrible to watch your house burn down), but you can't just order things up like this when you need them or else no one would pay until they have to.

While I think it's a shame his house burned down, it is more his responsibility than the fire departments.

Also, I agree with a pp that Firefighters should not have to put their lives on the line just to save property. You can replace most stuff but not replace a person's life.

I agree with this. Can you get into a car accident, and then try to get car insurance? Why would anyone pay the fee, because it's unlikely that their homes will catch on fire, when they can pay it when calling the fire department in the event of a fire? Because firefighters spend most of the time, on the clock, not fighting fires, but they do need to be paid, in case there is a fire. It's the same as insurance.

 

[Hannathy]

Actually thinking about this it even goes farther. This man chose to live in an area that does not have fire service period end of story. He could have picked a town with fire protection. The next town over out of the goodness of their hearts- they don't have to do this - will cover the town who chooses not to support a fire dept and the people who live there choose not to support a fire dept and all they ask is $75 to help do this. And this Man refuses to support it.

So he picked a town without fire service why should he feel entitled to it now?
in actuality he is a snowflake like those kids who get talked about on here all the time. If he picked a town without water should the neighboring town run a hose over to his property and let him use their water for free?

 

[RitaE]

No sane human would stand by and let a person lose their house if they had the power to stop it.

Yeah I have to agree.
You know, the stories where neighbors would come running to a family in need and form bucket brigades to try and save another families home? I think we sometimes refer to those as The Good Old Days.

They didn't stand around quibbling over the cost then and it turns my stomach to think of a fire department standing there and watching somebody's home burn over a stinking $75 bill. It's not like we're talking about thousands of dollars here and they were RIGHT THERE! Holy crap it costs more than that to take my family to dinner at Applebees, I'm surely not going to sniff and say "well he deserves to lose his house!!!" over $75. We'll fight about the money when the fire is out.

It just isn't right.

 

[joviroxx]

Just heard about this story on the radio. Havent read all the responses on this thread but here is my take.

They should have put the fire out. The man needs to pay the $75 but if its not paid, then make him pay a penalty or additional money or even put a lien on his house, but to just sit there and watch everything he owns burn down is shameful.

It is a law but its a stupid law. I wish people would pay more attention to the dumb laws on the books and fight to overturn them before a situation, like this one, gets out of hand.

This town needs to figure out a way to get this money, I agree but not at the expense of someone's livelihood. The federal government is putting up millions to save people who owe thousands of dollars on their homes but a man can lose everything over $75? ridicuous!

At this point do you not get police protection if you dont pay your taxes? Do you get kicked out of public school? No medical assistance? Fix the law!

 

[HelenePA]

No sane human would stand by and let a person lose their house if they had the power to stop it.

apparently a whole team of people did just that..

 

[daughtersrus]

I heard some pets died in the fire. I feel they could have put the fire out and then billed/sued the homeowner for either the 75.00 or the man hours. How they could stand by and not put that fire out is difficult to imagine.

What would have happened had they gone in and one of the firefighters was injured or killed? If the bill wasn't paid, they weren't insured.

 

[perdidobay]

And couldn't the same be said for the homeowner? How about HE LET HIS house burn down for a measly $75.?

Why is everyone only putting the Fire Dept to blame? He CHOSE to let his house burn down.

Of course he offered to pay after the fact. But what if everyone did that then there would be no money to run the Dept. waiting on the fires.

I say it is about time we start holding Adults responsible for their own decisions and paying the consequences of them instead of saving everyone's butts all the time.

I agree.

 

[RitaE]

But to answer the OP, I pay for Fire and Emergency service as part of my property taxes but when my son was transported to the hospital our Ambulance service still billed my Health Insurance $55.

My Insurance paid it so I guess it is pretty common but I thought it was ridiculous.

 

[perdidobay]

I agree with this. Can you get into a car accident, and then try to get car insurance? Why would anyone pay the fee, because it's unlikely that their homes will catch on fire, when they can pay it when calling the fire department in the event of a fire? Because firefighters spend most of the time, on the clock, not fighting fires, but they do need to be paid, in case there is a fire. It's the same as insurance.

I agree!

Edited to add: where I live the county fire dept is funded with a monthly fee paid through my utility bill every month. If you want utilities, you have to pay the fire dept fee.

 

[daughtersrus]

But to answer the OP, I pay for Fire and Emergency service as part of my property taxes but when my son was transported to the hospital our Ambulance service still billed my Health Insurance $55.

My Insurance paid it so I guess it is pretty common but I thought it was ridiculous.

We also pay for these services in our property tax bill. But, if you are in need of an ambulance and are not from the town that's providing the service, it's common to get a bill.

My DD had her leg broken at school by her aid (long story). Our school district includes our town and the next town. My DD's classroom (SpEd) was in the next town. Because we didn't not live there, they charged us to transport her to the hospital.

We had to fight with our health insurance to pay any of the bills (they felt that the school was responsible) so it took a long time to get it all worked out.