BE PREPARED IF YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE

The lack of fire protection in Rockview, an unincorporated area of about 85 houses near Chaffee, is not unique to rural areas of Missouri. But it is something that residents of the many areas that aren't served by either a volunteer or tax-supported fire department need to be aware of.

Unlike Cape Girardeau County, which is fortunate to have seven well-run rural fire districts and two municipal fire departments, there are pockets of Scott County not served by a fire department, and that is the situation in Rockview.

The Chaffee Fire Department will respond to fires in Rockview, but as one resident found out, Chaffee charges $150 per response. Most city fire departments will make runs within reasonable distances outside their corporate limits for a fee, as it should be. It may take awhile to get to the scene of the fire, but that is better than no protection at all.

Scott City has asked people who want protection to enter into a contract with the city and become a member of its fire department. It is available only to those people with homes and property not in a fire protection district. Membership fees are $40 a year plus a $250 fee for each call made. Property owners who aren't members must pay $2,500 if the city responds to a fire. Other communities have similar offerings.

That is a logical approach that should give people not living in a fire district some peace of mind. But for rural dwellers who don't have such an arrangement, it is important they know whether a fire department would respond to a fire and which fire department would respond. Waiting until a fire breaks out is too late to try to decide who to call.