What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
theferrett.livejournal.com
What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
1–10 of 153 posts
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#2Here is a video of Tennessee fire-fighters watching a house burn to the ground because the owner didn't pre-pay the annual fee.
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/04/county-firefighters-subs...
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#3"But it had to be done. Because if people knew that the firemen would save them free of charge, then nobody would pay. And if people knew that you could avoid paying the firemen up until the moment that first spark hit your curtain, well, again, nobody would pay."
Exactly. Nobody wants someone stranger's house to burn down, but part of the rules of living there was that you'd pay your portion if you wanted protection.
On another site, I saw someone write a comment like "When my house was robbed, the insurance companies just stood there and did nothing! I offered to pay them afterwards, but they wouldn't agree!" (Obvious sarcasm.) Insurance doesn't work if you only pay it -after- you have a problem.
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#4Here is a video of Tennessee fire-fighters watching a house burn to the ground because the owner didn't pre-pay the annual fee. http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/04/county-firefighters-subs...
They weren't 'watching it burn'. They were protecting the neighboring houses. The ones that -had- paid to support the fire department.
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#5This is what it's like to live in a place where "taxation" is a dirty four letter word. Call me a commie, but I'm glad I live in a place where public safety, road maintenance and health care are a shared civic responsibility. Everyone who can afford to pays and everyone benefits.
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#6I know I'm probably the only one thinking like this, but I find this whole concept - starting from "voluntary" payment right through to "watching their houses burn so they can learn their lesson" - incredibly perverse and morally bankrupt to the extreme.
If your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose. If you're a firefighter equipped to deal with disaster, you do your damn best to do your fucking job whenever the opportunity presents itself.
It would actually be less cruel if there was no local fire brigade at all. What kind of asshole do you have to be if you can just sit there watching a family's home burn down while doing nothing but make pompous remarks?
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#7The solution of including the cost of fire fighting in the cost of owning the house itself helps fix what I see as the mistake in thinking that I don't benefit from having my neighbors house fire put out.
If volunteer fire fighters are told by the people who they protect that it is ok to watch a house burn (because necessary costs were not covered somehow) then philosophically what is to stop them from not helping when I don't slip them extra money because their labor is volunteer anyway? I think this eats at the soul of the community.
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#8Here is a video of Tennessee fire-fighters watching a house burn to the ground because the owner didn't pre-pay the annual fee. http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/04/county-firefighters-subs...
They weren't 'watching it burn'. They were protecting the neighboring houses. The ones that -had- paid to support the fire department.
The firefighting fee was $75. Wouldn't it have been more "economical" to accept what he offered to pay, on the spot, and save the man's house? Instead of teaching him a lesson? He was willing to pay thousands.
I mean, I am all for free market, but libertarians are pushing the limits of common sense just to maintain intellectual consistency. Isn't there a room for "late fee", or "environmental damage", or just good ole "bad PR" in their model?
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#9I know I'm probably the only one thinking like this, but I find this whole concept - starting from "voluntary" payment right through to "watching their houses burn so they can learn their lesson" - incredibly perverse and morally bankrupt to the extreme. If your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose. If you're a firefighter equipped to deal with disaster, you do your damn bes…
If you're a firefighter equipped to deal with disaster, you do your damn best to do your fucking job whenever the opportunity presents itself
It's easy to call on other people to risk life and limb. 'Cos it's their "job" right? Which they volunteered to do for the benefit of the community, of which this person had voluntarily opted out by not paying his fair share. Remember community implies obligations as well as benefits.
Re: What life is like in a state where firefighters are paid voluntarily
#10I know I'm probably the only one thinking like this, but I find this whole concept - starting from "voluntary" payment right through to "watching their houses burn so they can learn their lesson" - incredibly perverse and morally bankrupt to the extreme. If your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose. If you're a firefighter equipped to deal with disaster, you do your damn bes…
[deleted]