If I was a firefighter at that scene I would have done something to help put that fire out. WTF is with society today, not my problem let the unfortunate fend for themselves. Those firefighters should feel like the useless dicks they were that night. What if it were more personal, a firefighter's family that didn't pay the fee, do you think they would stand by and let it burn? F'n rediculous. What a fine example this fire dept. is of compassionate human beings. :roll:
Took the words right out of my mouth."thumbsup"
Its sad....
I've been a Volunteer Firefighter for several years now and I just cannot believe that they stood idly by and watched the house burn down. They didn't even respond to the fire until a neighbor called to say their house was on fire.
Even when the dept showed up they could not have saved what was started on the original house. If a house is on fire and creates enough heat to start a secondary home on fire, the first house is too far gone to save anyways.
In Indiana here, we have a county network of fire departments. Each town in the county is divided up into townships which each department will cover a certain township or townships. Our department is funded by tax dollars. Each call that we go on is billed to the homeowner or responsible party. Minimum charge for a Fire/Accident is $350 plus whatever materials were used. Overtime is charged if the incident lasts more than an 2 hours.
Even if the homeowner did not pay his "Protection Fee" I still don't think it was right for department to let the house burn down. There should always be an "emergency option"
We don't do background and credit checks on the people and homes that are involved with an incident. There are times that we don't get paid for our services after an event. That does not mean that we will refuse service to those people.
To have a department refuse service is an abomination. Those firefighters have to feel bad about what they did. To sit there while a persons home is destroyed and their lives turned upside down is a Horrible thing. And to add insult to injury, the department sends the guy a $19,000 bill for doing NOTHING!! What the hell is going on there??
Firefighters are covered under an insurance plan when they are working, just the same as you and I are with our employer. Even as Volunteers, they are covered under a plan. Volunteers are there to help, we ask for nothing in return, its just something that we do. We risk life and limb every time we climb in a truck and we do it because we WANT to. Saving life and property is what we are about. It seems that this departments values are a little upside down. You didn't pay your fire protection fee, Oops, Tough Shit, guess your ****ed now. Too bad, So Sad. Guess you learned your lesson now Huh? WTF. That is just wrong.
Those guys on that Dept should feel like SHIT. They had a Duty to Act and they did not. I hope they all have troubles sleeping at night, knowing they RUINED a families home.
I wonder what would happen if they forgot to pay their "Fire Bill" Wonder if there is a bit of a double standard there.
Small town shit is all the same. I'm sure if it was a friend or family member of the chief, that house would still be standing. Its all about whose ass your nose is up. Hell, its like that everywhere, even here on RCC.
There is a certain thing in the emergency field called "Duty to Act". Basically it means that if you are an emergency worker, and witness an event happening, they have the Duty to Act and help that person. If an EMT is off duty and a person at the gas station collapses, the EMT even though he is off duty, has the responsibility to help that person. Serious repercussions can be had if it is know that an EMT was on scene but chose not to act. Same holds true for Firefighters. Its a moral and ethical thing. I just can't believe that for a $75 fee that someones home was ALLOWED to burn and their pets KILLED because a department had not received their money for the year. SAD..
I can understand why the delay because of the non payment. Its a "Fire Contract" that they failed to sign up for. But even though they failed to pay that fee, another arrangements could be made to save their property.
Those firefighters and that Fire Dept should be ashamed.
