Even if a community passes a fire "tax" or "fee"...then you have the issue of the homes outside of the community or town. Where I grew up...only 30 percent of the locals actually live in the town...the rest are outside of the city limits. The interesting thing is that in the beginning....almost all of the members of the fire department were from outside of the city limits...and after six years...they demanded that the fire station be moved 1 mile outside of the city limits because of various political fighting within the town. The city council said NO...and the entire fire department resigned in mass. It took 3 weeks to get a group of 12 guys up and volunteered for the local fire dept. The out-of-town folks don't like paying the standard $80 fee per year for services...and there are constant battles occurring when fires erupt with a non-payer...which the fire department puts a form in front of the family member and demands a minimum of $250 before they drag the hoses out.
This is rural America, and the garbage one must put up with. Its part of your lifestyle that you must accept. Turf battles over fire...as silly as it is.
$20 a year is a bargain for fire protection. I'm sure my property tax bill for fire protection is many many times that amount.
The fight is so vicious because the stakes are so small.