Reply With QuoteI think that they should charge for permits. The Insurance will pay for them, and the Cities / Counties need the money.
Charge 'em
We have lost something like 2000 homes down here. Obviously most will be rebuilt. The City has stated that they will waive plan check, school and permit fees for the fire victims.
On one hand:
The City needs the money. Especially if they have all these new plans to review and homes to inspect. If those who receive the benefits don't pay, everyone else will have to. Why should these victims get special treatment? Does the City give free permits to every victim of a house fire? Should they? Why not go back and refund the fees of other fire victims then? Why change the rules? The fees can help offset some of the increased costs. Insurance will pay for it anyway.
But.................
On the other hand:
The fire victims need help. They have lost everything. Some have nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. Some have lost family members. If the city had enough firemen this would not have happened. Give them a break.
What do you think?
I think that they should charge for permits. The Insurance will pay for them, and the Cities / Counties need the money.
Charge 'em
Originally posted by Keithb87
I think that they should charge for permits. The Insurance will pay for them, and the Cities / Counties need the money.
Charge 'em
That's right,blame the fire department.It's all their fault.It sickens me to see all these people jump on the bandwagon of blame when it hits the fan,but let me ask you this.WHERE were you when your city decided to cut fire department budgets to pay welfare benefits?Unlike grocery workers,firemen can't strike and the cities stonewall them everytime by saying"we don't have the money".Did the cities/counties listen to the fire marshal when he told them building tinder box houses one on top of another in heavily brush laden and mountainous areas was a recipe for disaster?NO.Do the residents listen when the fire inspectors tell them to clear brush for at least 100ft around their house?NO. But these same people call angrily when the flames are coming wanting to know when the firemen are gonna come cut a fireline around them.I've heard all the sories from a 36 year vet of the FD(my dad)as well as his friends and my friends too.You can't plan to do anything with a 60mph brush fire but get out of the way!!
Originally posted by HighRoller
That's right,blame the fire department.It's all their fault.It sickens me to see all these people jump on the bandwagon of blame when it hits the fan,but let me ask you this.Do the residents listen when the fire inspectors tell them to clear brush for at least 100ft around their house?NO. But these same people call angrily when the flames are coming wanting to know when the firemen are gonna come cut a fireline around them.
I hear you on this one. I am one of the firemen people are now pointing fingers at. I tell you what, we were busting our ass out there, and laying it on the line. The people that did their work by clearing brush and creating fuel mods, for the most part still have homes to go home to. When you build homes in the urban interface, you have to do your part to protect your structure and make it defendable!!
Sorry, hit a nerve.
Sorry but no can do Shamu and here's why:
1. Need buildings/homes to be built to code
2. Permits aren't an obstacle to rebuilding (money, good/trustworthy contractors and their availability are)
3. The cities need the money
Permits are a cost that either the insurance will help pay or it's a tax deduction.
In my opinion, the key is for the cities to expedite the process and make things move more quickly than normal so folks aren't delayed any more than they absolutely must in trying to get their lives back in order.
the home owners should have kept the brush cut back better
they know they live in a fire airea
anyone baggin on the firefighters needs a swift wake up call kick in the teeth. I mean that sincerely. I was one of the lucky ones, had good clearance and plenty of firefighters when the fire came through. Those guys bust their ass tryin to save houses. The only thing you can do in a wind driven fire storm is try to squirt some water on the homes if ya can even get there and get outta the way other than that.
As far as the permit fees they should pay em as long as the insurance covers it (that's what insurance is for). In cases where insurance didn't cover em for some reason then I'd waive em.
Permits shouldn't be free of charge, with that extra permit money, they should hire extra building inspectors, plan checkers and try for once in their lives to be more helpful. Expidite plans and have more inspectors in the field to make sure no ****ing ass contractors are trying to pull a fast one on anybody
my .02
CEO
Well since most people paid the fees once I think they should be free.
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