Bill from fire department.

[masterxfob]

was in a car accident when i was younger and had an ambulance come check me out. they sent a bill, but friends insurance took care of it.

in my area, they have mandatory brush clearance that must be completed by a certain date each year. if you don't do it, they fine you and hire a contractor to do it who ends up charging thousands.

 

[deadlyapp]

Last year I called the fire department because I left some toast in the broken toaster and it filled the house with smoke. I really wish I was kidding, but yeah, I called the FD for burnt toast. I was really embarassed, the trucks showed up with sirens blazing and lights flashing and a bunch of fully kitted-out firemen ran in. The neighbours were all staring and it all looked very dramatic. I had already realized by the time they arrived what had caused the smoke and I told one of the fire dept guys but they insisted in checking it over anyway. Boy did I feel like a dick.

No bill though, it's paid for by tax dollars.

When my family still lived in california one night the house filled with smoke and we called 911. It was probably after midnight and several full scale trucks came as well as probably 5-10 volunteer firemen. Turned out that a pillow resting against a night light started to smolder, causing a metric buttload of smoke. they ended up simply throwing the pillow into some brambles near the house and setting up a fan to vacate some of the smoke. That was a super exciting night for a 4 year old (how old I was at the time)

 

[mugs]

Hello???

I have a line item on my property tax bill for the fire dept. How do you believe that they are not being "paid for their services"? We pay them every month to sit at the fire station so that when we call them they respond.

Sounds like double dipping to me. We all pay taxes to ensure the services we need are available 24X7. Then when we need them we get billed? BS

What's "real life" about that?

I have never called them in the 20 years I have lived in this house so by what I think are your standards I am many 10's of thousands of dollars ahead of the fire dept.

If I call them and they present me with a bill, I will go back through my property tax statements and deduct from the bill what I have paid in fire dept taxes through the years. Gonna be a positive on my side for sure.

Have you considered that the line item on your property tax bill (they actually do that?) doesn't actually cover the fire department's full budget?

Have you considered that maybe your local government taxes you less than they is necessary to run the department and they make up the difference with this service charge which in most cases would be covered by insurance.

In other words, they're billing insurance companies for their services to help reduce your tax bill and you're complaining about it! What you call "double dipping" is actually called multiple revenue streams. For some reason you assume that on source of revenue covers the full cost of providing the service and the rest is used for hookers and blow?

 

[waggy]

Have you considered that the line item on your property tax bill (they actually do that?) doesn't actually cover the fire department's full budget?

Have you considered that maybe your local government taxes you less than they is necessary to run the department and they make up the difference with this service charge which in most cases would be covered by insurance.

In other words, they're billing insurance companies for their services to help reduce your tax bill and you're complaining about it! What you call "double dipping" is actually called multiple revenue streams. For some reason you assume that on source of revenue covers the full cost of providing the service and the rest is used for hookers and blow?

its on my tax bill. Don't you get a itemized bill?

 

[PingSpike]

now you will start to think twice about dialing 911, which is good and bad

I'd say that its pretty much entirely bad.

 

[BassBomb]

That sucks.

My wife did go by the station house with some home cooked goodies a few days later though 🙂

I see what she did there

 

[NoCreativity]

the local town near me laid off a bunch of fire fighters (yet want to build a half million dollar covered sidewalk that goes nowhere). So they ask the surrounding towns for "help". well they just started telling dekalb that if they are going to reduce there fire fighters and use there s they will get charged per call.

Same here. Our city has agreements with surrounding cities to share resources to fight fires. One of the cities decided to lay off most of their fire department and expected the rest of the cities to pick up the slack. Most of the cities have since canceld the agreement with them, which has dated back some 50-60 years. I'd want heads to role if I were part of that city as they essentially have no fire protection now.

Back OT, my sister got charged $500 for the same situation as the OP. Not sure what, if anything she paid out of pocket.

 

[JoeBleed]

There have been news stories about "fire protection districts" that charge annual fees for fire services...and they've let peoples' houses burn when they haven't paid the annual fees.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051016/news_1h16fire.html

Ahh the good old days when you had to display a small placard piece on your house to prove to the fire department you paid for their services. but just hope the one you paid for is the one that shows up. but of course you could always buy one there on the spot from the one that showed up and an extremely high mark up. Charleston, SC i forget the year range.

 

[cardiac]

Property taxes don't come close to paying a fire department budget. You will be hard pressed to find a FD that provides ambulance service that does NOT bill for it's services. On my department, if we do not transport you to the ER, there isn't a bill. We don't bill for fires. We DO bill for hazardous spills, etc. caused by private companies.

And "Her2009", I'd love to find a place where the average front line firefighter makes six figures. Some chiefs, maybe. I've been a paramedic/firefighter on a full-time municipal department in Indiana for 28 years and barely make 1/2 of six figures....

Bob

 

[Hacp]

Property taxes don't come close to paying a fire department budget. You will be hard pressed to find a FD that provides ambulance service that does NOT bill for it's services. On my department, if we do not transport you to the ER, there isn't a bill. We don't bill for fires. We DO bill for hazardous spills, etc. caused by private companies.

And "Her2009", I'd love to find a place where the average front line firefighter makes six figures. Some chiefs, maybe. I've been a paramedic/firefighter on a full-time municipal department in Indiana for 28 years and barely make 1/2 of six figures....

Bob

I find it hard to believe firefighters barely make 3 figures.

 

[nickbits]

I find it hard to believe firefighters barely make 3 figures.

The Fire Chief in my area makes about 80k, at least according to the job posting a few months ago.

 

[drum]

I find it hard to believe firefighters barely make 3 figures.

The Fire Chief in my area makes about 80k, at least according to the job posting a few months ago.

woosh

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

/not just from the Fire Department; he's the Marshall...

Haha... that was my first thought when I read the OP's title...

Let... me... tell-ya-something!

 

[cardiac]

I find it hard to believe firefighters barely make 3 figures.

Yep... (Everyone is a comedian).

 

[nickbits]

woosh

oops. lol