Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!brl-tgr!ron From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie ) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: PISSED OFF Message-ID: <7545@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 21:48:44 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.7545 Posted: Fri Jan 18 21:48:44 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 08:45:48 EST References: <1899@inmet.UUCP> Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 22 > In some areas, the fire departments are private companies. In one city > (sorry, can't remember the name), the police department is a private > firm hired by the government. While it is certainly arguable that > government must provide police protection, there's no particular reason > to think that it must provide fire departments (one can still see, on > old buildings in Philadelphia, the plates that identified which private > company covered the building) and no reason to think that it must > provide either of these services by running them with government > employees. > Although it is not relevant to the point (and there is no net.nit-picking group to post this to), I should point out that the plates on those houses in Philadelphia are called "Fire Marks." They represent not the company that will put out the fire, but the insurance company that covered the structure. The insurance company did this so that the fire department would know that they would get paid and therefore minimize the loss. It's a shame because insurance companies don't pay us anymore. -Ron Natalie Firefighter, EMT-A He who lives by the nit, dies by the nit.