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Mo. firefighters refuse to help non-member
modbee ^ | 2-16-06

Posted on 02/16/2006 3:52:53 PM PST by LouAvul

Edited on 02/16/2006 6:43:01 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

MONETT, Mo. (AP) - Rural firefighters stood by and watched a fire destroy a garage and a vehicle because the property owner had not paid membership dues.

Bibaldo Rueda - who was injured battling the flames Monday - offered to pay the dues as the fire blazed away, but the Monett Rural Fire Department does not have a policy for on-the-spot billing, Sheriff's Detective Robert Evenson said.


(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: firefighters; missouri
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To: listenhillary

And I think you arent very bright and full of that stinky brown stuff to boot, But lets not get into calling names and denigrating each other.


381 posted on 02/17/2006 9:45:25 AM PST by sgtbono2002
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To: Smokin' Joe

I couldnt find any mention of fees either. I am about ready to leave this thread ,It would seem most who needed to vent have and its pretty much going downhill from here. Catch you on another .


382 posted on 02/17/2006 9:49:07 AM PST by sgtbono2002
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To: listenhillary

Don't pay any attention to him, Rush agrees with us. See post above!


383 posted on 02/17/2006 9:50:29 AM PST by ozarkgirl
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To: sgtbono2002

'See' you in the future.


384 posted on 02/17/2006 9:50:48 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Sure how many controlled burns has gotten out of control. I don't want my house going up because some anal retensive redneck fire chief decided to uphold the rules when some uninsured mexican house is on fire.

I am not going to waste my time about the moral failing of not helping someone in an emergency when they need it even if they didn't do what they should of. What would Jesus do as a firefighter?


385 posted on 02/17/2006 9:51:48 AM PST by Swiss
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To: Swiss
What would Jesus do as a firefighter?

Jesus would make it rain.

386 posted on 02/17/2006 9:57:02 AM PST by ozarkgirl
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To: LouAvul
I live in SW Missouri, out in the country, and am a paying member of the local Volunteer FD.

Regarding his statement that he didn't know about the membership-When you fill out your application for homeowners insurance, there is a question about whether you are in a dues paying area. When you live in the country, your rates are adjusted based on your access to Fire services. His agent would have known that he was in a dues area and brought it up.

I haven't seen the equipment in Monett, but in our area, the "fire truck" is a 1-ton flat bed with a 500 gallon tank,or something close to that capacity. If they had chosen to use their resources to fight this fire, and then it jumped to an adjoining property that they no longer had the capacity to fight, you can bet that guy would have some serious issues, and possibly grounds to sue.

A question for anyone who is in the Firefighting business; would a volunteer FD carry insurance for these volunteers getting injured? Would it in any way be negated if they were performing service for a non-member?

387 posted on 02/17/2006 9:58:25 AM PST by adam c
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To: Swiss
I am not going to waste my time about the moral failing of not helping someone in an emergency when they need it even if they didn't do what they should of. What would Jesus do as a firefighter?

I take it you also believe in free heart transplants for sick illegals who make it across the border?

That's what Jesus would do, right?

388 posted on 02/17/2006 10:11:36 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam Factoid:After forcing young girls to watch his men execute their fathers, Muhammad raped them.)
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To: ozarkgirl

What would Jesus do as a firefighter?
Jesus would make it rain.


Yeah but on everyone elses home and not on the one on fire if he didnt Pay his dues.

Sorry I couldnt resist Catch you on another thread.LMAO


389 posted on 02/17/2006 10:14:55 AM PST by sgtbono2002
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To: Swiss
I am not going to waste my time about the moral failing of not helping someone in an emergency when they need it even if they didn't do what they should of. What would Jesus do as a firefighter?

Cause a downpour? %?D

390 posted on 02/17/2006 10:28:09 AM PST by listenhillary ("Mainstream media" is creating it's own reality~everything sucks)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Look first of all chances are the Fire Department would get their money if they did fight the fire. This is the first case I heard of because in my old hometown the fire department would charge a big fee to those who didn't pay membership dues. How much did it cost the Fire Department to fight that fire? The truck and equipment is sunk costs so just mainly the fuel I would think. I suspect that if they took the guys money he offered for membership dues their bank account would be the same. Frankly they just wasted the gasoline to drive out there.

