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FirmhandKY -> RE: LET IT BURN?!? Firefighters Watch Home Go Up In Flames Over $75 Fee (10/5/2010 6:11:45 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tazzygirl
quote:
ORIGINAL: hlen5
Each fire department has an assigned area (district) where I live. When I pay my real estate tax to the county, I pay a set percentage of my assessed value to my fire district to cover fire protection.
It sounds like not paying is an option there. The homeowner gambled and lost. If everyone waited until they needed it there would be no money to be prepared. What an expensive lesson for his family and what a perfect lesson for everyone else there that you need to pay for fire protection.
The part that gets me a little angry is that the man offered to pay them whatever it would cost to save his home. If they needed the $75, why not just say.. write the check... then do their jobs? The man offered, from all accounts i have read, and they did nothing.
I was hoping an experienced fireman would speak up, but in that absence ...
I've worked with a lot of fire departments, all across the US.
Some Fire Departments are government entities, especially large cities and metro departments. Their funding comes straight from the taxes that all citizens pay to the city. In return, they do cover all fires in the government's area of responsibility, and may have agreements with adjacent fire departments or adjacent governmental areas to come to their aid in times of need.
Most Fire Departments, especially in rural areas, are Volunteer Fire Departments.
Some Volunteer Fire Departments are hybrid private and tax supported organizations, in which a "fire district" is established in order to pay for the equipment, training, and services of it's members. Generally, the responsibilities of these fire departments is set out in state law and local agreements.
Some Volunteer Fire Departments are wholly private organizations in which there is no tax basis whatsoever to support them. They generally get their funding from bake sales, grants, donations and/or subscriptions.
There is a national insurance institute which determines the quality of the fire protection services in a given area, and who then set the rating of that available protection. It is immaterial who provides the protection. They all get a rating.
The higher the rating, the lower the insurance rates for everyone in that area. Therefore, even people who do not pay their taxes, or pay a required membership fee ("subscription fee") for the fire coverage benefit in their insurance payments. The difference in insurance premiums can be substantial for both homeowners, businesses, and government agencies with facilities in that area.
There is rarely sufficient funds for volunteer fire departments to have all the equipment they need, all the training they need, and all the personnel that they need.
No volunteer fire department that I am aware of is in it for the money. Generally, they are simply dedicated local citizens who saw a need, and attempted to fill it as best they could.
So, there is really no "one size fits all" explanation of what a fire department should do. It depends on the structure of the Fire Department, the local law and the agreements, but it is not uncommon at all for a private fire fighting organization not to answer calls to buildings that choose not to be members of the local "fire fighting cooperative". This is generally part of the agreements, and is understood (or should be understood by anyone who owns property in the area). There aren't really any "surprises" in this respect.
Many people never need the volunteer fire departments, and some try to "save some money" by not paying a subscription, if one is required by the local FD. It's like not paying your car insurance because you don't plan on having an accident.
Generally, the same people who choose not to subscribe to the protection that is offered to them - with only a modest payment to offset some (and not all, by a long shot) costs of the services if they are ever needed - are the same people who won't pay their child support, won't pay their taxes, won't donate to charity, won't help out a neighbor in need, and generally try their best to get something for nothing.
If a local VFD is dependent upon subscription fees, yet there is no downside to the people in the area who do not pay them, then people have a tendency not to pay them. VFD who do not collect them, and do not have other sources of sufficient funding also have a tendency to go out of existence, or have poorly trained personnel, lack of training, and insufficient equipment.
There are other issues involved, not simply monetary ones, that come into play, such as why a volunteer fireman should risk his life in a situation in which no human is in danger, and legal ramifications for a department's actions while on the premises of someone who is not party to the common agreement of services. It often seems as the very type of people who refuse to pay the subscription fees, and then demand service anyway, are often the very people who are the first to sue the VFD for some imaginary breech of services or protocol.
Not providing a service that was not contracted for prevents this, helps keep VFD solvent and trained, and is to the benefit of the entire community.
Those condemning the FD in this case should simply acknowledge that they do not possess sufficient knowledge to make a judgment. Perhaps talking to some of your local fire departments would be enlightening.
Firm
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