Firefighters wont help

Home burns to ground while firefighters watch

A Tennessee couple helplessly watched their home burn to the ground, along with all of their possessions, because they did not pay a $75 annual fee to the local fire department.

Vicky Bell told the NBC affiliate WPSD-TV that she called 911 when her mobile caught fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene but as the fire raged, they simply stood by and did nothing. Bell and her husband were forced to walk into the burning home in an attempt to retrieve their own belongings.

South Fulton Mayor David Crocker defended the fire department, saying that if firefighters responded to non-subscribers, no one would have an incentive to pay the fee. Residents in the city of South Fulton receive the service automatically, but it is not extended to those living in the greater county-wide area. "There's no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department," Crocker said.
The South Fulton policy produced precisely the same nightmare scenario last year, when homeowner Gene Cranick--who had likewise failed to pay the $75 annual fee for rural Obion County residents--saw his house engulfed by flames as South Fulton firefighter watched close by.

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Wow, fee-for-service government??? Are we going to expand this to police officers, paramedics and doctors as well?? If you don’t pay you don’t get saved or helped, interesting……..

 

and they (GOP) says barack has started a socialist country. that is very capitalistic

 

How could a public servant stand and watch a house burn to the ground that has a baby, child or someone's granny inside? I don't see how it will work. They need to find other ways to save money.

 

this is the GOP idea of getting toward capitalism

 

Its definitely cold blooded but come the fuck on. Pay the 75 dollars!

 

no doubt. they could have billed them for it but still 75 bucks should have been paid

 

Why isn't the 75 buck fee just added to property taxes?

 

Clearly. lol. Just seems like it makes it more of a "fee for service" rather than "public service." Gotta' be a better way to do things.

 

It's one thing to have said that they lacked the manpower and couldn't answer the call, but to actually go to the scene and take no action, to me, is criminal. I can't imagine the cruelty of someone having the power to prevent a tragedy, and standing on principles, while someone else suffers...

 

It's certainly not criminal in the legal sense, and that's not what I meant, it's inhumane. It's not the kind of behavior you expect from decent people, but maybe that's why we're having a disconnect here.

 

Well, thank you, but in the emotion of the moment my brain and fingers didn't cooperate, lol. I corrected my post to read, "scene", lol.

In any case, as I mentioned, the cruelty was in showing it, doing nothing, ostensibly to make a point that this is what happens when you don't pay the tax. It won't have ANY effect on people paying the tax going forward. Those who will pay will pay, period. If they really wanted to make a point, they should have put out the fire and sent them a bill for the $75. That would've been the right thing to do for all concerned, and it would've had a positive public relationship effect in the community. Others might actually have been moved to pay just because of a noble gesture on the the part of the fire department. Now, they will be despised.

 

Im wondering did they even get a bill or something because it would be foolish not to pay it.

exactly. The thing is did they know for sure that someone was not in the home. There are laws against people not doing the humane thing. its called the good samaritan law. in the medical field the doctors are required to give emergency medical treatment regardless if they have insurance or not. so my question is do they know if anyone was in the home or not

I was an underwriter so If Im not mistaken part of the contract is that they must maintain the fire fighter service fees in order to get coverage. so they maybe ass out

 

the truth is the truth