What you have described is a very specific and overly simplistic example; lets say said fire only burns the Garage and puts it out? Or how about one bedroom? What about all of the "stuff" photos and things that make a home a home? What you are talking about is one small facet of the FD does, the hill side is also an Urban Interface area meaning brush fires can and will start, AFD must deal with those. Most calls are medical related thus paying a tax to ensure when someone is not breathing sounds like a bargain.