Man chooses not to pay fire protection fee, house allowed to burn down

The key here is that the fire department in question doesn't officially cover the area where these fires are occurring.

How would you feel if a neighboring school district refused to fund their schools until they fell apart, then wanted to send kids to your district at well below the cost of educating them?

Yeah, it's not the kids fault and it's a shame to turn them away, but you also can't let people take advantage of you.

 

Always work hard. Never work for free.

Works for me.

 

A fire department is an insurance policy. You can't allow people to pay the fee it after the fact -- that would be like allowing people to join the insurance pool after they need surgery. No, either pay when it's still a chance, or you pay the whole bill.

The fire department should put out the house, and the owners should be responsible for the full cost of the services (all salaries of people who respond for the time they are there, estimated wear and tear on vehicles and equipment, all medical bills and incidental costs for injuries and time-off required).

 

And put a lien on the property if it isn't paid, so it can't be discharged in bankruptcy.

 

The problem with that is that most of the people who aren't paying the fee are the kind of people you have no chance of collecting a judgment from.

 

That's why you do what Stitch suggested.