12valve@heart

First of all, fire fighters have my respect and appreciation for the job they do. The local VFD that I am a member of has a policy of billing non-members $250/hour/truck. The case in this article seems a bit odd to me. Racism perhaps? Anyone else have a thought?

http://www.belleville.com/mld/bellev...e/13888171.htm

"Monett Rural Fire Department responded to the scene but did not fight the fire. Firefighters stood by from the road as the fire burned itself out, watching in case the flames spread to neighboring properties owned by members.

{snip}

Rueda offered to pay, Evenson said, but the Monett department does not have a policy for on-the-spot billing."

TPilaske

That's just ridiculous.

CASMOKIN

Thats about the dumbest thing Ive ever heard!!! That dept ought to be ashamed of themselves. Why even roll a truck out there. If they cant help the guy(due to some idiotic policies), then leave. How are you just going to stand there and watch a mans home and property burn down.

Thats just plain wrong

dragginwagon

I am a volunteer ff myself. That is just plain wrong, I would be willing to bet that they get public funds(our tax money) regardless of wether they are volunteer or not. They should provide services needed regardless of wether or not the private citizens gige them money, from what I heard the guy didn't know that he was supposed to be paying dues. Sounds fishy to me. the people collecting the funds should be held respolsible for not letting the homeowner know that he should be paying dues.

12valve@heart

I can understand people not knowing about paying dues. I only found out about the membership dues thru the grapevine myself and I don't get a reminder notice or anything. Still think that they should have fought the fire and then sent a bill.

Badfish740

Is it just me or does this sound a lot like the mob without the forcible coercion? "Sure, we'll protect you if you pay."

Gotlift01

So let me get this straight, you have to PAY to have your home protected??? What a bunch of crap. I'm sorry, but that's the fire departments responsibility to protect local citizens is it not?

So is it the same with the police department, if you don't pay your crap dues, they will sit on the curb drinking lemonade eating ice cream while you're being robbed or murdered?

That is freaking retarded, someone needs to get their butts kicked for that!! That makes me MAD!!


~Nick

Smkn600CTD

That's just wrong in SOOOOO many ways

Did they even offer medical attention to him being that he was burned???

Willy91

That story is rediculus!! My dad is the fire chief of the fire dept. here in Oldenburg and he would never think about just standing there and watching the building burn down. Even if thier membership was'nt paid.

Redleg

That's the way it is in some states still, particularly that area. The Depts. are pretty much a private entity. Had a class with an instructor once that ran a major 911 center close to that area. ADvised one Dept. that had that operated similarly that the 911 center was available to all the public AND since they were the only Dept for that area, all calls for them would only get transferred to the fire house instead of actually BEING dispatched. That would save the 911 center from liability. Apparently the Chief didn't like that and agreed to respond. I almost wonder if that lasted? The first fire depts were private and funded by insurance companies. If you weren't a member, you didn't get help.

Brock

Policy or not, I would go to the best local television show and file a complaint and have my neighbors who had homes damaged or threatened to sign as well and have it aired on local news on how they just sat there...

I think any public service as police or firefighting should follow same GOOD SAMARITAN laws that many other places have...if you standby and watch someone that is injured without offering assistance....and they die you are held liable for not trying to help them. Likewise, you cannot be sued for offering assistance in good faith.... If a person had died in that fire they would be accomplices to manslaughter for standing outside and watching.

Wonder what would happen if their fire station burned...would a neighboring department refuse help because you know they are not paying any fees?

Hoss

This is the first time that I've ever heard of a volunteer fire department requiring membership fees before they would put out a fire. In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard that you were supposed to pay membership fees at all.

It's unfortunate. Neighbors used to help each other out...firemen or not. I'm sorry, but I couldn't just sit there and watch a man's house burn down without trying to help...ESPECIALLY if I had the equipment right in front of me to put the fire out. That's not right.

If they were concerned about money they should have put the fire out and sent the owner a bill.

Xonid

That's not right. Isn't a Firefighter oath to protect life and property? Or is this optional for volunteer units?

Shovelhead

We recently had an incident with two local VFDs brawling at a fire scene.
What the news isn't saying is that the rookie driving VFD #2's truck arrived on the scene and parked his truck ON TOP on VFD #1's hose already streched out into the fire scene where #1's Fire Fighters were engaging the fire.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0206/303643.html

SoTexRattler

That behavior is exactly the way the first fire fighting organizations acted way back in ancient Rome... The "fire dept" was a private run company of opportunists... If your building caught fire, they would show up and stand ready but wouldn't lift a finger until you paid up.. The longer it burned the higher the prices got...

Occasionally, old metal fire emblems can still be seen on the brick chimneys of old 17th and 18th century eastcoast american homes. They were an indication that this homeowner's fire protection dues were paid up to such-and-such fire company, and that firecompany would protect this member in good-standing.. There were competing fire protection companies and when a fire broke out, not knowing whose member it was, more than one "company" might respond and the plainly brandished emblem on the front of the house was an indication as to which company was responsible to get into the action...

Some things just don't change do they?

K.