to think that if you are a firefighter you don't just watch a house burn to the ground?

[musicmadness]

www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Firefighters-watch-as-home-burns-to-the-ground-104052668.html

Basically a town in the USA doesn't have a fire service and they have to pay someone else 75$ a year for one. This family didn't and they wouldn't respond. The neighbour called them out and they came but they wouldn't do anything even though they were already there with all the equipment and the homeowner was begging them and offering to pay whatever they wanted.
Another source said there were dogs and a cat trapped in the house and they burned to death because the firefighters refused to enter the house to check for them :(
I wonder if they would have bothered if they thought there was a person stuck in there. If they didn't check how could they be certain that there wasn't for that matter! someone could have been trapped or a kid could have snuck back in unnoticed in the confusion.
It sounds like something out of the third world!
Sorry, this just struck a nerve a bit and I'm ranting slightly.

[Heracles]

Such is the future of saving us all tax dollars by selling such services to the market. Vote Tory, then bitch about it later...

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

I was told (by an insurance dude) that the British fire service started pretty much that way; you paid a fire insurance policy, and if your house caught fire they'd come and hose it down. No insurance, no service.

That'll be, er, progress, then.

[ninedragons]

True, the British fire service did start like that. You had a plaque on the front of your house (a sun, a bull) showing which brigade you paid.

I read this story yesterday and thought if you must have a private service, what you need is a two-tier scale of fees. $75/year if your house is not presently on fire, $30,000/year if it is, payable from insurance.

Here in Australia, the fire brigade is funded by a levy on house insurance. They (rightly) would never refuse to turn up to a fire at an uninsured house, but the uninsured are effectively freeloading on those of us who pay for insurance.

[mayorquimby]

Feel bad about the dog and cat . As far as the home goes your man took his chances by deciding that he didn't want to pay the 75 dollars. If they're going to save your house anyway why would anyone pay?

[TheCrackFox]

How awful. Maybe you should ask for this thread to be deleted? We don't want to give David Cameron anymore ideas.

[catinthehat2]

"I was furious that Direct Line wouldn?t replace my stolen car.

You won?t believe their excuse ? I hadn?t taken out a policy.

I ask you. What is the world coming to?"
from here

[fluffles]

yes, that's what you get if you go for a 'small state' and you get rid of public servants in favour of private enterprise.

just like you don't get full treatment for life threatening injuries or illnesses unless you prove insurance cover.