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Firefighting and Libertarians
Oct. 8th, 2010 03:19 pmSorry for the radio silence yesterday, but I was out of pocket all day. In the morning, I was playing Rotarian and handing out dictionaries to 3rd graders, and in the afternoon I was playing golf attending an offsite work meeting.
I mentioned in Tuesday's entry about libertarian Fail resulting in the loss of a house. Well, commenters here and elsewhere said "but a private entity would have taken the homeowners offer to pay on the scene and fought the fire."
Maybe. Maybe not. Here's why:
1) Fire departments that charge per-call collect various rates. One department in that area charges $1,200 per hour for each unit dispatched to the scene and they send several units.
2) Homeowners insurance only pays $500 for firefighting.
3) Collections for pay-to-play units run less than 50%. You can't get blood from a turnip - uninsured homes or lots with a burnt-out house on them aren't exactly profitable to anybody.
Really, folks - this is why we have fire districts and departments paid for by tax dollars.
I mentioned in Tuesday's entry about libertarian Fail resulting in the loss of a house. Well, commenters here and elsewhere said "but a private entity would have taken the homeowners offer to pay on the scene and fought the fire."
Maybe. Maybe not. Here's why:
1) Fire departments that charge per-call collect various rates. One department in that area charges $1,200 per hour for each unit dispatched to the scene and they send several units.
2) Homeowners insurance only pays $500 for firefighting.
3) Collections for pay-to-play units run less than 50%. You can't get blood from a turnip - uninsured homes or lots with a burnt-out house on them aren't exactly profitable to anybody.
Really, folks - this is why we have fire districts and departments paid for by tax dollars.
