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 ...
I am sure this man's fee was around $30 or $40 dollars a year also.
It does not matter if the man moved - The fire dept sends out the letters in my area to each and every address. If they don't know the name of the person living at such address it gets addressed to "resident".
Or if they get a tax break for the land their on, donations of surplus equipment, electricity(rural counties often have local Co-op), water or pretty much ANYTHING from the local gov't at less than full market rate. If the local gov't put in hydrants for them, maintains ponds or even mows the grass. If they got environmental waivers for discharging water or obtaining water from ponds owned by the local gov't. Street signs, flashing lights, support by the PD or special dispensation for ANYTHING.
Thank you.
I have nothing but the highest regard for volunteer firefighters and ambulance crews.
Because of where I live, I'm sort of on the edge of about 5 different companies.........I donate to them all because who knows which one will be available if and when I ever might need one.
I'd bet they get money from a gum't entity...
If anyone, it would be the person who sold the property to him that would be obligated to advise him of the fire service fee, not the people of the nearest town.
So you can also refuse to pay your car payment until they show up to reposess it ...
sniff...sniff..
hey, what's that acrid smell?
fire?
no, lawyers.
Libs will get upset at this, but I won't. If everyone waited to pay until the fire was going, no one would pay until the fire was going.
These fees are paid yearly with letters/notices sent out once a year. I am sure he received a letter/notice about it since he has been there 1 1/2 years. Vol. Fire Dept's send them out marked "resident" at all addresses if the don't know the occupants name.
I am sure the fire dept has it on record that he was mailed a letter/notice. Normally they will send out a second letter to the non-responding residents who do not pay by the deadline each year.
You must live in a city or suburban area. With a volunteer fire department, membership fees and fundraisers pay for the equipment. If you don't support them, why should they support you.
This guy gambled, and he lost. No sympathy here.
Me too!!
The bums I was referring to were the firemen.........(all occupations).
Perhaps, which might change the equation, but in the absence of gov't funds...
Not real common, but some depts are set up that way.
I always thought you joined a VOLUNTEER Fire Dept. because you wanted to help people. Some states do have good Samaritan laws as well, where you are REQUIRED to assist accident victims. I hope this guy can sue, but I doubt he could get much if anything. Personally I think a fire fighter that stands by and watches someone lose everything is just plain evil.
I had nothing against the people who lived outside of the city. It was their decision. I lived in the City of Austin, and knew exactly how high city taxes were. What I'm seeing on this thread, from many, is the premise that you should get something for nothing. An engine company costs anywhere from $250,000 to $600,000.
That area outside the city was protected by a volunteer department. Most of the people did not want volunteer response, because it could take up to ten minutes, and their equipment wasn't as good.
As a side note, a few years ago, three firefighters were killed in a structure collapse in Lake Worth. Link to investigation report is here. IIRC, two of these firefighters were off duty paid firefighters working as volunteers. There was significant public pressure for their cities to provide line of duty death benefits. I don't recall the outcome, but two things became clear to me about responding outside of your jurisdiction. First, you are abandoning the citizens you are sworn to protect to protect other people. If you lived in the city, and I had taken my crew and was working outside of the city, what would you think if your house caught fire? You PAID for protection, but didn't get it because people who DIDN'T pay did get it. Second, bad things happen in fires. We try to work safely, but sometimes bad things happen. Should the city assume the very real liability of line of duty death benefits for other jurisdictions who do NOT wish to pay? Should the volunteer taxing authority assume the risk of six months of burn treatment at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars providing protection to a person who made it clear he didn't want the protection?
(BTW, I'm outside of the metroplex, so any Freepers who remember, please correct me if I've accidentally misrepresented the situation as to the paid/volunteer status of the firefighters, and the level of pressure on the cities. I saw a couple of news stories, but quite honestly, I only seriously study the events leading up to the deaths. Kind of a "make sure it doesn't happen to us" thing.)
My Community has a Volunteer Fire Department also I belong to it. For many years we used to put out cards people put quarters int, then we just asked for donations, Recently we sponsored and passed a County wide fire Tax.We no longer need to beg. Never in the histoty of the Fire Department here has it ever failed to put out a fire because a person didnt donate. Most people choose to pay their own way, others dont. Thats life. I retired after 25 years in a paid Fire Department. The Fire Department isnt about money its about Community. This bunch who stand by with Fire apparatus running and crew watching is crap in my book.
There is a big difference between asking for donations and demanding them. When you demand it isnt a donation its extortion.
"They should at least have the decency not to call themselves "volunteers" then."
The money goes for equipment and training, not salaries. We all should have the decency to not participate in name-calling, especially if we don't have all the facts.
Maybe youn could try the same approach with the fire insurance. You think that would work? This guy skated by, refusing to contribute to the local volunteer fire department then the devil came calling. I wonder what excuses he gave when he was asked to help out? I'll never have a fire, something like that?
All articles from the Modesto Bee must be excerpted. That was the last statement in the article.
I do now, but I lived for 40 years outside the city limits and in rural areas. I don't recall ever paying a separate tab for firefighting.
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