Mat-Su cabin burns down and fire dept would not respond!

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by Big G

Point taken.

For me, I view fire protection as a service. Either you've purchased it (through taxes in most incorporated areas, through membership in a FPD in the sticks) or you haven't.

I think the restaurant analogy posted earlier describes my take on it perfectly. Now, you may find the occasional restaurant owner willing to give free food to those in need. That's great for them. But I'm not going to hold a "fairly poor opinion" of any restauranteur who does not choose to help out. After all, if a restaurant gave away free food all the time, who would pay?

Once all the people are out of the burning building, there is ZERO distinction between the two situations in my mind. Heck, you could argue the restaurant owner chasing away the bums is more "evil" - he's withholding something essential to life, while the firefighters are just letting a building burn down.

I suspect we will have to agree to disagree on this point.

Not really a comparison. Everyone benefits from every fire being fought. One fire is all it takes to start a wildfire threatening many. One fire can wipe a person, family or business out and put greater pressure on social services (welfare, etc.). Penny wise dollar foolish, not putting a fire out over a small donation.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Doubtful. There's so many government dollars floating around for fire departments to get equipped...I know that much having seen the financial reports of some in VT...

No I haven't been a firefighter, I have little tolerance for extreme heat, so it's not a job I'll sign up for unless necessary, though I'd help in any way I can if someone's house was on fire. You don't know me well at all, so I don't think you can comment on what I would or wouldn't do for a neighbor. People have lost homes here, there've been floods, etc. Most of us never had money in Northern VT where I grew up but we'd help each other out when needed, whether it's re-building someone's house or cleaning up after storms or looking after livestock when someone's ill.

I do know several volunteer firefighters here. Perhaps it's a cultural difference but no one is going to let anyone's house burn down here because they didn't donate to something...but then, most people here don't have spare money most of the time either.

Several posters here disagree with me but between the rep points and some DM's I know there's a few more who don't...

Perhaps the volunteer firefighters (fire districts) are a little different in Vermont? For example, a portion of my property taxes, which by the way are very high in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is allocated by the borough for the fire-firing district in my subdivision. This one is made of volunteers. Now, I have no idea how the fire districts work in the cities of North Pole, Fairbanks, etc.

If the money for fighting local home fires would only come from the Federal government, then it would be a lot different in that all working Americans would be paying to put out all fires around the US.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

Perhaps the volunteer firefighters (fire districts) are a little different in Vermont? For example, a portion of my property taxes, which by the way are very high in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is allocated by the borough for the fire-firing district in my subdivision. This one is made of volunteers. Now, I have no idea how the fire districts work in the cities of North Pole, Fairbanks, etc.

If the money for fighting local home fires would only come from the Federal government, then it would be a lot different in that all working Americans would be paying to put out all fires around the US.

Seems different. Here if any tax money directly goes to a fire department it's part of the town's budget, not a seperate tax tacked on (though the end result is probably no different, and taxes here are insanely high). Many of the departments here are not tax supported (directly, but most are indirectly because most have used grants or government loans at one point or another...). Here in this town (city I guess but it's no bigger than many towns), there's a fire department supported through taxes. In the NEK towns I've lived in, there wasn't, it was a volunteer department. Unpaid. The townspeople would do what they could to help pay for equipment and such as needed, grants and occasionally a wealthy donor often made up the difference.