Fire service insanity, rears its ugly head...

[Just Plain Ruff]

PPG you took the words right out of my mouth.

Spot on if you ask me.

Even though the homeowner said he'd pay the dues they still didn't fight the fire. That's just plain wrong.

For the person who lives in that area who posted, what are the fire departments dues anyway? How much are they?

[Ridryder 911]

I t will be interesting if the recieve any" federal funds, state grants etc..".. in which I am sure most do. If so, I am sure they violated trust in the grant etc... maybe federal investigation should occur as well as state. Hopefully, this will open and close furher actions simlar to this.

Just because the area is rural, does not excuse action to be involved, the same as private as well.

Be safe,

R/R 911

[Guest]

I don't see what the fuss is all about. .

You have GOT to kidding right ???

The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the (and I bet cash... that they call themselves PROFFESSIONAL?)

Does the phrase "Failure to Perform Duties" "Unproffesional conduct" "Conduct Unbecoming" or how about "Criminal Neglience Sound?"

I wish I were a laywer in this one....and that would not be because I like Laywers.

I Bet a PILE O CASH it would be a different story if YOU were standing with a fire hose in your hand...watching everything you own destroyed"

[Just Plain Ruff]

CSR let's say you didn't know any better and always lived in an area where fire suppression and service was paid for by taxes. You didn't pay the fire department dues cause you didn't know. Even to the point that you went to those so called meetings etc that you slam this guy for not going to. No-one told you that you had to pay membership to have fires put out.

Your house burns down with everything in it. The Fire department came out to make sure that their members houses were safe.

You go up and ask why they aren't fighting your house fire. They say, Oh you didn't pay your dues so we'll let these shiny new fire trucks sit around and not be used.

You then try to pay the fire chief and he says, oh, we don't allow that and are not equipped to do that.

I am sure that you would get your garden hose and a bucket and start to try to put your house out.

NO NO NO I am sure you'd be cryin on these boards as well as getting the first lawyer you can find cause they sat on their assess (sic intended) and watched your house burn.

When the shoe is on the other foot it is usually too tight.

I for one moved to a county where there were dues and I had no idea that you had to pay dues to the fire department. I paid the dues after working an incident with the fire department. But they said that if someone's house was on fire and they were called and the person hadn't paid dues they would put out the fire and then bill the home owner's insurance company or directly to the homeowner.

This was clearly a Failure to ACT or a Duty to act they failed to act.

[JakeEMTP]

Very well put Ruffems =D>

[Nate]

Why not form a municipal tax based fire service that provides coverage to all of the residents...OMG...imagine that!

[tinman694]

Could there not be a racial aspect to this aforementioned situation as well?

The writer of another article on the same subject made it a point to mention an 'influx' of Hispanic residents (Oh my!)--If the guy said he would pay the dues on the spot--then there is a problem with the billing model here.

Reminiscent of the 'poll tax' of the 1950's....Maybe some here are too young to remember that one...

[Just Plain Ruff]

OH MY GOD, It's the RACE CARD.

Seriously, I don't believe that race had anything to do with it.

[Cookie]

I thought that all states were to implement a state wide 911 emergency telephone service etc. We here in Iowa had to do so, and in doing so we relinquished all rural box address and went to the numbered street/avenue address like cities have. Apparently Missouri has not done so. From what I have read just now the new Gov. is trying to get this done. I just do not buy the non payment of dues thing. Something is rotten in Monett, Barry County Missouri.

Having said that, I would hope that this home owner will seek legal counsel on this manner. I wonder if this so called service receives any tax dollars, or if any funding or purchase of equipment comes from property taxes etc. Where I live here in Iowa, we receive some funding for our fire/rescue/ambulance dept. every year from tax monies. Although we are a small village, the governing body, IE the township trustees who are elected officials, are required to spend a portion of the tax money on fire and ambulance "rescue" services for the township. The township does own "old red" our firetruck and the fire department building. Our fire and rescue dept. is wholly volunteer, and operates as a separate non profit entity.

It's probably confusing to others but that is the way things have operated here for eons.

[UMSTUDENT]

Interestingly enough, I don't really see "why" a community is required to provide fire/ems. Look at all the places in the country that still have volunteer fire and rescue organizations. The county or state does not mandate that they exist, but rather they exist because a group of people, aka "volunteers," decided they would like to provide a valuable service to their community.

A fire department has no obligation to put out your house if they receive no tax subsidy. They have an ethical obligation to save your life, but even then no government says that they have to enter your house selflessly and risk their lives.

I'm not agreeing with what they did, just playing devil's advocate.