Firefighters watch as home burns to ground
 

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local...104052668.html

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," said Gene Cranick.

sucks for them, but they elected not to buy fire service.

That is not unusual for rural townships.

wow what a bunch of bullshit, I was a firefighter for 13 years we would of never ever done anything like that!

look.. i am very familiar with this setup and the fire dept gives you like 10 chances to pay your bill..

i bet the guy was like fuck them and he got what he got...

there are 2 sides to the story and if people would shut their gaps until their hear both sides, the world would be a much better place...

ya herd.... :thumbsup





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horrifying to have your house and everything in it burn down... seriously... even if you did say "fuck" the 75$ fee... but at the end of the day I guess you have no one to blame for your frustration but yourself. Would've been nice if the department made an exception.

Would the fire department have put out the fire if there was a person trapped in the house or let them die?

damn thats a horrid way of setting an example

Gotta love those public employees!

Are they formally unionized?

They sure have the union attitude.

That's how Croesus got rich back in the good old days of Rome.

Progress... not.

Dick got what he deserved. People need to understand they aren't entitled to shit they don't pay for. Too late is too late, fuck 'em.

What if that fire department NEEDS that money from people to function? What if they then help this asshole despite him not paying? Then everyone else will not pay, they won't have a fire department, and all their houses can burn up while they piss and moan.

hope they paid there home owners and fire insurance.

They could have put the fire out and then billed the home owner full price.

WOW! Having to pay extra for a fire service!!

Why isn't that just automatically tacked on to your propery taxes? Dumb fucks, all of them.

Reminds me of the local police that told the volunteer firefighters here that they would be charged with street racing if they drove too fast responding to fire calls. Some people have no common sense.

Seems the county there doesnt have a fire department so the nearest city told those outside its city limits hey look we are not you fire department you dont have one, your not paying city taxes and supporting us so if you want protection you gotta pay $75 a year.

Way back in the day in big cities civilians provided fire services and merchents and homeowners had to pay them for it or they were shit out of luck.

That's horrible that some places have no designated fire service. I live in buttfuck nowhere and every region around here has at least one fire department that will respond, mostly made up of volunteers.

There was some sort of accident today in my area and the volunteer firemen went flying by me about 4 minutes earlier than the police.

That's nuts. An uncontrolled fire in a neighborhood can not only destroy property, but also potentially kill innocent people in the house or nearby. Unless they check, how could they even know they weren't letting a sleeping, helpless or handicapped child or adult who can't escape on their own burn to death along with the house just to set an example? Why not charge the irresponsible homeowners for fire services on the spot or bill them and automatically add that charge plus a penalty to their local city or county taxes, if there is such thing as county taxes?

ohh I always thought that firemen were paid from peoples taxes like the police and ambulance service ..well thats how it works over here anyway ...would they still have done the same thing if somebody was trapped inside the house ?

That's shitty.

ah the american capitalism at its finest..

Firefighter Code of Ethics

"As a firefighter and member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, my fundamental duty is to serve humanity; to safeguard and preserve life and property against the elements of fire and disaster; and maintain a proficiency in the art and science of fire engineering.

I will uphold the standards of my profession, continually search for new and improved methods and share my knowledge and skills with my contemporaries and descendants.

I will never allow personal feelings, nor danger to self, deter me from my responsibilities as a firefighter.

I will at all times, respect the property and rights of all men and women, the laws of my community and my country, and the chosen way of life of my fellow citizens.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the fire service. I will constantly strive to achieve the objectives and ideals, dedicating myself to my chosen profession--saving of life, fire prevention and fire suppression.

As a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, I accept this self-imposed and self-enforced obligation as my responsibility."

sounds kinda like the mafia

i.e protection money

Life is a Business, shit does not happen without money being passed around.

I remember when Malibu was on fire, I saw LA County Fire, LA City Fire, Orange County Fire, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, ECT>>>>>

I think if the fire service had prioritised another call from someone who had actually paid rather than just stand there watching it (if actually true) the guy wouldn't have had a valid complaint, but as it is, I think he can claim to be more than a little hard done by especially as he offered to pay full price.

I am guessing from next year there will be some small print next to the opt out box for that $75 fee where it will say "if we are required to attend a fire on your premises you will be billed the full cost of our service".

Hope he had insurance (and that it wasn't invalidated by this)

Sadly, this is nothing new - firefighters watching as a person's house burns due to lack of payment. Most people aren't aware that in some places, especially rural areas, firefighting service isn't automatically provided.

What amazes me is that I've never read of any instance of a homeowner who lost their home taking violent revenge against the firefighters - or does that happen?

Ron

LOL... America..

What did he expect? If you want a certain service, you pay for it. Simple as that. If you think it's too expensive, find someone cheaper or find a cheaper alternative (start your own volunteer service).... just don't expect everything to be for free.

Forcing people to buy a service or product is an act of aggression. Just like the mafia forces people to buy protection....

Ouch!

As silly as this sounds, what if the family was in such a tight pinch they couldn't afford the $75?

I know it is harsh, but when you don't pay for fire service, or don't buy insurance you are taking a risk. They gambled on the fact their home would not catch fire and they lost.

I know many people would think they should have allowed the people to pay the $75 and save their house, but what message does it send to everyone else in the county? It would tell everyone else that you don't have to pay for fire protection, but if your property does catch on fire for the price of $75 they will come. So people will stop paying and the fire department can't pay for things on a $75 per fire basis.

When you gamble with the most expensive thing you own, you have to be prepared to pay the price. Sad, harsh, but that is the way it is.

I wondered about that same point. Has to be a line they draw that they won't respond unless human life is at risk

I hope that home owner sues the fucking shit out of that fucked up fire department. Doesn't matter if he paid or not. At the time of the fire, their job is to put it out.

What if there was a mix up with the bank? or the computer didn't show his payment? The time when the fire is blazing is not the time to pull records.

Put the fire out, then if the record shows he didn't pay, then lein the home owner. It's not rocket science.

What if there was a small child in the home and even the home owner didn't know? Let the kid die for $75???

I really hope there is a major lawsuit agains that fire department. Letting a home burn down to the ground to make a point for $ 75 is obscene.

Right on, fire department did exactly what they should have done. People feel they're entitled to everything for fucking free... and only want to pay for protection when they actually need it. If they didn't want to fund the fire department then they shouldn't receive services...

Anyone who says differently is probably one of the ones that feels they are entitled to everything for free now a days...

Must be the firefighters starting the fires in that town.

Man that is fucked up and sounds really unethical! Why couldn't they just have a bill if you didn't pay the $75 that they would send to you for the services instead of letting the house burn down? There has to be some sort of back up...

no property taxes out there?

seems malicious

exactly. he didnt want to pay for it why should he get the service? i bet everyone else in the city will pay their bill now.

No shit :1orglaugh

I'm happy to live in communist Canada. You pay a fee when there is a fire here and they have to respond, but you're not regularly charged an annual fee, and the firefighters don't demand payment up front. They come save your fucking house and figure out the fee later. As far as I know the fee in my home county is $500 for response to a structural fire and $400 to a vehicular fire...

Sort of like going to the hospital, no doctor is going to turn you out the door if you are injured and need medical care. Even if you're not covered for whatever reason, they work on you first, and figure out the money later.

Wow here it would be illegal for emergency services not to act. Sucks for that family but you play with fire, you get burned!