Why Trump will win in 2024.

[Thumpalumpacus]

[HappySkeptic]

It sounds like it wasn't the firefighter's decision, but a city decision. If you aren't in city limits, and haven't paid the fee, they don't come out, period. If the firefighters had come, they probably would've been fired.

[Jehanne]

It sounds like it wasn't the firefighter's decision, but a city decision. If you aren't in city limits, and haven't paid the fee, they don't come out, period. If the firefighters had come, they probably would've been fired.

The "We were just following orders" defense went out of style long ago. (And, yes, I am pounding on open doors here.) What if there was a trapped child unknown to everyone during that episode of inaction?

[Thumpalumpacus]

It sounds like it wasn't the firefighter's decision, but a city decision.  If you aren't in city limits, and haven't paid the fee, they don't come out, period.  If the firefighters had come, they probably would've been fired.

I wasn't saying it was a firefighter's decision. I'm saying that the policy itself is stupid. Granted that this happened in a rural area, what happens if it's in an urban area and other buildings get involved? And what 911 operator has that sort of authority anyway?

What if this had started a wildfire that ended up costing the county millions to put out? Where's that $75 now? No, you roll on it because no one knows what will arise from it. Dumb decision.

[HappySkeptic]

We visited the section of NJ where my wife grew up. People had shield symbols tacked to their chimneys that signified that they have paid their support to the fire department. In the old days, they would let your house burn if you didn't have it.

This may not be standard today, but it sure sounds like it was decades ago.

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's still not smart to let a building burn, especially in a residential area where other homes can catch -- or even in a rural area, where a wildfire can take hold.

[Jehanne]

It's still not smart to let a building burn, especially in a residential area where other homes can catch -- or even in a rural area, where a wildfire can take hold.

Not to mention the fact that it is also intrinsically immoral.

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's still not smart to let a building burn, especially in a residential area where other homes can catch -- or even in a rural area, where a wildfire can take hold.

Not to mention the fact that it is also intrinsically immoral.

I'm looking at it from practicality, having been a firefighter.

[Fireball]

Having been party to fighting a fire on a Navy ship, I can't for the life of me understand why a crew who is trained to fight fires would allow a house or any other structure to burn down, simply for non-payment of such a pittance of money. Do you want to be a hero, or a heel? Fuxxake, how could those guys sleep at night, after this?

[Ranjr]

One time, not long ago, I was floating the Buffalo between Kyles Landing and Pruitt, and saw fires on the ridge.  I pulled over near a trail and hiked up.  There were guys with backpack torches setting blaze to piles of cedar.  They had sawed apart the low growth.  Some forest manager's expenditure for the sake of long term gains.  Every 20 yards was a night's worth of warm hooping and hollering, smoking up the April afternoon, a mile from the road and two miles from Erbie campground.

While I could appreciate that being someone's job, misdirection of manpower noted, I couldn't help but ask, for all the fires, cedar if lucky, I'd lit in like areas, shouldn't I receive compensation?  The man owes me.  Where's my money?