They weren't FORCED to watch it burn. Could have gone to a neighbors to watch tv or something....or gone into town...

Wait a minute, this ain't right. I live in a pocket of SW Portland that is actually un-incorprated WA County. If I call 911, I can get 4 different city services that surround me, sometimes they all show up together. Each of them try every couple years to annex this little pocket so they can collect city taxes. My neighbors and I tell them to "suck it" everytime, they are required to cover this area. We're a rebellious bunch in SW Portland.

Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

Just imagine if the insuance company tells them they don't get a penny. Lawsuitlarity will surely ensue.

GaryPDX: Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

For? The story sucks, but I'm not sure there's anything to sue for. They didn't receive a service they didn't pay for.

GaryPDX: Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

And frivolously.

Welcome to life in the boonies.

Were they paying property taxes to some government entity?

Ah, should have RTFA.

In a normal world, fire department areas overlap. Departments assist each other no matter who got the tax money originally, because it all equals out in the end.

Dilbert J. Galt: Welcome to life in the boonies.

Works for me as long as I know what's what.

FIRE heh heh hm hm FIRE heh heh heh FIRE

Holy cow. That pic with TFA is priceless...

GaryPDX: Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

For what? Do you also sue stores for not letting you have items you don't pay for?

This story sucks, but I chalk it up to reason # 2948126749 that I wouldn't want to live in a rural area. If my house ever catches fire, there will be like 8 fire trucks here within 5 minutes.

GaryPDX: Dilbert J. Galt: Welcome to life in the boonies.

Works for me as long as I know what's what.

Good point, it must be hard to take if you think you have the service and get a surprise like that.

Kyosuke: Ah, should have RTFA.

In a normal world, fire department areas overlap. Departments assist each other no matter who got the tax money originally, because it all equals out in the end.

Yeah. But if there's a small bit of population in the middle of complete wildness (rather than a bunch of small, rural, but contiguous townships/counties/etc) they gotta draw the line somewhere. It's not "not my district but they're in the neighboring district," it's "not in ANY district that can reciprocate at all." I suppose they might have asked the homeowners if they would be willing to foot the entire bill for the save - and if they did, what the homeowners would even say, given that most of their stuff wasn't in the house. Might have been cheaper anyway to let it burn.

I wonder if the now worried neighbors will vote to be annexed into the district?

Dilbert J. Galt: Good point, it must be hard to take if you think you have the service and get a surprise like that.

Yep. Pays to read all the small print when you buy the house.

Hu. I have a friend that lives up near Fairbanks/North Pole. I wonder if he's covered....

Something sounds hinkey here.
First, they had fire insurance so they had to be paying extra premiums because they're outside the service area (you can be sure the insurance company is aware of it).
Now they're in the middle of a divorce, and they had removed their furnishings from the house.
I wonder if they decided to take away their prized possesions, torch the house, and split the insurance procedes? Quick and easy.

Dupa: Something sounds hinkey here.
First, they had fire insurance so they had to be paying extra premiums because they're outside the service area (you can be sure the insurance company is aware of it).
Now they're in the middle of a divorce, and they had removed their furnishings from the house.
I wonder if they decided to take away their prized possesions, torch the house, and split the insurance procedes? Quick and easy.

Good point. Their insurance company HAD to have known.

Most of their stuff wasn't in the house???? This will raise the hair on the back of the insurance adjusters neck.......

I'll bet $5 it wasn't an accident....

The Steese [Area Volunteer] Fire Department responded to the call within two minutes of it coming in but turned back when they realized it was outside the service area. Callaway said he saw them turn off their lights and head back to the station.

simple solution
find the firemen
shoot them in the head with heavy caliber bullets
repeat

those firemen do no deserve to live
they are clear and present danger
their very exists is a constant threat to everyone in the area

what's next
drive up and go, well, we ARE volunteers and we dont like these farkers?

taxes???
why are taxes involved when you are discussing volunteers?
clearly they are BIGOTS who decide who will burn and who wil lbe helped

/AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HATE is not strong enough of a word ofr these people

You know who else liked following the letter of the law, and not the spirit?

Callaway and his wife are in the middle of a divorce, and he said they were planning on remodeling so a lot of their furnishings were elsewhere at the time of the fire

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Of course, the first time a fire department responds to a fire outside their service area they get the pants sued off of them for water damage, since they had no right to respond.

Its America, everything is suable.

So, if you stood in their (now empty) loot shooting at cars does that mean that the police would stop 180 feet away?

/just asking
//bet there's a double standard here

There out to be a clause in the 'duty of service' laws for this...

Hmm... article says 'volunteer firemen'. If it works out there like it does around where I live, then the city/county/state doesn't pay them, and they largely determine their own area of operations, which makes those firefighters douches of the highest caliber.

GaryPDX: Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.


I'd be suing them. If I lost, I'd fark 'em up the ass with a cold metal pole.

Dupa: Something sounds hinkey here.
First, they had fire insurance so they had to be paying extra premiums because they're outside the service area (you can be sure the insurance company is aware of it).
Now they're in the middle of a divorce, and they had removed their furnishings from the house.
I wonder if they decided to take away their prized possesions, torch the house, and split the insurance procedes? Quick and easy.

Everyone knows that conspiracies never happen, you nutjob.

/i kid, good call

This happens a lot across the US and this will not be the last case of this happening either. They cannot sue anyone, it's that simple. It is sad that it happened but if they are insured they have nothing to worry about.

evildick

So, if you stood in their (now empty) loot shooting at cars does that mean that the police would stop 180 feet away?

Most places have what are called 'long arm' laws that extend their jurisdiction to what they can see or what they're pursuing; they'd probably be interpreted by a court as applying to this kind of situation as well. (That's why crossing a state line to evade a pursuing cop car doesn't work.)

