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 Ouze wrote:
Ambulance rides come from private corporations though, yes?

All of the ambulances in my area come from the same exact place as the fire trucks, so they are operated municipally.

Especially in those instances, I don't really understand the idea behind charging for the ride, unless we start charging a "delivery fee" for a firetruck that comes to put out a fire, or charging for a "ride" in a police cruiser because someone gets a DUI, or is arrested for any other type of crime.

 Ouze wrote:
Ambulance rides come from private corporations though, yes?

Not necessarily. Er what Ensis Ferrae said.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
unless we start charging a "delivery fee" for a firetruck that comes to put out a fire,

From 2010:

A bizarre incident last week in Tennessee, in which firefighters watched a family’s home burn to the ground because they had forgotten to pay a $75 annual subscription fee...

...the family of Gene Cranick in Obion County, Tenn., called for help last week when a fire broke out near their home but were told that since they had not paid $75 this year to the city of South Fulton, the local fire department would not send a truck to help.

You were saying?

 Ouze wrote:
I understand the impulse to bill him for the rescue, but I have to disagree. I think rescuing people is the core mission of the USCG, even very stupid people and would not want to set the precedent that the USCG charges for rescues: I hate the idea of people in danger perhaps not radioing for help for fear of ruinous financial penalties later.

At most if it was clear negligence I am sure he could be brought up on some kind of negligent boating charges. I don't know enough about how that works but I am sure there is something.

I agree. I’d rather have people saved, even if they are stupid, then die. By having charges brought up in court, with fines attached, you can involve the judicial system to help sift out the people abusing the system. Rather then just having a bill handed to you by the coast guard.

Saw something interesting in a comments section of an article about this dude. Grain of salt but dude sounded like he knew what he was saying.

Basically the length of the hull of your watercraft has a big impact on how well you can control direction and how much energy is needed to maintain course. Long hull makes it easier to control direction, short hull makes it difficult. A sphere has about as short a hull as you can get so he would expend a tremendous amounts of energy working to head the right direction instead of actually progressing toward the goal.

That's pretty accurate, Gwaihr. Those little hamster ball things work fine in a pool or a relatively placid body of water like a lake or pond, but out in the ocean it would be going where the ocean wanted to go.

Soon the attempted rescue that is about to be implemented once confirmation of "Debit or Credit number please?" is confirmed

 Jihadin wrote:
Soon the attempted rescue that is about to be implemented once confirmation of "Debit or Credit number please?" is confirmed

Obviously, we'll have payment plans.


But God help you if you don't pay:

What is that image from?

 Hordini wrote:
What is that image from?

Repo! the Genetic Opera.

Plat....for them to remove organs they have to have the donor stamp of approval on their Driver License....if not you cold storage the body till after 30 days and file the documents "Found on Installation" and then you can remove the organs

 Platuan4th wrote:

 Hordini wrote:
What is that image from?

Repo! the Genetic Opera.

Thank you, my good sir!

 Jihadin wrote:
Plat....for them to remove organs they have to have the donor stamp of approval on their Driver License....if not you cold storage the body till after 30 days and file the documents "Found on Installation" and then you can remove the organs

Well sure, if you own the organ.

 Nevelon wrote:
I agree. I’d rather have people saved, even if they are stupid, then die.

This is one time the "Then/Than" spelling issue changes the meaning entirely.
"I’d rather have people saved, even if they are stupid, then die" means they get saved, then they die.
"I’d rather have people saved, even if they are stupid, THAN die" means they are saved, and don't die.

Just pointing it out.

As for paying to get saved, that's what we have the RNLI for.
They are a charity that runs the UK's lifeboats. The coastguard are there for more than just rescues, like pilot boats and customs, I think.
But, if you get rescued by the RNLI, there's an unspoken agreement that you make a donation to the charity.

Fire and ambulance services are paid as part of the local government tax. They're in there with schools, rubbish collection, libraries, police, etc.