Fire Chief watches house burn over $75 tax

[SA Friday]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39535911...ife/?GT1=43001

What a piece of shit... Put it out, send him a bill, but don't stand there and watch his house, possessions, dogs, cats all burn to ashes. What next, cops stand there and watch theives rob a house because they hadn't paid their state taxes yet? Absolutely disgusting. You wear a badge, you take an oath, you are there to serve the public, not pick and choose based on who paid what tax.

[Hitman 6]

More proof that firemen are douchebags.

[Byte Stryke]

But hey wait a minute.
we want smaller government and fewer taxes right?
I Mean there are those in here that don't want to pay for schools because they have no Kids, or they don't want to pay for roads because they don't use em.
What about those complaining about the Phone Taxes because they don't use phones out in the boonies.

Don't get me wrong people, I agree that we do need smaller government, but be careful what and how you wish for it.
You could be looking at a smoldering house because a check arrived late.

[2ndChildhood]

I really have mixed feelings about this one.

My knee-jerk reaction is the same as Friday and Hitman.

Then there's the tax angle, these folks enjoy low taxes and have voted to keep them low, thus there is no government organized fire department. If people figure out that the fire department will put out fires even if they don't pay then the department's revenues will drop towards zero. Maybe the FD could put out the fire on a non-subscriber and then place a lien on the property for the bill.

Most of us dislike taxes and overpaid public employees, but at least they won't pull this kind of BS. Personally, I'd just as soon pay the taxes rather than have this happen in my town. There are no winners in a story like this.

North of Fort Collins, there's the Rist Canyon VFD which covers a large area of foothills and enjoys strong support from those who live in the area. They have an annual fundraiser and a solid force of volunteer firefighters. No subscription fee required. If a fire breaks out, they color code your driveway with tape so that fire teams bypass properties that have not cleared a "defense space" around the structures. Those properties that have good D-space will have a volunteer with radio on-site if/when a fire is nearby. It seems like a good setup and they are doing well with limited resources.

[SA Friday]

I really have mixed feelings about this one.

My knee-jerk reaction is the same as Friday and Hitman.

Then there's the tax angle, these folks enjoy low taxes and have voted to keep them low, thus there is no government organized fire department. If people figure out that the fire department will put out fires even if they don't pay then the department's revenues will drop towards zero. Maybe the FD could put out the fire on a non-subscriber and then place a lien on the property for the bill.

Most of us dislike taxes and overpaid public employees, but at least they won't pull this kind of BS. Personally, I'd just as soon pay the taxes rather than have this happen in my town. There are no winners in a story like this.

North of Fort Collins, there's the Rist Canyon VFD which covers a large area of foothills and enjoys strong support from those who live in the area. They have an annual fundraiser and a solid force of volunteer firefighters. No subscription fee required. If a fire breaks out, they color code your driveway with tape so that fire teams bypass properties that have not cleared a "defense space" around the structures. Those properties that have good D-space will have a volunteer with radio on-site if/when a fire is nearby. It seems like a good setup and they are doing well with limited resources.

Nothing knee-jerk in my reaction at all, and I know you are not insinuating that either. I just want my stance in this to be clear. You wear a badge, you take an oath, you do NOT have the option of picking and choosing who get's your services, period. Tax, fees, bla bla bla... You swore to serve. Emergency public services are not free enterprise, they are PUBLIC. I don't care if you are volunteer or if you are county payroll. Absolutely disgusting display of lack of morality. This fucking douchebag showed up, put out the fire threatening the neighbor, and then stood there and watched another man's life burn to the ground over an unpaid $75 fee. NO! You put the fire out and let the county figure out how to deal with the fee/payment for the services. Disgusting...

[Byte Stryke]

Nothing knee-jerk in my reaction at all, and I know you are not insinuating that either. I just want my stance in this to be clear. You wear a badge, you take an oath, you do NOT have the option of picking and choosing who get's your services, period. Tax, fees, bla bla bla... You swore to serve. Emergency public services are not free enterprise, they are PUBLIC. I don't care if you are volunteer or if you are county payroll. Absolutely disgusting display of lack of morality. This fucking douchebag showed up, put out the fire threatening the neighbor, and then stood there and watched another man's life burn to the ground over an unpaid $75 fee. NO! You put the fire out and let the county figure out how to deal with the fee/payment for the services. Disgusting...

it wasn't "fucking douche-bag's" call, it is the law, Policy created by the officials elected into office by the people and he could probably have gone to jail for misappropriation of government services and equipment or some shit. and I can only imagine the shitstorm had a firefighter been injured while working that scene.

I Disagree with the policy but I Don't so much blame the man.
Just another cog in the system.

I have a PERFECT Solution.
Lets start a COUNTY Fire service and increase the countytaxes about 8% to pay for all of the individual trucks, property, the Firefighters, training, Insurance, etc etc etc....

As he said, The FIREFIGHTERS tried to replace the Subscription system with a TAX System, but as soon as people hear "TAX" they panic and knee-jerk and scream NO!

long and short, I Agree, he should have paid his $75.
I don't fault the department. Someone has to pay the bills, and the LAW Says....

[TFOGGER]

Mr. Homeowner was given the option to opt in to the city's fire protection district for a whopping $6 a month. He chose not to, and city policy dictated that when he lost that gamble, he paid the price. IF he had homeowner's insurance (50/50 chance) there's a good chance that they will not cover his loss because he chose not to take an inexpensive precaution.

That being said, most firefighters I know would have been sick, being forced to watch someone's home burn to the ground.

[BushMasterBoy]

Having smoke detectors, water hoses, fire extinguishers at the ready I dont worry too much about a house fire. If the guy had home insurance, he should be covered.
If you are a member of CO-AR15 you should have at least one fire extinguisher even if you live in a camping trailer. Carbon Monoxide detectors are a good idea too! You are more likely to die in a fire in your home, than be shot by an intruder. Maybe we can all learn from this story.

[earplug]

I pay to have my trash hauled, I have to mow my lawn or pay to have it done.
Evidently in this case the property owner failed to pay for fire service.
I see no problem.
Is a private security firm obligated to protect a business that has not paid for the service?

[Graves]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39535911...ife/?GT1=43001

What a piece of shit... Put it out, send him a bill, but don't stand there and watch his house, possessions, dogs, cats all burn to ashes. What next, cops stand there and watch theives rob a house because they hadn't paid their state taxes yet? Absolutely disgusting. You wear a badge, you take an oath, you are there to serve the public, not pick and choose based on who paid what tax.

Hmm, reminds me of a certain group of folks who just take, take, and take without paying for jack or s**t; sort of creates a problem for those of us who do in fact contribute doesn't it? What if the whole county has the same "f*** your fee!" attitude? I'll bet their fee would be much higher. I'll bet he wont go thinking he's so damn special now when he does one of two things that he should have done before: pays the fee or moves somewhere else.