A friend of mine on FB also posted this article.
The thing is, the guy had paid the fee in years past. People don't just wake up one day and say, "Screw it, I'm going to Outback instead, we haven't had a fire yet!" This screams CHOICE, not GAMBLE. As in, pay this $75 fee or feed my kids this week. I don't care what some people say, $75 is a big deal to some families.
I think what happened is a horrible, horrible thing and skirts on extortion. I cannot imagine just standing there and listening to a family lose everything and doing NOTHING. I don't care if those firefighters were acting on orders. That is awful.
Also, if I call an ambulance, it comes no matter who or what I pay. If I don't have insurance to cover it, they send me a bill. Send the family a bill.