They don’t have to, but, along with many others, I feel they should have tried. Since it’s done yearly, all they have to do is change the contracts with what they want, and what they need to cover this sort of situation.
But, if they had put the man’s fire out; wouldn’t you ask yourself a question as to why you are cutting that check?
“Golly, Billy-Bob didn’t pay, and they came out and put his fire out. So, why should I pay $75? If they came out for Billy-Bob, they will come out for me too”. So, if you are getting the service for FREE - why would anyone pay for it?
So, now a non-tax supported FD no longer has a revenue stream, goes bankrupt and everyone loses a FD.