I see where people are saying they refused to pay the 75.00. But in the vid he was clearly aware of it and seemed like he has paid before he had stated he forgot to pay it. In another article his wife was quoted as saying they forgot to pay it, a lot of people forget to pay a bill now and then it's a normal everyday thing.

I also heard on tv that the firefighters were condemned by a national fire fighters organization for doing what they did. I don't know which one it was all I could find is this:



I agree with this comment from a news site it petty much sums up my take on the whole thing:






I get the point of this and other arguments about not paying the fee, but when it's someones entire life? Is it right to let money be a deciding factor when you could help someone in that situation? Especially that small an amount?

 

Yes. There is no obligation for a city organization to take care of the area outside the city when they do not pay their "taxes".

 

^+1 DTN. To argue the county should have paid to put out this guy's fire when he didn't pay them the small annual fee to come put it out, is the same as to argue that a county in New Jersey should have to pay to put out his fire in Tennessee. It doesn't matter that they were close. It matters that he didn't pay in advance. The guy's next door neighbor obviously knew to pay it, because they came and protected his neighbor's house from the non-payer's fire.

If you let people pay after the fact, here's how it would go:

Citizen: FIRE911!!!1!
FD: Here we are, but you didn't pay, no water 4 U
Citizen: Oopsy, I "forgot" this year! Here's UR $75
FD: ok, water on!

That way, they get $0 ever from every house that doesn't burn, but the house is still under the FD's protection at county expense.

Then the guy was saying *after* his house caught fire, that he would pay whatever it cost to put out the fire. Sure, we'll send you a bill for $15,782.37 and you'll get riiiiight on paying that. Then we'll pay our legal department $3,000 to fight you in court, file a lien, and get a judgement against you, which you also won't pay. Then we'll get a warrant for contempt of court which you will get arrested on, then you will be out on $1000 bond and still not pay. The judgement/warrant cycle repeats, at increasing cost to the city, ad nauseum.

Then on the other hand, we have the occasional house-burns-to-the-ground story, and we get a couple hundred extra dollars per year from your previously non-paying neighbors who now understand they would rather do without $6.25/month than do without their freaking HOUSE.

And it's not your "entire life" lost when your house burns, it's just the crap you have in it, and your house. Your cars, job, bank account, life ins. policy, IRA/401(k), etc. are still intact.

 

They say they "forgot" to pay. Quite possible, but I don't think I'd be claiming, "Well, we never thunk it would happen, so we put the money towards more important stuff."

 

They should just have a flat fire extinguishing fee. Your house is on fire? Great, pay us $3000 and we'll put it out. No annual fees, no worry that we won't put it out because you "forgot" to pay your fee (for the last 6 years). Just a flat rate, and every time you need our service, we'll send you the bill.
I do agree with Stocker that it might be hard to get them to pay, but if the rules are set up like that, it should be a little easier to get them to pay. Even see if insurance would be up for covering it - that'd be nice.

$3000 was just a made up number - anyone have a better idea as to how much it would actually cost to put out a fire?

 

Whatta crock a sh*t. I didn't read all your posts but this could have went down a number of different ways.. You're an idiot if you're defending the "logic" behind watching a man's house burn down not to mention 4 souls die. angel.gif lol

1.) If the property owner had a hot daughter instead of an anti-composting, pyro son the fire would have been put out.

2.) Thinking logically, the firefighters responded to the neighbors property right? Wouldn't the most logical solution to prevent the spread of a small fire onto said property be to oh I don't know.. PUT IT OUT. What if the firefighters responded to a fire that was encroaching upon a $75/year-paying property owner's property from say the east, where the property border's state land. Is it really logical to think that the fire is the state's problem if you're standing right there with the ability to end it right now?

3.) If it were me I would have pretended to be trapped inside the burning mayhem (really hiding behind storage shed in back yard), while my son screams for his Dad's dear life. If the firefighters STILL decided to watch the house burn to the ground, this would be a different story..

4.) Where is the line drawn? If there is a public swimming pool that charges an entry fee for services that include showers, bathrooms, towels, pool toys, and lifeguard services and I sneak in to the pool to avoid paying the fee and end up drowning, is it okay for the lifeguard on duty to deny me their services and watch me drown? Imagine the same scenario but with police services being denied, or medical services in an emergency room.

Rule No.5: "You're an idiot" ..if you think firefighting is considered to be more like auto insurance rather than a rescue-service. (just watched Wedding Crashers, sorry..)

@StrikeEagle ^^^, that's exactly what AAA does with it's membership fees, ("roadside insurance"). They offer a standard $xx amount to open/renew an annual policy with them but if you stranded and require their services, which require a membership, you must pay 3x($xx) and their services will be provided. I had to do this when I ran out of gas shortly after the Arizona/Colorado border years ago. FML

P.S.
One example of a firefighters oath upon entering service;
I promise concern for others. A willingness to help all those in need.
I promise courage - courage to face and conquer my fears. Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me.
I promise strength - strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me. Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.
I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called.

 

They're in Obion county, on the TN/KY border and 60 miles from the nearest interstate. Even they don't see each other as being "hot"

I thought the same thing. How would they respond to wildfires that may endanger neighboring cities? Just let it grow to an uncontrollable state until it hits a paying citizen's property?

lmao.gif

Only if that lifeguard is on duty and being paid to watch the pool in your scenario. A general lifeguard, no. A volunteer lifeguard, absolutely not. A lifeguard being paid to watch that particular pool, yes, but as long as it doesn't inhibit his ability to flirt with one of dem "hot" girls.

 

Seems to me this was done to proove a point, that point being that if you don't pay we wont come to help. It is an extreme way to make a point, but all the people in that area that hadn't paid that fee have all probably paid it now. What that Dept. did was unthinkable they are there to help when help is needed. Not every firefighter should be ashamed of what happened this was a rural community that allowed this to happen don't blame all firefighters for 1 small groups mistakes. On the other hand this is their own doing if he had not been burnning the trash the house would have never caught fire to begin with.

 

^There, fixed that for ya.

Here we have a government bureaucrat


And a government-educated patron of government services:

 

I'm totally cool with "Opt Out' (or choose not to opt-in) government services. And I'm totally cool with the FD only serving the area that wants their service (pays in advance the $75 fee). So I guess that means I'm cool with them telling him "sorry, you're not in our jurisdiction".

I've honestly forgotten to pay the yearly due for license plate tabs (registration) in my state, and when I got pulled over for something else, I think it was totally reasonable for the state to hold it against me that I didn't pay them when I should have. Honestly forgetting IS something that happens, but I don't expect the government to come save me from the stupidity of my own life decisions. Likewise, I don't expect this FD to save the guys house even if he honestly forgot to pay. But I don't really believe he honestly forgot either...

Nothing teaches people more effectively than experience. Getting "burned" by his choice to not pay will not only help him be more careful in the decisions he makes later, but it will also notify others that their decisions do have consequences. Let's stop protecting people from their own idiocy (stupidity should be painful) and reintroduce accountability into the American Dream. It's the only way to have a society of adults instead of "gimme gimme!" infants.