Firefighters Let Home Burn Over Unpaid Fee

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by saden1

Clearly not. If a town wants to run its government that way, more power to them. If I lived there though I would like to see the Mayor, Fire Chief, every fire fighter at the scene, dispatchers, and whoever thought this was good policy get shitcanned or at the very least get to taste baseball bat woodchips.

It's absurd policy...glad I don't live there.

I don't think very many people have read the article. The county which had the fire does not even have a fire department. They rely on another county for fire services and thats why they must pay for the service. The one county has no way of taxing the people of another county so they must charge a fee.

[chica-alisha]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I don't think very many people have read the article. The county which had the fire does not even have a fire department. They rely on another county for fire services and thats why they must pay for the service. The one county has no way of taxing the people of another county so they must charge a fee.

I've read a lot of articles on this-it's not a matter of taxes or a missed payment of a fee...it's a matter of human decency. I couldn't imagine that if I fell behind on my city taxes or forgot to pay something that the city would just tell me I was SOL...or some other stupid shit like that. In this economy-people are struggling...it doesn't mean they have to stand and watch their pets burn to death and lose everything they own in this entire world over some political BS.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by chica-alisha

I've read a lot of articles on this-it's not a matter of taxes or a missed payment of a fee...it's a matter of human decency. I couldn't imagine that if I fell behind on my city taxes or forgot to pay something that the city would just tell me I was SOL...or some other stupid shit like that. In this economy-people are struggling...it doesn't mean they have to stand and watch their pets burn to death and lose everything they own in this entire world over some political BS.

So why should anyone ever pay the fee. The guy has changed his story from the clip below to forgetting.

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," the hapless homeowner told reporters.

This sounds like a person who thought why pay the fee if they will still respond to a fire. For the record I could not sit back and watch someone's house burn no matter what happened but I understand why they did.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by firstdown

So why should anyone ever pay the fee. The guy has changed his story from the clip below to forgetting.

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," the hapless homeowner told reporters.

This sounds like a person who thought why pay the fee if they will still respond to a fire. For the record I could not sit back and watch someone's house burn no matter what happened but I understand why they did.

I don't see it as he's changing his story. He's saying, in my opinion, that he basically can't believe that even though he forgot they still wouldn't put out the fire.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I don't see it as he's changing his story. He's saying, in my opinion, that he basically can't believe that even though he forgot they still wouldn't put out the fire.

See from that statement I don't think he forgot to make the payment. I think he decide sense they would come anyways why pay the fee and just pay them when or if something happens.

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by firstdown

So why should anyone ever pay the fee. The guy has changed his story from the clip below to forgetting.

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," the hapless homeowner told reporters.

This sounds like a person who thought why pay the fee if they will still respond to a fire. For the record I could not sit back and watch someone's house burn no matter what happened but I understand why they did.

Why is there a fee to begin with?

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

Why is there a fee to begin with?

The article explains, but basically the area he lived in doesn't provide fire department services, instead they contract with a neighboring county who charges each household a yearly $75 fee.

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

The article explains, but basically the area he lived in doesn't provide fire department services, instead they contract with a neighboring county who charges each household a yearly $75 fee.

I know that much. The question is why is such a system even allowed to be put in place. Why put people in a situation where they could end up watching their house burn with a fire truck out in front? Why is there a fire department that can ignore a fire?

Police, emergency, and fire are basic necessities that everyone is entitled to. EMT's are required to help people in need that aren't even legally allowed to be in the US. Fire protection is not a capitalist free market product. You cannot argue about the refusal to pay a fire protection fee like it's a power bill. Fire's are dangerous. They can spread to neighboring homes, or worst yet turn into a wild fire that takes days and tons of manpower to put out.

You do not ignore a fire. You do not refuse to show up to a fire. You are putting everyone at risk when you do that. The South Fulton fire department got lucky that the fire only spread to the edge of the neighbors yard or field.

I realize that a lot of fire departments are underfunded, and I hate that. However standing in front of a fire is not the time to fight such battles or prove a point. As I alluded to before, if your end game is to get more funding then you're seriously putting future funding at risk by deciding not to put out a fire. Every person that takes at the very least an intro to business class understands the concept and importance of goodwill.

Professional practice goodwill, as the name implies, is associated with professional practices such as doctors, lawyers, CPAs, architects, engineers and other professional services. Unlike business goodwill, the professional practice goodwill has two components:

1. Practitioner goodwill

2. Practice goodwill

Practitioner goodwill relates to the skill and reputation of the individual professional practitioner.

Practice goodwill, much like the business goodwill, arises from the professional practice itself, its institutional reputation, location, track record and operating procedures that make it an effective service provider that can produce superior income.

