This just makes me sick!

[BlazeJester]

I'm sorry, but this is the product of conservative government and "tax breaks".

Cities are incorporated and there is a TAX associated with living in most cities. TAXES pay these fire departments.

Unincorporated areas do not have the same services because they are not included in the TAX STRUCTURE of the city. Hence volunteer departments, etc.

I wonder how many of you have met or worked with a firefighter? I know several in the Atlanta area who have 2-3 jobs because they make NO money as a firefighter. They would have prevented loss of life, but beyond that it is a waste of their precious time that is paid too little as is. I'm surprised they stayed on site, but probably were required to to prevent loss of life throughout the event.

I do like the idea of billing the residents for fire fighting services, but I imagine there would be significant contingents of people (who already don't pay optional fees for preventative measures) who would act in panic and renig on the payment immediately afterward.

 

[conny63malies]

Its a no win situation. Mobile homes burn down fast. If you put the fire out stuff gets ruined because of the water and if you let it burn the stuff gets ruined too. I hope saving 75$ was worth it.

 

[KristyHall]

If this is that incident that happened a while back then from what I read, The people who didn't pay the 75 dollars dutifully pay it yearly but forgot that time. What bothers me is that their pets were allowed to burn to death. Does anyone know how horribly painful that is?

Why couldn't the fire department put it out, charge them the 75 dollar fee plus expenses for coming out. That would have been a more reasonable thing to do. I think that hit to their wallet is a lot more fair than making them loose their sentimental valuables and watching an innocent creature be burned alive.

If anyone else stood around and watch an animal be burned alive they would be charged with animal cruelty which I think the fire department should be charged. Instead they let the animals suffer a horrible death to prove a point.

Also legally they did what they were contracted to do. But morally? How moral is it to do that even if the people didn't pay their fee? Really?

If someone owed me money and their home was on fire and I had a bucket of water, I would trhow it on the fire. Why? because that is the decent human thing to do.

Personal integrity and social responsibility means a lot more than 75 dollars.

 

[conny63malies]

Quote:
nope second incident in the same area. You figure people would learn. I hope they tag it to the yearly taxes now.

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
nope second incident in the same area. You figure people would learn. I hope they tag it to the yearly taxes now.

Second incident? How sad. What about the people who can't afford 75 dollars?

I suppose safety is only for the people who can afford it.

 

[conny63malies]

Quote:
nope second incident in the same area. You figure people would learn. I hope they tag it to the yearly taxes now.

Second incident? How sad. What about the people who can't afford 75 dollars?

I suppose safety is only for the people who can afford it.

its less than 1.50$ a week or about 20 cents a day. if you got money for gas and smokes you should have money for for the important things. Just by turning turn the temp of the AC or switching to energy saver bulbs you can make up the 75$ . There is no excuse for not paying.

 

[aoxa]

I've seen this same story almost a year ago.

 

[justuschickens59]

Quote:
I agree 100% with this.

Personal integrity and social responsibility means a lot more than 75 dollars

Unfortunately, in our society, the almighty dollar is king. It truly is sickening.

And for those saying there was no excuse for paying? What if they didn't know about this fee? It is entirely possible. For example, we bought our house and moved to this area from out of state nearly 7 years ago. Up until last November, I was completely unaware that I had to pay a yearly tax to own my dogs. I have never received a bill, my vet has never said a word, never received a piece of mail about it - nothing. This bill can be paid ONLY in the month of November at the courthouse. The tax is $5 per dog if the dog. So every November, dog owners have to take time off from work, spend $$ on gas, fight to find a parking place near the courthouse in order to pay the $5 tax to own their dog. The penalty for not paying is that if the Humane Society pays a visit to your house and you don't have the paper proving you've paid your tax for the dog, they take your dog/dogs and you can't get them back without going through a bunch of red tape and paying an outrageous fine. RIDICULOUS !!

So it is entirely possible that some people who do not pay their fee simply are unaware of it.

 

[redhen]

Soooo glad i dont live in a state that has fees like that..

(of course thats why we are called Taxachusettes )

 

[dewey]

No matter what it's tragic when everything is lost to fire. Lots of rural areas are subscription-only fire service and it's been that way for decades, and it's an old debate that's been going on even longer. I've heard it said by others many times that if property is not worth $75 to the owners then surely it's not worth the price of possibly losing a life over. Many (if not all?) home insurances require the fire service fee to be paid before they'll issue insurance, so it's unlikely that an owner would be unaware of the need for it. In fact, in rural areas where it applies it's usually a fairly constant topic of talk between neighbors. Where I lived the water used for fires was trucked in and many times there wasn't enough water to put out 1 house fire, no less multiple house fires if the fire spread to neighboring places. It's a reason that practically everyone would inquire with their neighbors if they were current on the fee, since they didn't want their house burning down because the neighbor didn't subscribe. Mobile homes burn up literally in a matter of a couple of minutes. The owners were fortunate to get out alive.