Fire cost recovery appropriately shifts the financial burden, incurred by fire departments responding to a motor vehicle accident, from all innocent taxpayers to only the negligent, at fault driver and their insurance.

Fire service cost recovery allows a fire department to seek reimbursement for the actual costs incurred responding to motor vehicle, hazmat and commercial fire incidents.

Tax dollars pay for the infrastructure and ability of the fire department to respond, not the actual cost of the response. The rationale for cost recovery is analogous to a municipal water authority, in which residents pay ad valoreum taxes for the ability to receive water, but also pay a usage fee for the amount of water used.