Money. In my area we're lucky to fund ONE fire department. We do 4 "boot drives" a year, where we stand in the middle of the road and beg for money from people in the community so that we'll have enough equipment to do our job if it becomes necessary. We also hold 2-4 dinner/dance benefit gatherings and we were lucky enough to receive a Federal grant for $50,000 a couple of years ago that allowed us to buy a used fire truck.
i always try to throw a tenner into the boot whenever I see a boot drive. that said, most voluteer fire companies in CT get money fromthe town, state, etc., and respond on all calls. but I recognize that if people have the right to self-determination, than I have to respect choices that may puzzle me. I doubt that nobody in that area doesn’t know that if you donn’t pay your dues, that you dont’ get helped. and if you don’t insure your car and it gets totalled, the government isn’t going to step in and replace it for you.
the residents chose this method of providing fire services, and they are free to change it. but for now, it is what it is, and i’m sure everybody knows it. if you knowingly take a risk and it backfires, i might feel for you, but i certainly wouldn’t want to force you to change to meet my standards.
someone smarter than I said that if folks knew they could get srevice by not paying the $75, then only a fool would pay, but that if they knew that they WOULDN’T get service without paying, only a fool WOULDN’T pay.