SAR is not a public service

[Theodore]

One of the local Fire Departments near where I live is charging for fire suppression services. Personally, I think it is wrong. It takes away the whole volunteer mentality. What happened to the days where people were glad to help others for nothing?

[Майор Хаткевич]

One of the local Fire Departments near where I live is charging for fire suppression services. Personally, I think it is wrong. It takes away the whole volunteer mentality. What happened to the days where people were glad to help others for nothing?

If taxes = nothing, sure.


But when you have half the country screaming bloody murder at ANY tax increase, this is the result.

[EMT-83]

One of the local Fire Departments near where I live is charging for fire suppression services. Personally, I think it is wrong. It takes away the whole volunteer mentality. What happened to the days where people were glad to help others for nothing?

You can't "help others for nothing" by any stretch of the imagination. It costs real dollars to put apparatus on the road, train and equip personnel, and keep the lights on. If that money isn't coming from tax dollars, it needs to come from somewhere else.

The days of running a fire department on bingo and bake sales are long gone.

[Spaceman3750]

One of the local Fire Departments near where I live is charging for fire suppression services. Personally, I think it is wrong. It takes away the whole volunteer mentality. What happened to the days where people were glad to help others for nothing?

You can't "help others for nothing" by any stretch of the imagination. It costs real dollars to put apparatus on the road, train and equip personnel, and keep the lights on. If that money isn't coming from tax dollars, it needs to come from somewhere else.

The days of running a fire department on bingo and bake sales are long gone.

I think those of us in the general public have always been under the impression that this service is exactly why we pay local sales tax, property tax, etc. Which is why it's upsetting many people to find that their local fire department is now charging for something that used to be "included" in what they already paid.

It's not that fighting fires (or routine true-emergency SAR) is free, but that it is supposed to be covered by taxes already paid.

[Майор Хаткевич]

One of the local Fire Departments near where I live is charging for fire suppression services. Personally, I think it is wrong. It takes away the whole volunteer mentality. What happened to the days where people were glad to help others for nothing?

You can't "help others for nothing" by any stretch of the imagination. It costs real dollars to put apparatus on the road, train and equip personnel, and keep the lights on. If that money isn't coming from tax dollars, it needs to come from somewhere else.

The days of running a fire department on bingo and bake sales are long gone.

I think those of us in the general public have always been under the impression that this service is exactly why we pay local sales tax, property tax, etc. Which is why it's upsetting many people to find that their local fire department is now charging for something that used to be "included" in what they already paid.

It's not that fighting fires (or routine true-emergency SAR) is free, but that it is supposed to be covered by taxes already paid.

But that's the issue. Things get expensive, inflation happens, and more is necessary to provide services. But when these things come up for a vote, most places vote them down, thus leading to shortages, and leading to "bills" for "included" services.

[sarmed1]

If you live in a municipality that is lucky enough to have a fully paid FD, I would be also upset about being charged on top of my taxes.  (less than 31% of firefighters are paid.  That stat doesnt even factor in the combination department model...some paid, the rest volunteer)  But likely most of the country has a primarily volunteer system, if you think your taxes even begin to scratch the surface of what they would need to be to fund a fully staffed fire department, you are mistaken.  Ask that same municipality (if they have it) how much money the police department costs them.
Again except in some rarer instances, most departments will only charge the patient's insurance for services (auto or home owners) not counting EMS transport.  If they dont get anything, no worries. It is a funding source open to them they deserve to take advantage of it.

MK

[Майор Хаткевич]

If you live in a municipality that is lucky enough to have a fully paid FD, I would be also upset about being charged on top of my taxes.  (less than 31% of firefighters are paid.  That stat doesnt even factor in the combination department model...some paid, the rest volunteer)  But likely most of the country has a primarily volunteer system, if you think your taxes even begin to scratch the surface of what they would need to be to fund a fully staffed fire department, you are mistaken.  Ask that same municipality (if they have it) how much money the police department costs them.
Again except in some rarer instances, most departments will only charge the patient's insurance for services (auto or home owners) not counting EMS transport.  If they dont get anything, no worries. It is a funding source open to them they deserve to take advantage of it.

MK

My prop.tax. went up 35% this year...I'll be paying a mortgage even if I pay off my mortgage.

[Live2Learn]

My prop.tax. went up 35% this year...I'll be paying a mortgage even if I pay off my mortgage.

So, what is included in your property tax bill?

I typically see (not in any particular order):

Weed control
Schools
Fire District
Library District
flood control District
Law & Justice

I've seen similar creep in taxes... much of it from levy creep, but some from assessed value creep.  But hey... it's better to educate than incarcerate.  Besides, felons don't contribute to anyone's retirement system.

The big tax gorillas are sales and income taxes.  A lot of income is from 'user' fees, business & occupational taxes, transfer taxes, vehicle taxes, fuel taxes, etc.  All sorts of goodies get buried in the draw from the bigger tax accounts once the money makes it into the "general fund".

[Майор Хаткевич]

My prop.tax. went up 35% this year...I'll be paying a mortgage even if I pay off my mortgage.

So, what is included in your property tax bill?

I typically see (not in any particular order):

Weed control
Schools
Fire District
Library District
flood control District
Law & Justice

I've seen similar creep in taxes... much of it from levy creep, but some from assessed value creep.  But hey... it's better to educate than incarcerate.  Besides, felons don't contribute to anyone's retirement system.

The big tax gorillas are sales and income taxes.  A lot of income is from 'user' fees, business & occupational taxes, transfer taxes, vehicle taxes, fuel taxes, etc.  All sorts of goodies get buried in the draw from the bigger tax accounts once the money makes it into the "general fund".

Mine was all assessed value creep. But over 15 years there was plenty of % creep on services, because the house was purchased for the same price in 2001, and the taxes were at around 7500 vs my 11900...

[Spam]

I feel your pain, sir. Reminds me of the old saw, "how do you boil a frog?  really slowly".

I think we're all in this hot tub, and its just getting slowly hotter.

V/R
Spam

[Eclipse]

So this young man will be getting a bill from the CHP:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/morro-bay-man-was-high-on-meth-during-marriage-proposal-fire-chief-says/38935416

(good video of the rescue)

[Flying Pig]

He won't get a bill. I can't count how many rescues I've been on with the CHP that were far stupider than this guy.

[Holding Pattern]

He won't get a bill. I can't count how many rescues I've been on with the CHP that were far stupider than this guy.

Indeed. I'm always impressed at the levels of stupid that humanity can imagine up. Every time I think I've seen it all, I find out that someone has not only done something stupider, but someone else was standing by to record it and put it on youtube now...