this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024
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[–] PumpkinDrama@reddthat.com 27 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I once read that there are some states in the U.S. where firefighters don't put out fires in houses that don't pay a monthly subscription.

[–] LrdThndr@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I live in an area with a subscription fire service.

It’s not expensive - around $200/year. And if you don’t have a subscription they still come and put out your fire or cut you out of the car or whatever needs to be done. You just get a bill for $3000/hr/apparatus that responds.

But I still find it abhorrent. Just put it in my fucking taxes and be done with it. Jesus.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

I live in an area with a subscription fire service.

I thought the earlier guy was doing a joke. I knew that those were a thing in the 1800's or something, but even today?

You just get a bill for $3000/hr/apparatus that responds.

That's pretty insane. So basically the firemen and ambulances are too expensive for the average citizen to use, and if you happen to be black, you probably don't want to call the cops either.

Great services.

Ameeerica, fuck yeah!

[–] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Time for melting some gold.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Private fire fighters have been a thing since at least the 1600s.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

No no. Not "since", but "in".

It genuinely shocked me those still exist in the states. That's fucking insane.

We have a somewhat different mentality about public safety here in Finland.

yep, we can say the same thing about slavery.

[–] SteposVenzny@beehaw.org 3 points 1 month ago

That sounds apocryphal.

[–] Crotaro@beehaw.org 1 points 1 month ago

Not sure about the modern equivalents to this, but in Rome (please correct if wrong) it used to be like that. Firefighters would only put out fires of houses that paid them and otherwise just stood there, watching.

At least that's what I read in one of those "did you know this about the ancient cultures?" articles and those aren't always reliable either.