Fire and police protection are classic examples used in Economics 101-type classes for services which, if not publicly provided and universal, may have little value. A private firefighting service might be of value if your house is relatively isolated from neighbours or wooded areas. But in an urban setting, your neighbour’s property, or a woods being on fire is a threat to your property – as in the example Outworld Cats linked. Volunteer fire departments are a means employed by rural areas or smaller towns with insufficient tax base to provide universal fire coverage, but avoid the high overhead in salaries associated with paid, 24/7 staffing. But the coverage is still universal across the jurisdiction, not on a subscriber basis.
Fire and police protection are classic examples used in Economics 101-type classes for services which, if not publicly provided and universal, may have little value. A private firefighting service might be of value if your house is relatively isolated from neighbours or wooded areas. But in an urban setting, your neighbour’s property, or a woods being on fire is a threat to your property – as in the example Outworld Cats linked. Volunteer fire departments are a means employed by rural areas or smaller towns with insufficient tax base to provide universal fire coverage, but avoid the high overhead in salaries associated with paid, 24/7 staffing. But the coverage is still universal across the jurisdiction, not on a subscriber basis.