Posted on 10/03/2010 5:28:40 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Gene and Paulette Cranick, of South Fulton, Tennessee, US, lost their home after officers were ordered by bosses not to extinguish it.
Fire fighters only arrived when the flames spread to the property of a neighbour, who had paid the fee. However, they continued to refuse to help the Cranicks.
Later the same day, the couple's 44-year-old son was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, after allegedly punching the local fire chief.
Jeff Vowell, the city manager of South Fulton, said: "It's a regrettable situation any time something like this happens." Mr Vowell explained that there was no county-wide fire service and it was too expensive for the city's officers to serve surrounding rural areas like the Cranicks' as well.
Rural residents can gain access to the service by paying the annual fee. But "if they choose not to," Mr Vowell said, "we can't make them".
Mr Cranick said: "I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong." His wife said the couple had offered to pay the fire fighters whatever was necessary for them to extinguish the flames, but the officers refused.
However they do not blame the officers themselves, she said. "They're doing what they are told to do. It's not their fault." The Mayor of South Fulton, David Crocker, told local reporters: "We're very sorry their house burned."
However he too stood by the subscription policy, arguing that offering a pay-as-you-go service would mean upfront costs could not be met.
About three hours after the fire began, Mr Cranick's son Timothy allegedly arrived at the South Fulton fire station.
It is alleged that when Mr Wilds came forward and asked if he could help, Mr Cranick punched him. "He just cold-cocked him," Mr Crocker
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
This is not a racket. It is called being self reliant. You pay the $75 fire fee and your house is covered for the year. It’s the same as buying car insurance.
This "let it burn because they didn't buy a ticket" is beyond me....I'm really, really glad I'm not 25 anymore. My prostate gland may not work, but my brain still does.
Life in 2010 is approaching suckitude. I pity my grandkids. Phockitol.
Well said....
You are referring to Senator Plunkitt aren’t you?
City people dont know how to live country......and sometimes theyre not willing to learn.
Their mentality is that all services are free all the time, 24/7. They’ve never been exposed to country life.
It appears however that the $75.00 fee notice was quite clear and the owners of the property chose not to participate. They made the decision to gamble, not the town.
Welcome to the new America...
Pay up or we'll watch your place burn to the ground, and we don't care if disabled grandma is in the backroom....
Ya shoulda paid the 75 bucks!
((wow))
So what’s the cop rate in case my house is robbed?
Well said.
That works if you're a sheep. Men prefer to run their own lives.
I don't live in the city, but I'm sure in hell glad I don't live in that "country". No thanks.
Allow their fellow citizens home burn to the ground when they could have helped out?
Nice respectable country folks ya got out there.
:o
$75.00 for a subscription fee is not even half of my weekly grocery allowance for my family, and these people demand that the fire department is in the wrong?
I’ll bet lots of these demands for free service could be paid for with the equivalent of a couple weekends of beer money.
What if someone was still in the building? Would they simply stand there because the fee wasn’t paid?
Put out the fire and then send them a bill!
The fire company should have extinguished the fire if the owners agreed to pay cost+ on site.
They were right there. They could have
1. prevented the destruction of a significant asset,
2. reduced risk to the neighboring houses, and
3. made a profit.
I would agree to that. I don’t how the laws works in that area.
Cops don’t have to show up if your house is robbed. Many cities consider such an event as something that doesn’t require an officer on scene unless the criminals are still on site.
“Why should these guys have any greater obligation than we do?”
I’m not a firefighter that was given equipment and training to do so.
The government is not a commercial enterprise. It represents all people equally. This idea of pay-for-play government is nothing bully tactics of a government monopoly.
>His wife said the couple had offered to pay the fire fighters whatever was necessary for them to extinguish the flames, but the officers refused.
****
so why did the “firemen” refuse?
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