[Dirtbag59]

More thoughts from a firefighter

Dan said...
Ok here guys - I am a trained firefighter in Lincoln, NE - from what I have experienced on a regular basis is that firefighters are trying their hardest to build new stations, hire more employees all around, and basically get more money from the budget committee. This incidence ya'll will not help people want to give us money - Charge the guy whatever - just put out the F@#$ing fire, it's what we were trained to do.... hey you're bored sure just stand there, while the rest of the country takes your insensitive act out on all the rest of us that would have put the fire out for sheer compassion

MCasler
Here's the phone number for the South Fulton Fire Department 1.731.479.0213 - give them a call to tell them what you think!
7:24 PM Oct 5th via web

ctholl46@hotmail.com said...
I was a homeowner in South Fulton, TN. This isn't the first fire that didnt get put out, it's one that made the news though. This has been going on for ever there. I remember when I first paid the $75.00 fee, the chief told me "I'll add you to the list". I also called 911 because the field caught fire across the street from me, a week later I recieved a bill for $500.00, they said because my phone number came up, they charged me. ANY 911 call from that town is $500.00, I disputed the charges and they waved the fee!!

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

Why is there a fee to begin with?

Seriously?

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Seriously?

Yes seriously. How come the 30%-50% of my income that goes to the government isn't being used to pay for fire service in my area? How come that instead of trying to find out where I am the operator has to verify weather or not I paid a due, which for all I know could have been lost in the mail? Certain things need to be free market and others need to be socialism or whatever you want to call it. Fire service in and of itself should not be run by any free market policies.

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Not unless it's spelled out in the policy somewhere

They've already agreed to pay for part of it. The insurance company that is.

Originally Posted by FRPLG

To me it comes down to this. It costs money to run a fire department. Putting out the fire in this case, to me, presents a pretty damn clear endangerment to the funding of the fire department. Blame a dumb policy that allows something like this to happen. Don't blame the fire-fighters and their bosses. They have to keep open for business for the greater good. Putting out fires for free works against that. It just does. At the end of the the day they chose not to do something that might end up costing them way more than just one fire. I can't fault them for that. Is it more decent to put the fire out and watch everyone else stop paying the fees and therefore have to curtail the service? Not to me it isn't. They had to choose between two crappy choices.

How are you going to stay in business when no one feels like they can trust you anymore? Look at all this national exposure. Do you think anyone is going to want to fund these guys after this? They would have been much better off reaching a settlement after the fact like every other subscription service in Tennessee. They sacrificed long term financing for short term gain. Instead of getting a first round pick in two years they decided to take a 7th round pick this year.

Fire chiefs: We won't watch a home burn » Knoxville News Sentinel

Blount County residents who fail to subscribe to fire services for $110 will be presented with a hefty bill after firefighters finish their duties at a house fire.

McClanahan said it amounts to $2,200 for the initial call and $1,100 for every hour past the first two that firefighters are on the scene.

Wheeler said his department has no set fee but does ask the homeowner to assign to the fire department any insurance money designated for compensating the fire department.

[Dirtbag59]

This system might be worse. It's amazing that so many Bengal players have been arrested.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

Yes seriously. How come the 30%-50% of my income that goes to the government isn't being used to pay for fire service in my area? How come that instead of trying to find out where I am the operator has to verify weather or not I paid a due, which for all I know could have been lost in the mail? Certain things need to be free market and others need to be socialism or whatever you want to call it. Fire service in and of itself should not be run by any free market policies.

No disagreement here. The system sucked. I haven't argued that it doesn't. I am simply pointing out what so many people seem to forget. The fire-fighters operated within the system that was setup. If you want to argue that the $75 subscription fee is dumb I'll completely agree. It shouldn't be left up to individuals to make payments like that. But if you want to argue that standing there watching it burn was somehow "obviously" the wrong choice I can't agree.

How are you going to stay in business when no one feels like they can trust you anymore? Look at all this national exposure. Do you think anyone is going to want to fund these guys after this? They would have been much better off reaching a settlement after the fact like every other subscription service in Tennessee. They sacrificed long term financing for short term gain. Instead of getting a first round pick in two years they decided to take a 7th round pick this year.

This is also true. it is also 100% hindsight.

All I want to argue is that what they did that day was try and make the best decision they could giving the crappy choices. Don't fault them for that.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I don't think very many people have read the article. The county which had the fire does not even have a fire department. They rely on another county for fire services and thats why they must pay for the service. The one county has no way of taxing the people of another county so they must charge a fee.

I read it, I understand it (city within the county provides fire protection to the subscribers in surrounding county areas), I don't care for their actions regardless of whether they were contracted or not. Were fire fighters within their rights not to put out the fire? Absolutely. Is it a good policy? Absolutely not.

I rather like my socialist fire department...if hillbillies in Tennessee don't that's their business.