OT: how do you guys feel about this? interesting issue..

No pay, no spray: Firefighters let home burn - U.S. news - Life - msnbc.com

cliffs: this dude lives in a rural town and they have an optional "fire tax" that they pay to be covered by a neighboring fire protection district. this dude didnt pay that fee and they let his house burn down.

i feel like this is probably a pretty divisive issue.. should the FD cover everyone for free? should people that are required to "opt-in" via a small payment be allowed to pay on the spot? its important to note that the people who pay this "fire tax" do not give a cut of their property taxes to the FD, as most people do.

as someone who has worked in and around the fire service for years i know my opinion on the matter. however, im going to approach this thread from a different angle and NOT voice my opinion just yet.

whats yours?

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if theres a fire it should be put out by the people whose job it is to put out fires

The approach they took seems somewhat extreme. I would've put the fire out and uhhh.... Sent him a bill or something for the service provided
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what the fuck?

conflicted?

so let me ask you this... you say it should be put out by the people whos "job" it is to put out the fire...

lets say you cut down trees for a living.. and i said "hey scrotie.. ive got this tree and its bugging me. how about you come over here and cut down this tree. im not going to pay you, but just go ahead and do that for me."

how would you respond?

i mean, isnt it your "job" to cut down trees?

not in the slightest.. i know EXACTLY where i stand on this, along with all my friends who are para-firefighters.

im more interested in the community opinion, rather than championing mine.

Most people consider police protection and protection from fire to be covered by the Government.

If you being robbed and you call the cops they aren't checking if you paid a tax.

I think its a little ridiculous to let the mans house burn down.

Kinda weird tbh. Did the guy call the fire dept to put out the fire? Knowing damn well he didn't pay the tax. Which is kinda funny (the joke being on him). Also, its still an asshole thing to let a persons' house burn down. I understand their reasons but still not cool
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Well, sound the alarm, this is a first.

...but I meant I felt conflicted, since as you say, this is an interesting issue.

another point i'll make, since this started out on the olberman side of the coin...

in small fire protection districts, the quality of the equipment the FD has is directly related to budget constraints.. in MANY cases rural or small town firefighters are using older, sub-par gear because they don't have the budget to purchase new equipment.

a new pumper is around a million bucks.. same goes for a hook and ladder. scott tanks(SCBA breathing tanks) and other equipment is also incredibly expensive to purchase and maintain.

these fireman are essentially put at a higher risk to their lives by not having top-notch safety and fire fighting equipment.

i have absolutely no opinion as to what the firefighters 'should' have done, because that's their business, but I would've helped the dude.

for most people it IS covered by the government.. and is paid for by the citizens who live within the FPD through property taxes and/or referendums.

in rural situations, its not. fire tax is not a new concept, nor is it rare.

Considering:

Cost of putting out fire < Cost of house

It's in the greater good to put it out in this ONE case, but really, it needs to be fixed to where problems like this won't come up.

so his house just burned to the ground completely? what about putting it out so it doesnt spread? sounds weird imo. i mean what if dude has some kind of rare or endangered animal or plant species on his property? i think this situation has to really hinge on the factors that put this guys house in an area of fire tax....how common is it? what are the requirements for a fire tax zone?

talk it out.. we're here to help.

Son, where haven't you worked?

they were on scene to contain the fire.. they sprayed the fenceline when the fire was threatening to jump to the neighboring house who had paid their fire tax.

lots of places.. i've only been in a handful of industries, most part time. i would like to experience more work in more fields though. im constantly broadening my horizons.

i thought it was common knowledge i was in the fire service? my FF license plates have been posted on here many times.