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 ...
They could have dosed the fire, billed him and slapped a lien on the property. I think this was the wrong way to deal with the situation.
I call them , Well I cant say it banishment isnt my thing.
Its a sorry person who would watch someone drown, because he didnt pay the Fire Department.
This man was injured, burned, while trying to save his property, he was desprate . A trained crew stood by with apparatus and watched.They probably stood there laughing. If that is the Missourri way then I say the hell with Missourri. So he is a cheap bastid, That doesnt make it right.
That wasn't name-calling. I have only the highest regard for firefighters, and especially volunteer firefighters. But that's not what we're talking about here.
They did not fight the fire. They were fire-watchers, not fire-fighters. What this is, is a fire protection racket, not a volunteer fire department.
There. Now ~that~ was name-calling. :-)
From another source that tells a little bit more than the modbee.com.
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060216/BREAKING01/60216004
Rural firefighters take pass on battling flames at nonpaying residence
Associated Press
Monett Rural firefighters stood by and watched a fire destroy a garage and a vehicle because the property owner, who was injured battling the flames, had not paid membership dues.
Monett Rural Fire Department Chief Ronnie Myers defended the policy, saying the membership-based organization could not survive if people thought the department would respond for free. The department said it will fight a fire without question if a life is believed to be in danger.
Myers said he would make an effort to explain the membership policy to the area's new Hispanic residents after the property's owner, Bibaldo Rueda, said he had never been told of the dues policy since moving there 1 1/2 years ago.
According to Barry County Sheriff's Detective Robert Evenson, the fire broke out Monday on four acres owned by Rueda south of Monett, about 50 miles southwest of Springfield.
Four mobile homes and a number of vehicles were on the property. Rueda managed to get one mobile home out of the way, using a garden hose and buckets, but was burned in the process, Evenson said.
Monett Rural Fire Department responded to the scene but did not fight the fire. Firefighters stood by from the road as the fire burned itself out, watching in case the flames spread to neighboring properties owned by members.
"People need to realize you've got to become a member. If you live outside the city limits, you need to join one of the rural fire departments," Myers said.
Rueda offered to pay, Evenson said, but the Monett department does not have a policy for on-the-spot billing.
Nearby Cassville and Mt. Vernon have gone to tax-supported rural fire districts, following a public vote, wherein all fires are fought.
Rural Monett members have not been asked to choose between memberships and tax support, though they came out strongly against a proposed Aurora Rural Bi-County Fire Protection District, which was voted down in 2001.
What jackasses.
I agree.
The fire department is SUPPOSED to serve and protect, not say "screw you, you didn't pay us up front."
The fire fighter mafiosi probably would have tried to stop any neighbors from helping on the grounds it was too dangerous. What a bunch of punks.
And then everyone would cancel their dues and "pay if I have a fire." I has nothing to do with being officious, and everything to do with voluntarily paying for insurance. Try offering to pay for auto insurance after you've had a wreck.
With 'firefighters' like this, I can understand that
If people in this guy's area didn't volunteer to fight fires, what would he do in the event of a fire? My guess is that he'd do exactly what he DID do -- try to put the fire out with a garden hose, then watch the building burn to the ground.
Call me an "officious prick" if you want, but I like the idea of turning every resident into a "taxpayer" of sorts when it comes to financing public services like this.
It is the FIRE DEPARTMENT.
They are to SERVE THE PUBLIC.
Not serve MEMBERS. They are to serve ****everyone**** in their area.
Yeah, I can't imagine this either. Must be some politics at play.
Damn right . This is what we are and what we do. these guy suck.
I've watched several private ambulance firms struggling to make ends meet, hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, running ambulances with 250,000 to 300,000 miles on them, paying Paramedics $7.50 to $8.00 an hour to make fifteen to twenty runs in a 24 hour shift. Most of these Paramedics give up after three or four years. They're worn out and burned out.
I believe in helping my neighbor, too. However, in this country right now, there are a lot of people jumping up and down on the safety net as hard as they can.
If a person was inside the house in the subject article, nothing could have kept me out. If it was just stuff, well he made his decision. BTW, I don't believe he didn't know there was a fee for service.
This has me wondering what started the fire.
Your auto insurance comparison is very good. Thank you for the sanity check.
Were it not for the subscribers, these rural subscription fire departments would not be able to pay for their buildings or equipment, would not exist, and everybody's house would burn down. They are volunteers usually on a shoestring budget.
Just a guess, the guy either forgot to or didn't want to pay the fee.
From another poster on the thread, likely there were at least some notifications by mail, in the paper or whatever.
Yeah. Legally I can understand this but not morally. I would have been out there helping my neighbor.
LOL...
I can see the firefighters standing there waiting until the credit card gets approved. Meanwhile, the argument between the "customer" and the fire chief over whether the C/C procedure is gonna take longer than it should in order to salvage the house.
Even reading this thing is surreal.
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