Complicated things are complicated.
So, there's a lot of discussion happening about that TN fire brigade that did not put out the fire for the family that did not pay the $75 bill for fire services.
It's a complicated thing.
On one hand, I feel REALLY shitty that the pets did not make it out alive (ETA: or maybe they did; see comments for controversy), and my gut instinct, as a person, would be to say "help them and put out the fire."
But on the other: the family was living on unincorporated land. They were not paying municipal taxes. They intentionally opted out of paying for fire services. They engaged in dangerous burning activities on their property anyway.
To me, there's a problem with someone who basically says, "I'm opting out of my civic duty to help you (by paying for community services) but you better put your life on the line to help me when I need it."
Also, the model of helping people no matter what is kind of practically unsustainable. This is at odds with my bleeding-heart nature, but it's true. Say enough people opt out, but get help anyway. People start thinking, "oh hey, I can opt out, too, but if I need it, they'll bail me out!" This leads to lots of badness. Those taxes which pay for fire services with dwindle. Our firefighters will not be safe or adequately funded. Fire services for EVERYONE will be severely impacted. This is not okay.
Obviously, an opt-out system is not one that works, and I place the blame for this squarely on the county that allowed an opt-out system in the first place. To quote the brilliant
cbpotts, "Common goods require common funding. You can't opt in and out of the common good: this is an all or nothing game." 'Cause when you opt out of the common good? Clusterfucks like this happen, and you want other people to clean up the mess that you consciously got yourself into.
This whole situation was a disaster waiting to happen, and to avert more like it, this opt-out system needs to be changed POSTHASTE.
But what BUGS THE SHIT OUT OF ME is that people are placing blame on the firefighters.
Um.
Look, it is in no way their duty to put life and limb on the line for you when you think you're above your civic responsibility. They ensured you got out alive. That is where their responsibility to you ends. If you want services? You opt in to services. If you opt out of services, it may have dire consequences, and you have to live with that. Unfortunately, so did your pets.
Legally, it's even murkier. Should a firefighter risk losing his job because you made an informed (albeit stupid) decision? Should he have to pay potential thousands of dollars in reparations for illegal use of a firetruck (which is what it would be if he used the municipality's resources to put out your fire)? Should he risk not getting workers comp or death benefits if he should, god forbid, be hurt or killed fighting a fire which he has no legal grounds to fight?
You are asking a LOT here, when your cheap ass basically thumbed your nose at the $75 fee that would help keep him-- and your pets-- and your possessions-- safer.
I know we have this mental image of firefighters as brave and courageous men who rush into any burning inferno. This is true! Firefighters are, indeed, brave and courageous. But they have to work within laws. They may not be vigilantes. If you think that they SHOULD be vigilantes-- put your self righteousness where your mouth is and sign up for a volunteer fire company RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND and see how far you get.
The decision to let that house burn was never, for one second, an uncomplicated or spiteful one. It was a hard decision born of necessity. The bottom line is that it is so much more than "those lazy assholes were in violation of their Sacred Duty!" and if you are portraying these events this way, like I said. Volunteer fire company. Right now.
And I for one am FUCKING TIRED of hearing those firefighters maligned for making the hard choice. For seeing those cowardly fucking passive aggressive entries and status updates (I am not fucking stupid, okay?). For seeing people make judgments with very little fact based on their worst expectations of humanity or about what they woulda shoulda coulda done if they were there. You weren't there. You didn't see how the fire was, or what resources were at hand. A gut urge to help is of course noble, but your woulda shoulda coulda white knighting is meaningless jibber jabber.*
AND OH YES. One stupid moron actually invoked Godwin's law. Did you know that those firefighters are EXACTLY LIKE NAZIS? Thank you, stupid asshole. I am now enlightened.
So. Yeah. Complicated things are complicated, and I am TIRED TO DEATH of the "HURR DURR. My judgy gut instinct will not be swayed by any fact that a hard, but necessary decision was made. BE SHAMED." I swear to the little infant Jesus that there's just no talking to people who are so sure of their moral superiority that facts make no impact. They just want to be ANGRY and SUPERIOR, dammit.
