>>Firefighters watch as home burns to the ground. Has the American welfare sunk so low?
>>http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Firefighters-watch-as-home-burns-to-the-ground-104052668.html
>>
>>Tore, this is obvoiusly a very sad story, but also not reflective of what "usually" happens in this country.
>>
>>I think the homeowners should have paid the $75 per year to begin with. Anyone who owns a home has to assume those types of responsibilities.
>>
>>Having said that, were I one of the firefighters (which I'm not), I would have done what I could to encourage fellow firefighters to put out the fire. I'm not sure my conscience would allow me to teach stupidity a lesson like that.
>>
>>"Most" Americans have the heart to do whatever they can.
>
>Agreed.
>
>By far, emergency response personnel go far above the call of duty in this country. They generally deserve high praise.
>
>What these people did is absolutely inexcusable. IMHO the homeowner ought to sue the town for the cost of their losses minus the $75 firefighting fee. Add some $$ for emotional distress.
>
>Worst case the city (or whomever the firefighters worked for) should have sent a bill for the $75 fee AFTER putting out the fire - put a lien on the house if needed.

I absolutely agree with you, and that's how such an incident would have been treated here where I live. I'm glad that this incident clearly have made headlines also in USA, let's hope this doesn't happen again.