I know why I don't watch the news anymore there is never anything good on it. Always bad. Once in awhile they might pop in a good story. Well this morning before dh went to work we decide to watch the news to hear the weather as its been a little cool down here in Texas with frost on the old Christmas Trees. Boy, it feels great. Anyway before the weather came on they had a story about a family in TN whom lived in a older mobile home. They said the couple called 911 when they spotted the mobile home on fire and got out. When the fireman arrived they ask the couple is anyone else in there and the couple stated no. They then told the couple ok went back to there trucks sat in them watch the mobile home burn. They wouldn't help the couple because they didn't pay there yearly $75 fees. WHAT? you got to be kidding me. This is a joke right. No it isn't. Its true. The couple lost everything they had because they couldn't afford a fee. What is wrong with America we can help other country but then we can't help our own people. This story really bothers me the couple are a hard working couple just like tons of others of us and bingo something like this happens and you think you have support and you don't. I don't get it. What happen with you pay the fireman when and if they come to your house not every year. I understand they have to make a living too. But, in my books this is no way. I am sorry I am so upset I can't believe it.
Thats completely sad! I know of some places that the people voted that the fire dues are added to their poperty taxes each yr. This way no one forgets to pay. Everyone was far it. I hate watching the news cause I end up just getting mad and the world sometimes!
The city we moved from in WA had a levy put on the ballot to help the EMT and fire fighters. The new levy was a HUGE jump in price for homeowners (they are paid through the property taxes) and everyone turned down the levy. As a result, the EMT's and firefighters would not serve our city. It was really sad to know that if anyone had an emergency there would be no help.
I've read that happening elsewhere. Truely, I can't see how any fire fighter, trained to prevent and fight fires, can justify letting one burn, knowing it is destoying people's lives.
This happened before,I think last year some time. Same situation. They just stood and watched. Most readers' comments agreed that while they did lose their house, they'll get the insurance coverage. But the firefighters neer got anything from them, and if they still save their house, then that sets a precedent,harsh as it may be.
In one of the articles I read on this, the woman who owned the mobile home stated flatly that there wouldn't have been anything they could've done anyway. The home apparently went up very, very quickly. She said she didn't blame the firefighters or the county at all and seemed to understand it was a risk she took to not be covered.
Mobile homes go up VERY quickly and thoroughly. Unless you can start fighting the fire instantly when it starts, there's not a lot of chance of saving anything. Anything that doesn't go up will be ruined by the water or chemicals used to fight the fire.
Lindina that is so true mobile home do go fast. But, they could of try. I don't care if they didn't pay the dues. We are suppose to help people not stand there and watch. What happens if you are in wreck and don't help you get in trouble for not giving aide to the people. Well that is how I see the fireman right now. Come on. I know I am making a mountain out of this and shouldn't but if it was my home I would want them to at least try if nothing else. I think we are just getting lost in our world need to go back to the old way...
Taxes go toward public safetly. Period. There shouldn't be an additional cost, or if it is, it should only be voluntary. Can these people sue the city for the taxes they've paid for public safety? What do you do with all the Seniors who are on a very limited budget? If the community can't afford it, what's wrong with a volunteer fire department? Yes, I know there's still cost of equipment and training, but that's still less expensive than hiring a full-time department.
Jackie, that is what I am saying seniors are on a tight budget and its hard for them to come up with the funds. Alot of people are having troubles now days and have to pick what they feel is important to keep paying for and what isn't.. I agree what happen to the voluntary and helping the neighbor out.
Kris, I feel how upset you are about this, and I'm flabbergasted too. I was just making an observation about how fast a mobile home - especially an older one - can go up and take everything with it. We don't have any such fees here, but I know our little volunteer fire department would probably only make a token effort to put one out (because it's useless, no matter how sad), where they would put more effort into keeping it contained and protecting neighboring structures. If there were no close neighbors in this instance... I'm afraid I can totally imagine the men doing nothing :cry:
I agree they might not and more then likely wouldn't of been able to put it out but they didn't even try. That is what gets me the most... I guess if it would of been my home old or new I would of want them to try. Because no matter what is inside old or new its always special to someone.
