Psst - over here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1580045/posts
Different titles = no find in searchie
The other thread has almost 400 replys so I'm going to weigh in on this one.
There is a lot of indignation on the concept of not putting out the fire because the "fire department" is supposed to put out fires and "volunteers" requiring payment to do the job means they are not "volunteers".
OK, to put out a fire requires two major objects, 1. equipment, 2. manpower.
The manpower is volunteer, they do not need any money to do the job. However, they need machinery (trucks, pumps , ladders, and so forth) to put water on the fire. This costs money and depending on the type of fire company the fire company may actually own the equipment, not the town.
Just yesterday, I left work for 4 hours to put out a house fire in my rural area. It was a mutual aid call, meaning that the home was in the next township over from me but the local fire co needed some help.
Let me tell you about this fire. Before I left my workplace (and lost 4 hours pay) I trainned in the last year 178 hours state fire school, and 120 in-house hours. I spent 65 hours fundraising and responded to 88 calls. Some of these calls are 2:00 AM in 10 degree weather. I did not get paid 1 cent for this but I don't complain because I love being a volunteer firefighter.
By the way, my town pays my fire company about $7000.00/year (fuel and insurance) but we get no other township funding. Our operating budget with 100% volunteer labor is about $90,000.00/year and our newest truck is a 1991 E-One 1500 gal/minute pumper. Our rescue pumper is a 1979 Hamerley 500 gal per minute "mini pumper". 1979... 25 years old, this is the truck we use to carry the jaws of life and put out car fires which we get a lot of on the turnpike. We own our firehouse, 4 trucks and our gear, paid for by the volunteers. It is well over a million dollars worth of stuff.
Back to yesterdays house fire. Elderly couple out in the trees, two grown male sons living with them. One fire company filled the tanker trucks at a lake (no hydrants in the country), 3 tankers (2500 galons each) shuttled back and forth to the firegrounds. Two pumper engines and a crew of about 20 men and officers. The fire was through the roof before the owners called 911 so when we arrived and started flowing water the house was a gonner. But we did the best anyone could.
So now there is a big black hole where the house once stood. I did my duty for sure but the home owners did not have homeowners insurance. This family lost everything and they do not have homeowners insurance. This is the third dwelling fire that I have been to since Thankgiving where the homeowner didn't have homeowners insurance. What is wrong with people? And yet they complain about the volunteer firefighters with their blue lights thinking they own the road.
I ask again, what is wrong with people?
By the way, this was a nice house in a nice area. These were not poor people by any means.