It's a complicated thing.
On one hand, I feel REALLY shitty that the pets did not make it out alive (ETA: or maybe they did; see comments for controversy), and my gut instinct, as a person, would be to say "help them and put out the fire."
But on the other: the family was living on unincorporated land. They were not paying municipal taxes. They intentionally opted out of paying for fire services. They engaged in dangerous burning activities on their property anyway.
To me, there's a problem with someone who basically says, "I'm opting out of my civic duty to help you (by paying for community services) but you better put your life on the line to help me when I need it."
Also, the model of helping people no matter what is kind of practically unsustainable. This is at odds with my bleeding-heart nature, but it's true. Say enough people opt out, but get help anyway. People start thinking, "oh hey, I can opt out, too, but if I need it, they'll bail me out!" This leads to lots of badness. Those taxes which pay for fire services with dwindle. Our firefighters will not be safe or adequately funded. Fire services for EVERYONE will be severely impacted. This is not okay.
Obviously, an opt-out system is not one that works, and I place the blame for this squarely on the county that allowed an opt-out system in the first place. To quote the brilliant
cbpotts, "Common goods require common funding. You can't opt in and out of the common good: this is an all or nothing game." 'Cause when you opt out of the common good? Clusterfucks like this happen, and you want other people to clean up the mess that you consciously got yourself into.This whole situation was a disaster waiting to happen, and to avert more like it, this opt-out system needs to be changed POSTHASTE.
But what BUGS THE SHIT OUT OF ME is that people are placing blame on the firefighters.
Um.
Look, it is in no way their duty to put life and limb on the line for you when you think you're above your civic responsibility. They ensured you got out alive. That is where their responsibility to you ends. If you want services? You opt in to services. If you opt out of services, it may have dire consequences, and you have to live with that. Unfortunately, so did your pets.
Legally, it's even murkier. Should a firefighter risk losing his job because you made an informed (albeit stupid) decision? Should he have to pay potential thousands of dollars in reparations for illegal use of a firetruck (which is what it would be if he used the municipality's resources to put out your fire)? Should he risk not getting workers comp or death benefits if he should, god forbid, be hurt or killed fighting a fire which he has no legal grounds to fight?
You are asking a LOT here, when your cheap ass basically thumbed your nose at the $75 fee that would help keep him-- and your pets-- and your possessions-- safer.
I know we have this mental image of firefighters as brave and courageous men who rush into any burning inferno. This is true! Firefighters are, indeed, brave and courageous. But they have to work within laws. They may not be vigilantes. If you think that they SHOULD be vigilantes-- put your self righteousness where your mouth is and sign up for a volunteer fire company RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND and see how far you get.
The decision to let that house burn was never, for one second, an uncomplicated or spiteful one. It was a hard decision born of necessity. The bottom line is that it is so much more than "those lazy assholes were in violation of their Sacred Duty!" and if you are portraying these events this way, like I said. Volunteer fire company. Right now.
And I for one am FUCKING TIRED of hearing those firefighters maligned for making the hard choice. For seeing those cowardly fucking passive aggressive entries and status updates (I am not fucking stupid, okay?). For seeing people make judgments with very little fact based on their worst expectations of humanity or about what they woulda shoulda coulda done if they were there. You weren't there. You didn't see how the fire was, or what resources were at hand. A gut urge to help is of course noble, but your woulda shoulda coulda white knighting is meaningless jibber jabber.*
AND OH YES. One stupid moron actually invoked Godwin's law. Did you know that those firefighters are EXACTLY LIKE NAZIS? Thank you, stupid asshole. I am now enlightened.
So. Yeah. Complicated things are complicated, and I am TIRED TO DEATH of the "HURR DURR. My judgy gut instinct will not be swayed by any fact that a hard, but necessary decision was made. BE SHAMED." I swear to the little infant Jesus that there's just no talking to people who are so sure of their moral superiority that facts make no impact. They just want to be ANGRY and SUPERIOR, dammit.
*Mike, not a potshot at you, I swear. We're cool. More of a general expression of frustration.