I'm trying to imagine the thoughts of the actual firemen in this situation.
I would have told whoever called me back to go fark themselves and put the fire out anyway. That's my reason for being a fireman.
Considering they were volunteers... WTF? It's not like they'd be fired or anything.

Does no one actually put what's right and helping people above farking taxes and city borders? The fire dept should DIAF.

Ok,

Seriously now...

From TFA: "Callaway and his wife are in the middle of a divorce, and he said they were planning on remodeling so a lot of their furnishings were elsewhere at the time of the fire, which burned for hours and destroyed the home."

/not suspicious at all.
//insurance payout would be easier to divide as opposed to deciding who got the house.
/// just saying...

evildick: So, if you stood in their (now empty) loot shooting at cars does that mean that the police would stop 180 feet away?

/just asking
//bet there's a double standard here

Win!

GaryPDX: Wait a minute, this ain't right. I live in a pocket of SW Portland that is actually un-incorprated WA County. If I call 911, I can get 4 different city services that surround me, sometimes they all show up together. Each of them try every couple years to annex this little pocket so they can collect city taxes. My neighbors and I tell them to "suck it" everytime, they are required to cover this area. We're a rebellious bunch in SW Portland.

Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

Ahh rugged individualists, they damn sure want to live on their own terms but they also want the protections afforded the rest of us.

WTF were these firefighters thinking? Was there a big bowling tourney on TV they didn't want to miss and found an excuse?
I've defended cops, firemen, soldiers on forums before. But not this time. I can't believe that not one of these guys thought it was a little wrong that they did nothing. Small town pride indeed.

"To Hell with you and all your taxes and stuff!"

"Hey, why are the firetrucks turning around?"

Burn baby, burn.

Putz

Giuliani was quoted on this subject:

"I find it a terrible disgrace, what happened to this house. Back on 9/11, firefighters from all different districts, and even different states came to help at the World Trade Center."

GaryPDX: Point is, 180 feet? I'd be suing the city's ass off.

Of course you would... Wow, another Republican ready to blame somebody else for his inability to make sure he built his house within the fire district. How surprising... It sucks but is nobodys fault but his own. What happened to the good old Republican talking points of personal responsibility and litigious restraint?

If you don't build your house in the fire district, don't expect the fire department to help you.

Fark's 'libertarians' will back me up on this.

LESS TAXES AND GOVERNMENT INTRUSION!! /sarcasm

Keep in mind, it's the fire department's job to save lives, not homes.

They're not expected to risk their lives just to save your stuff...

Keep in mind that this is ALASKA, people. You can choose to build your house in a fire district or not.

/It's a big place.

Oh,

One more thing.....

I'll bet they still send a bill for the roll out.

\I might be cynical...
\\ But, I'm often right.

That is bullshiat of the highest order. I'm not saying anyone should have put their lives at risk, but the fact is the fire truck DID respond, and then failed to deliver on their services after they arrived.

If there was any question of whether or not they were going to be able to help, they should not have driven to the scene of the incident at all. Obviously at some point they spoke with a fire dispatcher -- I would have viewed the dispatcher's agreement to send assistance as a tacit agreement to service in a dangerous situation. Should these people have contacted multiple fire services to hedge their bets? That's crazy.

Right or not from a legal standpoint, it's just slimy to drive up and then do nothing. I hope these people don't end up in a bind over a simple issue of zoning.

Wow fee for service is awesome. We should do it for health care.

Dear people who move to Alaska from elsewhere - this is the farking boonies. Quit moving up here expecting things to be like they are in Portland. Or Seattle. Or farking California.

You dogs are going to get attacked by wildlife, it's not the farking Fish & Game Department's fault for not training the wolves to be vegetarians. Dirt slides are going to occur on trails, it's not the Parks Department's fault for not tiling the trails and providing handrails and handicapped access to mountains.

And yes, your house is going to burn to the ground if you live outside of an incorporated area. You know why? Because we live in Alaska, not in some smog-congested filthy urban sprawl.

I'm feeling an irrational rant coming on.. yep. Here it is.

Okokok.. I get the whole firefighter thing. Big tough dudes who eat oatmeal and save naked babies from flames. Got it. My beef with firemen is that they freeking DESTROY the houses they are supposed to be saving. Have you ever seen these dudes in action?! It's like pitchforks, axes, pry bars, mallets, steel hooks, all sorts of evil destructive hardware. They break windows, tear holes in the roof, pull down the eves, bust through doors, tear down interior walls, spray thousands of gallons of water everywhere... it's a total freeking disaster!!!

I mean, after the firemen get done, the house is pretty much toast anyway... they all get a pat on the back while the homeowner is like... "dude, it was just a pan of tater-tots. You guys ever hear of a farking fire extinguisher? Christ!"

This has always bothered me. If I had a small fire in my house I would seriously think twice before I called these guys. I would try to determine if I could deal with the thing myself first...

/end rant
//I know.. I have NO IDEA what I'm talking about... blah,blah.

Where I'm from, volunteer fire departments regularly help out neighbouring areas. What goes around, comes around.

/Canada

Anyone else get a mental image of a firefighter trying desperately to stretch a hose from the fire hydrant to the house?

"Ace and Cat Callaway" - nuh uh.

Chastain86: Should these people have contacted multiple fire services to hedge their bets?

THERE ARE NO MULTIPLE FIRE SERVICES HERE. If you choose to live outside the fire district, you're on your own. That's why we built our house INSIDE the fire district. It really is that simple...

/Fire was just down the road from me, btw.

Counter_Intelligent: You know who else liked following the letter of the law, and not the spirit?

Who?