Fires are dynamic situations; there's only so much a department can and should do. Their first priority is life safety. This includes the safety of any occupants of the burning structure, then the safety of the firefighters themselves. There is no reason to risk the life of a firefighter if there are no lives in danger. If a structure burns to the ground, it can be rebuilt. If a team of firefighters enters a burning building to knock down a fire and something goes wrong, those lives can't be replaced. Also, the best way to put out a fire is to keep it from starting in the first place. Fire departments spend a lot of time on fire prevention as well - things that you rarely ever hear about.