I would think the house could have been saved and the fee to put out the fire be more than the 75.00, like maybe 750.00 or a 1000.00. Then maybe people would pay the $75?

great idea, pic.

Same in Canuckistan.

It's also how 1965 in rural PA handled the lack of ambulance service card.   There are 9K families in Obion county.  Readust the tax rate to make everyone eligible for ambulance and fire services.  This is not rocket science.  In the last three years, the firefighters watched three trailers burn to the ground.  So 1 in 3000 of their families was affected.  That is significant.  

  

When you have volunteer companies, I see no problem with paying annual fees to maintain coverage for your home, but if someone who has not paid the fee has a fire they should be served and then billed for actual costs (including overhead). If that is not paid, it should be added to your tax bill. There are communities who do this, or at least used to (I have been in an area with a great volunteer force who receives tax support through our town and hamlet)

If you are going to bill for the actual cost then you have to take into consideration the entire cost of running the fire department and then divide it by the number of hours actually fighting fires.  The cost would probably amount to several thousand dollars per hour.  If you don't do that, then you are providing a disincentive to people supporting the department.  Remember those who don't subscribe are already getting the benefit of the fire department's other services without paying for them - be that education, fire inspections, emergency responses, hazardous waste clean-up, responding to car accidents, or just plain being there.