I know CP bills the citizens for fire protection, but like all other fire departments in the state, CP also gets state funds as well.

IF this had happened in CP, and the firefighters stood and watched a home burn, the homeowner would have a damned good lawsuit against the city based on state funds going to the fire department.

Now, speaking as a former paramedic, and working closely with fire departments (in some cases being part of the fire department), those firefighters should be ashamed of themselves for standing around watching that house burn. They are firefighters, that's what they do...bill the homeowners later for the full amount of putting that fire out, but you put that damned fire out. Anyone who has ever seen a fire go out of control knows that at that point, it is nasty hard to put that blaze out.

Years ago, in Houston, working as a paramedic for HFD, the city ordered a control burn on a busted up meth/crack house. Normal spring day, not a whole lot of wind, picnic day. SOMEHOW the fire spread to the next house...and the next house. Three other houses burned because the "control burn" got out of control. Fire spreads faster than a $2 Rundberg hooker.


Put the fire out and bill 100% to the homeowner.



Here is a real kicker I just thought of...what if someone was in that house and couldn't get out? Would the city have refused the fire service to go in and get the person because of a $75 bill?