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 ...
Which taxes?
Maybe not.
Insurance companies usually do not like to pay out on fire damage if the property owner had access to fire department services and did not subscribe of his own volition.
So what you are saying is that it is JUST about the money.
That proves my point.
This idiot is unlikely to have a business or keep it long with poor business decisions like this.
Someone has to bear responsibility for these people's decision not to pay their subscription. Maybe it should be the people, maybe it should be the taxpayers from the neighboring town, but maybe it should be holier than thou posters on internet chat rooms.
I wonder if this bozo has an interest-bearing account with some bank that only chooses to pay the interest on it when he uses the underlying principal.
“As a Firefighter myself I say these guys aren’t Firefighters/, they are not even morally good people.”
I can not believe that this could happen in my home state,
“The Volunteer State”, Tennessee.
I was a volunteer fireman in my home community in west Tennessee.
When I was looking for a house I found that many companies would not give me a loan or wanted a larger down payment. When I get enough equity I might try to move. What is insurance like to get out in the boonies?
Not our job.
Now pay your taxes, we need raises....
BTW, in the good old days if you didn't subscribe they didn't put out the fire ~ THIS IS NOT NEW.
The fire coverage rating is a big factor. One wonders if these folks told their insurance carrier that they had chosen not to pay the fire department subscription fee.
God, I never knew such a racket existed until you posted this.
I am surprised that their note holder did not require payment of the fee. These individuals got what they asked for. They did not pay for the coverage. Perhaps the fire department should have put the fire out but sent them a bill for their services. It seems unethical for the fire department to let a house burn down over non payment.
“Very odd. I’ve never heard of a fire prevention “subscription” fee.”
Generally, volunteer FDs are funded through county property and other taxes.
Often individual department will hold fund raisers to supplement their equipment, or businesses may contribute
equipment or money.
To watch a house burn is just unconscionable.
The second the department starts to work on that fire they have cheated all of their other subscribers.
And, they have cut their own budget for next year, because they have demonstrated that they will work without a subscription.
Actions have consequences. This couple chose not to pay a rather modest fee, and are upset when they got exactly what they paid for.
Where I live we have a private fire department, who charge hundreds to thousands per year depending on property value. I love it because the money I pay for fire protection did not go through a government bureaucracy first, where the lion's share was extracted to pay political bosses. I keep my subscription up because my fire insurance lapses if I don't.
What is wrong with expecting people to be responsible? I am certain they could have found $75 in their budget, but chose not to.
“So what you are saying is that it is JUST about the money.”
If nobody pays, there is no service for anyone. If there is no reason to pay, nobody will pay.
Now everyone has a reason to pay, and they will, if they want fire service.
There is no reason that things have to be the same everywhere.
“That proves my point.”
I don’t think it proves anything unless your point is that it’s always about money for just about everything in private and government sectors.
It’s an adjustment in thinking in today’s America that you can choose to do something, or not do something, and suffer the consequences of either decision.
I do not fault the folks who didn’t pay, nor the fire fighters who did not respond.
Why pay if you “think” you don't have to pay? This may be an awakening to those who think you don't have to pay.
“What is wrong with expecting people to be responsible? I am certain they could have found $75 in their budget, but chose not to.”
And if you have a heart attack on the street, a doctor should just let you die unless you show proof of insurance???
When I first moved South, 22 years ago, I received an invoice from the fire department and paid it faithfully each year. I never gave it a thought that it was optional. Apparently, many homeowners in the county didn’t give it a second thought to pay it.
The county commission, with the voters approval, now include the fee on our yearly property tax bill. This year, it’s still about 50% LESS than what I was initially paying.
If I were a fireman, I would like to believe that I would have tried to save the house... but, I’m not in their shoes.
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