Tenn. Firefighters watch home burn, owner didn't pay $75 fire fee

How could they stand there and watch that house burn, and live with themselves? Every one of them should feel like cretins today.

Meanwhile, Olbermann tries to blame this on the TEA PARTY. I kid you not - read the article for his wackadoodle comment.

Tough call , but those were the rules. Now watch for the govt to strep in and demand that the fire dept not exclude people for pre-existing fires. I am surprised that the insurance companies do not require proof that you have paid this fee in order for them to cover you.

Call me heartless, but if I was a firefighter I wouldn't risk getting fired over insubordination and risking my job, pension and a means to support my family over someone who didn't pay fire protection. Let the town manager deal with it. He gave the order.

I am surprised that the insurance companies do not require proof that you have paid this fee in order for them to cover you.

Who said he had any insurance?

In that case, Matt, I guess you could call me "heart-full." There is no way I could stand there and watch animals die, and someone's entire life go up in smoke, and do nothing.

What if there had been people in the house? Should the FD have done the same, and let them burn alive, too?

Couldn't they have put it out, and then garnished the $75 by some means?

This sounds disgusting on it's face, and almost akin to Soprano's like "business."

According to this* article, the homeowner "...thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," said Gene Cranick. In other words, he wanted to pick and choose. You can't have it both ways: either pay the fee every year or don't, but don't expect government services to be there for you personally if you don't want to support them for the community as a whole.

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Firefighters-watch-as-home-burns-to...

This strikes me as akin to the 911 Mosque issue in that there are two planes on which to discuss it.

One is "the legalities," so to speak, making payments, etc.

The other is the "humanity" of the situation.

I agree with those who suggest that the first consideration not withstanding, how could you standby and watch that without doing anything, when you're fully equipped to do so?

The extrapolations of this are not pretty. The Times Record hasn't paid their property taxes in a year. If it caught fire, should the FD let it burn?

Exactly, Mel. Again, I ask others the question - if there were people in the house, should the FD in question have just stood there, and let them die in the fire?

After all, they hadn't paid that $75 fee.

Are they in a Union?

Morally they would have to save the people etc. But the home owners were under an obligation to pay the fee for fire protection, just as their neighbor did. I bet that if there are any others who think they can avoid paying the $75 and still have the FD protect are now paying up. But to have the owner say he thought they would put it out anyhow shows he willfully ignored them at his own peril, he does bear some responsibility in this.
I am not sure why there is a fee, or why it could not be worked off, or why it was not just added to everyone's tax bill.

Apparently the guy didn't think paying the fire protection bill was important. Now he does. Man learns lesson about responsibility.

Don't worry, though, government will fix the problem. They'll take over the fire department and make it protect everybody. Free!

if there were people in the house, should the FD in question have just stood there, and let them die in the fire?

No fee....... I'm thinking.

1. Save the people
2. Let the house burn
3. Bill homeowner for rescue

Gee. And, yet, people wonder why Republicans get called "cold" and "heartless."

The county without the fire dept could easily fix this by raising everyone's taxes $75 and adding it to their tax bill. But they didn't.

ahhh, for the good old days when fire departments were private corporations.
Damned socalists. Less government I declare!! Where does it say anything about fire departments in the Constitution?

To expect fire protection once a fire starts is like signing up for health insurance once you've found out you've got cancer. If most people didn't pay the $75 (or whatever portion of their property taxes went to fire protection) there wouldn't be any fire trucks to respond when the call came in.

For someone outside of town I'd be amazed if the fire department wouldn't fight the fire then let the town govt. go after the home owner for payment. It might be a shock to see what the bill would be for a truck at XX per hour, XX fire fighters at XX per hour, fuel, etc etc etc.

So...is the verdict let it burn, let them die?

I think a better system is one that offers fire protection at a pre-paid rate of $75, or an enforced payment of $1000.00 if the fee was not paid.

J Fred makes a good point about the need to take responsibility. Others make good points about the need for social cohesion and a secure community.

Consider this story when your town nas a dispute over "mutual aid pact" with a neighboring community and has a pack with a differnt town maybe further away!
How they could stand actionless is beyond me one theorectical athe other reality!

Do you suppose there was a sack of mail full of $75 checks at the FD the next day?

Probably; but where is the humanity?

How do we call ourselves civilized here?

Maintaining a fire department is expensive and a town will/can only pay for the fire department it needs in order to protect those who are paying taxes (ignoring "mutual aid" agreements with other towns). What happens if the trucks people who are paying taxes to have on stand-by are off fighting a fire at someones home who was rolling the dice (assuming they wouldn't need the service and could pay after the fact)? What do you tell them if their house/pets or worse are gone because there was no truck available? I'm not trying to be heartless, but if someone didn't pay up front there wouldn't be a truck to respond in the first place.

They better not have any plans to have a “fill the boot” fund raiser any time soon or they are likely to get a boot full of something they didn’t anticipate.

This is a really interesting thread. I've known some folks who would be the first to throw their personal safety to the wind to save that house, let alone any human or animal life at risk. And they'd be really upset to see a county taxing citizens for general county administrative costs, including indigent services and picnic tables at the park, but leave the $75 for fire protection to a voluntary fee payment. Is this the absurd extreme of "pay to play?"

Where ambulance fees are assessed after the fact, do they consider lack of payment if there are subsequent calls?

Good question. Let's suppose you're an EMT - how many here would attend an accident at a home, and finding the town taxes were unpaid, stand by and watch someone die of a heart attack? After all, they hadn't paid their bill!

The easy, humane way to solve this incident would have been the FD does their duty - they put out the fire, save the family pets, and on their way back to the trucks, they hand the owner a bill for $75.00.

Does anyone here doubt it would have been paid on the spot? And that the family wouldn't likely make the same error again?

Frankly, I'm surprised the owners and the neighbors didn't take matters into their own hands, or maybe get violent. This is the kind of behavior from government that brings on "pitchfork fever."

Bullseye, they are not in a union, although I'm not sure what that would have to do with anything other than a quick chance to bash union workers. However, the IAFF (firefighter's union) president spoke out against this policy.

It always seems that pitchfork protests are accompanied by burring torches and the aforementioned Tennessee FD would require a burring permit for the protest, with a fee of $75.

Naran - good points.

I've seen it argued that the rate of uninsured is a red herring because there is 100% access to health care regardless of insurance status.

I wonder how this would have played if there was a fee paying residence within spark range?

Wilson

I did play out.

According the story they put out the lawn of a neighboring home because they paid their fee of $75.