Now according to some if we allowed someone to get away with this then everyone would stop paying their dues. That might be correct if individuals are selfish narrowminded individuals but I suspect most homeowners will still support their fire department. If the community don't support the fire department then they may have get a tax based department if they can get it voted in or not then maybe not have the fire department they need.

Monnett fire department just show the world that they may not deserve support. There is more to running a fire department than just collecting dues. There is bake sales, donations from business, recruiting membership,etc. I suspect they just ticked off a large part of the population in the Mexicans.

In small towns and communities we have to help each other. The day may come when that fire chief or his crew may need the help of that Mexican or his family and friends.

Sometimes it is smart business to lose money on a deal. This fire department has now gotten bad press and outrage and frankly how many people would of known if they did make a exception for a nonpaying dues member?


391 posted on 02/17/2006 11:00:18 AM PST by Swiss
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To: Swiss
That might be correct if individuals are selfish narrowminded individuals but I suspect most homeowners will still support their fire department.

By that line of reasoning, shouldn't we just dispense with the IRS and move to a strictly voluntary system of income tax collection?

After all, most taxpayers will still want to support their government, right?

392 posted on 02/17/2006 11:06:23 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam Factoid:After forcing young girls to watch his men execute their fathers, Muhammad raped them.)
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To: stlnative

I'll bet he thought it was junk mail...too bad for him.


393 posted on 02/17/2006 11:08:23 AM PST by gogeo
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To: Swiss
In small towns and communities we have to help each other...

Sometimes it is smart business to lose money on a deal...

James Taggart, president of Taggart Transcontinental, could not have put it any better.

394 posted on 02/17/2006 11:19:14 AM PST by RabidBartender
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Just as a matter of information: I have seen quite a few posters going to the Monett CITY Fire Dept. website and complaining there is no mention of a fee or dues.....fact is, this property was out in the county a good ways from town, where the CITY Fire Dept. does NOT go. In my county, S. Central MO. (Pulaski), we don't have a county Fire Dept. What we DO have are a number of small, fairly well-equipped fire district depts. that are mostly tax-supported. The level of protection and equipment, training, communications and so on are not always driven by need, but by the insurance companies who decide what constitutes "adequate" protection for a certain rate level. The distance from the local fire district station may determine your insurance rate. It does mine. We used to have a dues-based system here, but it wasn't enough to meet our growing population (Ft. Leonard Wood), and went to a property-fire tax a while back. The city fire depts. in our area are not as well-equipped as the rural fire districts are now. We often joke about one of the city depts., "They ain't lost a lot yet!" I agree with your understanding of this situation. BTW, did this property owner start that fire?
395 posted on 02/17/2006 11:47:51 AM PST by Southbound ((Formerly a hairy-legged, deprived banjo picker.))
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To: Southbound

Formerly a hairy-legged, deprived banjo picker

My "burning" questions...

Are you still a banjo picker?

Are you no longer hairy legged because of fighting fires?

The FR handle - Doc Watson fan?


396 posted on 02/17/2006 12:04:15 PM PST by listenhillary ("Mainstream media" is creating it's own reality~everything sucks)
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To: listenhillary
Well......Yes, but only for my own amazement. Now retired, and don't pick much anymore. Legs are still hairy, last I looked. The handle comes from a band I worked in, and yep, I'm a Doc Watson fan. Deprived? Shoot, I've
ALWAYS been deprived......
397 posted on 02/17/2006 12:16:19 PM PST by Southbound ((Formerly a hairy-legged, deprived banjo picker.))
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To: pepsionice

The fight is so vicious because the stakes are so small.


398 posted on 02/17/2006 12:53:46 PM PST by gogeo
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

You may be wasting your time. Gen. Honore comes to mind.


399 posted on 02/17/2006 12:55:38 PM PST by gogeo
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To: houeto
I believe in putting out fires if within my power to do so.
400 posted on 02/17/2006 12:57:16 PM PST by gogeo
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