[Ramius]

It's not about wanting fire service for free. It's also not like insurance, unless you include "uncle Guido's protection insurance".

If this guy has done anything wrong, its that he's not paid a tax. Clearly he should have done that. But for the fire department to check and see whether he bought tickets to the "firemen's ball" (as they call it 'round these parts) and refuse to fight the fire... is just lame.

Obviously, they're doing it as a "lesson" for everybody else to pay up their protection money.

[Trailerpark Badass]

It's not about wanting fire service for free.

You're right, it's not. It's about this cheapskate loser either A) being too stupid to investigate local services before moving in or B) gambling that he could save a few bucks because, hey, I ain't gonna have a fire.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

If this guy has done anything wrong, its that he's not paid a tax.

THIS AIN'T THE GOVERNMENT!!!! IT'S VOLUNTEERS!!!!!

ONLY A SOCIALIST THINKS "THE GOVERNMENT" SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEM FOR FREE!!!!

This is how a VOLUNTEER fire department gets formed:

1. You live in a rural area with no fire department and no taxing authority to create one.
2. You would like to have a fire department available in case your house catches on fire.
3. You talk to neighbors and peope in surrounding towns to see if they would like to create a fire department.
4. You form a group of VOLUNTEER firefighters.
5. Your group doesn't have $400,000 to buy a fire truck and another $300,000 to build a station house.
6. You offer fire protection to anybody who pays your group $100 per year for a tag to put on their mailbox proving they paid for fire protection.
7. You use the $100 per year from all the people who paid it to buy a fire truck, build a station house and train the VOLUNTEER firefighters to minimize the possibility of their dying while fighting a fire.
8. Since it costs you thousands of dollars in wear and tear on your fire truck and equipment to put out a fire, not to mention the danger to the lives of the firefighters, you don't put out the fires of people who didn't help pay for the equipment and training of the firefighters.

Exactly which part of the above do you not understand?