Firefighters watch man's garage go up in flames

Professur

Professur

Well-Known Member
MONETT, Mo. (AP) - Rural Missouri firefighters stood by and watched a fire destroy a garage and a vehicle because the property owner had not paid "membership dues."

Bibaldo Rueda - who was injured battling the flames Monday - offered to pay the dues as the fire blazed away but the Monett Rural Fire Department does not have a policy for on-the-spot billing, Sheriff's Det. Robert Evenson said.

Fire Chief Ronnie Myers defended the no-pay, no-aid policy, saying the membership-based organization could not survive if people thought the department would respond for free. The department said it will fight a fire without question if a life is believed to be in danger.

Rueda used a garden hose and buckets to fight the flames, while firefighters stood by on the road, watching in case the blaze spread to neighbouring properties owned by members. The fire eventually burned itself out.

Rueda said no one told him about the dues policy when he moved in 1 1/2 years ago.
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People wonder why I contribute to the volunteer fire department every year.
 
Pretty fucking evil policy. Hope those "firefighters" sleep well at night knowing they made their point while watching a man lose all his worldly possessions to fire. Assholes.
 
Un freaking believable. I hope these assholes have no proof that they advised him of their "policy" so he can sue their asses off.

Most of Long Island is covered by all-volunteer fire departments so there is no such thing as this. But even the paid departments have some kind of system where the operating expenses are added in to your taxes, or they bill you after, or something. They don't refuse anyone at any time.
 
abooja said:
Pretty fucking evil policy. Hope those "firefighters" sleep well at night knowing they made their point while watching a man lose all his worldly possessions to fire. Assholes.
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I wonder, if he shoots the local firefighters & doesn't pay his Sheriff dues, will he be arrested?
 
It's not volunteer. I checked out their website, there's a paid position open for a firefighter. I should post this on Digg, their city's website would be unavailable in a matter of hours.
 
Even worse. They're paid to fight fires, and instead stood and watched a man's house burn to the ground. Someone should investigate the origin of that fire. Might be the act of some perverse dues-collecting schmuck with an agenda.

There were a couple of storefront businesses that burned down every few years in the old neighborhood (Bensonhurst, Brooklyn). When I worked at the Gap as a kid, a guy would stop by once a month to pick up his security services check. Note: we didn't have a security guard. Apparently, the Newmark & Lewis and Hy-Tulip Deli down the block were not fans of paying for security guards they didn't even have. But they would always pay in the end, one way or another.

Nope, not at all unlike the mob. :shrug:
 
That is insane they are morally obligated to help. If it was a financial reason they could have simply billed him for it later like ambulances do!!! :bash:
 
Or he could simply have informed himself and paid like his two neighbours. They stated clearly why they refused to take his money on the spot. The moral is, attend your city council meetings, inform yourself, and don't pull an Arthur Dent.
 
Do they go around with a ledger showing who is in good standing or something? How frightening.

Hope he had rock solid homeowners insurance. God knows a major company holding the bag for 200k or so would be more than happy to initiate legal proceedings to recoup losses from the fire department.
 
So...what if homedude had had a gas grill in his garage or some other kinda combustible and it went BOOM! and set the neighbors on fire? What a mess! What a lawsuit!
 
And how about the fact that the guy injured himself while trying to save his own home from being engulfed in flames -- likely while wearing nothing more than shorts and a t-shirt? While these spiteful asswipes stood by and watched, wearing protective gear and carrying fire hoses. If they're the only game in town, how is it that they're allowed to get away with such deliberate negligence? Dues? Who the hell ever heard of paying dues to anyone other than a union or an extortionist? As Gonz said, taxes are supposed to take care of that. Or is rural Missouri no longer considered a part of the United States of America? God, this infuriates me. :shrug:
 
Starya said:
I fail to understand how any decent human being has the conscience to do what they did.
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I understand it quite well. Remember the assholes that were shooting at helicopters in NO, to try and get them to come rescue them? Exactly how many shots do you think those pilots were willing to take and still come?

Fire Chief Ronnie Myers defended the no-pay, no-aid policy, saying the membership-based organization could not survive if people thought the department would respond for free.
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How many times a month would you say these guys get called out to fight fires for people who don't pay? They stated that if any lives were in danger, they'd have stepped in. There weren't. Do you expect a passing security guard to stop a break in if you're not paying his company? Of course not.


Look at it realistically. Obviously this township decided (in council) to take the burden of providing fire protection off the tax payer. Seems I've heard americans talk constantly about getting the gov't to let them manage their own affaires. Here they've done it. Gov't's finally out of their pocket. And still I hear the bitching.
 
Professur said:
I understand it quite well. Remember the assholes that were shooting at helicopters in NO, to try and get them to come rescue them? Exactly how many shots do you think those pilots were willing to take and still come?
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Gee, and what was this guy doing? Throwing pebbles at them or something?
 
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