The community, at first, had no fire protection. It was outside of corporate limits and the people who lived in the area were happy not to be paying the higher taxes that those inside the city limits paid, even though those taxes provided needed services. Then, several members of the community got together to talk about what would be done if there was a fire. They had a meeting and invited any interested parties to attend. Those attendees decided that they would train, on their own time and dime, to fight fires as safely as they could and realised that they needed equipment. They paid for the equipment themselves and intended to use it for their own homes. They then decided to include anyone in the community who wanted to participate. Participation was voluntary and would include either a yearly fee (donation) to support the volunteers or actual time and effort through fire fighting, EMT service, fundraising, etc. The suggestion was made to levy a tax on property to support the volunteer fire department but the land owners (who owned a lot of land with no structures on it) were against it. The word was spread through the community that the service was available and about half the members of the community responded. The other half, either consciously or not, neglected to participate. Should the group then spend their own money, time, safety, etc, to protect the property of the second half, who didn't care to participate or pay?
The above circumstance is generic and not specific to the article, but it is typical of rural communities all over the country. They came out and made sure no one got hurt. That's more than they had to do. We get too used to government providing for us and forget that we are not entitled to it. If you can't afford it, you shouldn't get it. That applies to cars, vacations, cigarettes, beer, jewelry, and yes, fire protection. If they put out the fire, there would be many others who paid the fee that would think "why bother?" Yes, it is sad when a fire takes a home but it is up to homeowners to prepare for that possibility, not their neighbors. I think the fire fighters wished that the owners had supported them so that they could have jumped in there and done all they could. Mutual support, not one sided. The people who refused to pay the fee thumbed their noses at the fire fighters........bad move.
