most rural fire dept only get money from the people that pay their yearly membership. around here it's 40 a year. if you don't pay it's 750 to 1000 per hour or more.
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I love this comment from a volunteer firefighter, especially that in bold:
It's probably been said before and I'm not going to read back on 20 pages to make sure I'm not parroting someone else, but I understand a subscription-based fire fighting service. But, in these 2 cases surely something can be worked out where the fire department does their job and then charges these victims, something more than $75, something with incentive for neighbors to not want to skip out on paying $75/year (robbing funds from the department) and waiting to pay once their house is ablaze.
I'm sure it was hard for the firefighters to stand around and do nothing, but you have to look at the big picture. The residents opted out of paying the $75 fee even after seeing what happened to the folks last year who didn't pay the fee. If the firefighters had taken action to put out the fire regardless of whether the fee had been paid or not, then more and more people would think it's OK to opt out of paying the fee that goes to defray the costs of the fire department. Then the whole community would suffer for the selfish choices of the few.
I don't see why you would want that to happen to somebody. I'm sure they didn't make the individual decision not to help. It's policy. No person was in physical harm. Unfortunate situation, but the guy didn't pay. It is what it is. Your lack of preparation is no one's fault, but your own.
There's also a $500 call-out fee IIRC.
You can also get ahead of this issue by volunteering to pay the $75 fee now for people who can't afford it.
They have that. It costs you one house and all of your belongings.
I think this pretty much sums it up. Pay the fee or suffer the consequences. It's a pretty simple concept.
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.
"There's no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department," Crocker said.
The South Fulton policy produced precisely the same nightmare scenario last year, when homeowner Gene Cranick--who had likewise failed to pay the $75 annual fee for rural Obion County residents--saw his house engulfed by flames as South Fulton firefighter watched close by. That incident sparked a debate among conservative pundits over the limits of fee-for-service approaches to government.
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.
"There's no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department," Crocker said.
The South Fulton policy produced precisely the same nightmare scenario last year, when homeowner Gene Cranick--who had likewise failed to pay the $75 annual fee for rural Obion County residents--saw his house engulfed by flames as South Fulton firefighter watched close by. That incident sparked a debate among conservative pundits over the limits of fee-for-service approaches to government.
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