RURAL BILLS: THE FEES FROM THE FLAMES

When Mearle Sullinger's barn burned down almost 55 years ago, all she could do was watch.

"Lightning had struck it, and the roof was already falling in by the time we knew it was burning," said Sullinger, who lives in the southwest corner of Cape Girardeau County.

Protection from fire departments in rural Cape Girardeau County didn't exist then, aside from a bucket brigade of neighbors. Now the county has seven rural fire districts and two city fire departments, but Sullinger's and about 100 other households in that southwest sliver of land aren't included.

This exclusion is not uncommon for rural residents in Missouri, said Bill Jones, assistant fire chief for the Perryville Fire Department. Rural Perry County residents may make donations to the Perry County Rural Fire Association, but no one is required to join the association and no taxes are levied.

The only fees seen by residents come after a fire.

Whether it's a flat fee, charges by the hour or by the number of firefighters, unprotected rural residents get a bill in the mail when the flames are doused at their homes.

"Some departments won't leave the fire shed for less than $750 for a structure fire," said Dennis Crader, Advance fire chief.

Jones' department, which charges $100 to drive to a fire and $500 for each hour of work, has sent out bills as high as $4,000, he said.

Crader's rates outside Advance's coverage area are non-negotiable -- $600 for a structure fire, $400 for grass, brush or wood and $300 for a vehicle fire. It doesn't matter if a house is two stories or one, or if it takes several hours to put out a fire. The cost remains the same, he said.

"Most people are understanding," Crader said.

Three bills for more than $1,700 apiece were sent out in Perry County last year, Jones said.

Crader recalled a visit to his fire station by an insurance claims adjuster, who said the charge to put out a fire was too high.

"He had no idea how many thousands of dollars were saved by us going to the fire than if we hadn't," Crader said. "I told him he was getting off cheap."

A few Stoddard County residents have voiced complaints, and some refuse to pay. Although he might make a mental note for himself, Crader said he would never refuse to put out a fire if someone was still in debt to his department.

"If you get a call for a structure fire, you never know if someone might be trapped inside," he said.

Separate lives

Perry County's firefighters live dual lives. All 40 work as volunteers for both the Perryville Fire Department and the rural association. But tax money from the city and voluntary contributions to the association are not mingled, Jones said. Every piece of equipment purchased is kept separately at one of two city fire stations or the association's station, which is next to a city station.

"They don't even use the same turnout clothes for city or rural fires," Jones said.

The only time city and rural equipment would show up at the same location is if a serious fire demanded mutual aid, he said.

Most rural residents in Perry County buy the associations $17 stickers, which keeps them from having to pay costs when firefighters respond. Not everyone puts the stickers on their doors or mailboxes. Some are stuck to refrigerators with magnets, Jones said.

The real value of the stickers is not their visibility to firefighters, he said. A card for each association member is kept on file with county emergency dispatchers. The card gives information about the residence, including the shortest route, that dispatchers read to firefighters as they respond to a fire.

Protection money

Those who live in Cape Girardeau County's southwest corner are not completely unprotected from fires. The fire department in Advance has a verbal commitment to come when called, Crader said. In the past five years, Advance has handled three fires in that area.

Carolyn Crites has received letters from Advance firefighters for years soliciting a $35 annual donation. Crites, who lives on Cape Girardeau County Road 253, finally decided to pay two years ago.

"My husband knows all of the firefighters," she said. "We just decided to give them something for all their hard work."

Nevertheless, Crites doubts Advance firefighters could make it to her house quickly enough to put out a fire.

Crites' mother, 80-year-old Sullinger, feels the same way. Both said they have fire insurance.

"I've got two or three smoke alarms," Sullinger said. "They're mostly in places around the house where the heat is."

Paying extra money to Advance as a fire protection donation, or even becoming part of a fire district, does not interest Sullinger. After her husband's recent death, she isn't concerned about their barn burning down a second time.

"We just don't think it would pay off," she said.