We live near the town where this happened. Unfortunately, the same thing has happened once before with a family who didn't pay the fee. It is a terrible situation all the way around - that this family didn't get the help they needed, and that services like this are now so underfunded that people have to choose whether or not they can pay an extra fee. I would say, as one who has seen more extensive coverage on this and the similar previous situation, we shouldn't judge the firefighters based on their inaction. Many of them were heartsick about this and struggled to stand by and watch, but they are also bound to follow the laws that were put in place in this area, and their jobs could be on the line if they don't comply. There are options for getting assistance for this fee, the family was aware of the fee and understood this could be a consequence of not paying it, but unfortunately they didn't reach out to find the assistance available. It stinks that people have to put so much work into securing these services, but in the end, I would say they had more of a choice than the firefighters did in this situation. All the way around, it stinks.
The problem comes down to how that state/area handles taxes. Here in Texas, rural areas don't pay the kinds of taxes that people living in cities do. I've lived in rural areas and am living near rural areas now, and the amount of taxes and what we were taxed for were simply different. For example, when we lived rural, we didn't pay for water. We had a well. However, now that we live in a town, we pay for water. People understand, though, that part of the risk of having a well versus being on city water is that the well may run dry [as some wells in our area did this past summer due to the extreme drought and 115 degree days]. People didn't demand the city start giving them water, though. They just dug deeper and made do. Rural areas aren't necessarily paying taxes for services from fire, police, etc. That's essentially a tax they choose to pay or not. A $75 fee may sound like a lot, but it only amounts to 20 cents a day. Not paying the optional tax is a choice some rural areas have. The plus is that they get to keep that tax money; the negative is that they forgo any right to service should they need it. Now, I honestly have no idea how the system works in other areas of the country. I'm sure every state does things differently. I'm not sure how forcing people to pay taxes for services they've decided they don't want would go over with some people. A big reason many choose to live in rural areas is because they want to escape what they see as excess taxation. It's cheaper to live in a rural area, and there is a great deal more freedom in many respects to choose how your money is spent. I do think the one positive in situations like these is that it at least puts the issue on the table and allows the public to take a closer look at how they handle these situations and how they can improve on that.
I heard a story like this before too. I don't think our volunteer fire department could sit by and watch a fire destroy a home. It would go against their DNA! Maybe that's the difference. They do it as a service and passion while non-volunteer departments do it for a paycheck.
We recently had a measure added for voters to decide if they wanted to pay an addition 25 cents a day to support our fire departments. The voters shot it down. The fee would be added to our property taxes. After the math was done, there was no way the local departments would need that much money. It was never mentioned where the excess money would go or to whose pockets it would end up in. The firefighters were actually torn on the issue because they know that it comes down to the county improperly using funds. It was the big guys who were pushing for the measure to pass. We were threatened with the closure of one of our stations this coming January. We will see if it happens.
Our city and surrounding areas require every person on a well to have meters. They are charged a little less per gallon but many people with wells are starting to connect to the city water because of the red tape and the control that the cities have over the wells. In the long run, they assume not have to deal with the problems the city gives them and pay the extra few cents a gallon. Whether peopele have a well or not, they have to pay the same fees as the next guy to maintain the water system. The city said it has to do with the shortage of water in SoCal. Yet I see the city wasting water every day.
Wow! I can't imagine bothering with a well if I were just going to be charged anyway. The closest to anything restrictive I've seen on wells [and this will vary from town to town] has to do with outside watering. When we reach level 5 drought conditions [no outside watering of any kind], even the well users have to restrict. Otherwise, if you're on a well, you're on your own. We did have a number of people in our neighborhood whose wells went dry with the drought and heat and had to dig deeper in. And I'm with you on the city water wasting. Ugh! I remember being on level 4 restrictions [can water one day a week outside], and the town next to ours was watering in the middle of the day. What were they watering? A little strip of "grass" on the outside of the fence around a baseball field, which was a good distance farther in. Most of the water was going into the street and not even onto the area I assume they were trying to water. I was really steamed at that.
