Tell me - why do governments exist? If not to provide basic protections - what's the point?
This was not a government entity.
This was an association of citizens who banded together to fill the need for a fire department where none existed.
They have no government powers.
Their only power is to withhold services from people who didn't help pay for the equipment and training.
I repeat: this volunteer fire department was not a government entity.
Why is that so difficult for you to comprehend? Are you a Bolshevik or something?
What happens if you don't pay your property taxes?
In the US, your property is seized by the county and sold at auction to pay the taxes.
Now consider...
What happens if you don't buy a fire tag? You run the RISK of having a fire and losing your property.