Remember to pay your bills

[sparkchaser]

That's the moral of this story, I think.


No pay, no spray: Firefighters let home burn

Firefighters in rural Tennessee let a home burn to the ground last week because the homeowner hadn't paid a $75 fee.

Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

"They could have been saved if they had put water on it, but they didn't do it," Cranick told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.

The fire started when the Cranicks' grandson was burning trash near the family home. As it grew out of control, the Cranicks called 911, but the fire department from the nearby city of South Fulton would not respond.

"We wasn't on their list," he said the operators told him.

Cranick, who lives outside the city limits, admits he "forgot" to pay the annual $75 fee. The county does not have a county-wide firefighting service, but South Fulton offers fire coverage to rural residents for a fee.

Cranick says he told the operator he would pay whatever is necessary to have the fire put out.

His offer wasn't accepted, he said.

The fire fee policy dates back 20 or so years.

"Anybody that's not inside the city limits of South Fulton, it's a service we offer. Either they accept it or they don't," said South Fulton Mayor David Crocker.

Firefighters did eventually show up, but only to fight the fire on the neighboring property, whose owner had paid the fee.

"They put water out on the fence line out here. They never said nothing to me. Never acknowledged. They stood out here and watched it burn," Cranick said.

South Fulton's mayor said that the fire department can't let homeowners pay the fee on the spot, because the only people who would pay would be those whose homes are on fire.

Cranick, who is now living in a trailer on his property, says his insurance policy will help cover some of his lost home.

"Insurance is going to pay for what money I had on the policy, looks like. But like everything else, I didn't have enough."

After the blaze, South Fulton police arrested one of Cranick's sons, Timothy Allen Cranick, on an aggravated assault charge, according to WPSD-TV, an NBC station in Paducah, Ky.

Police told WPSD that the younger Cranick attacked Fire Chief David Wilds at the firehouse because he was upset his father's house was allowed to burn.

 

[Peder]

Yep. Thet'll teach'em.

Not the first time I've heard of it, either. :sad:

 

[mmyap]

Wow. That's horrible. That piddly fee could have been resolved in a small claims case later. Letting someone's house burn down is inexcusable.:sad:

 

[pontalba]

There has to be more to it, bad blood between the homeowner and someone else involved, a blood feud, something. I find it difficult to believe that without prior enmity anyone would just stand aside and allow something of that nature and severity to take place. It is simply unconscionable.

The fee not being paid is simply the slender excuse they are standing on. He gave them the excuse, and someone took it.

 

[Peder]

There has to be more to it . . .

I'll buy that. It sounds like the end result of some harsh thinking about the situation, ending up with "rules is rules, by golly," and apparently they take comfort sticking by them.

I'm reminded of a saying attributed to Winston Churchill, roughly as follows: "There are two reasons for every human action -- the perfectly justifiable, public reason that is given, and then the real reason."

Too bad that a group of people feel that way about one of their neighbors.

 

[Occlith]

I remember a similar incident a few years ago. The fire dept. arrived to keep the fire from spreading but would not douse the house on fire. Maybe it's the same home owner.

 

[sparkchaser]

Too bad that a group of people feel that way about one of their neighbors.

Neighbors in which sense? Next-door neighbors or people living withing 15 miles of each other?

Like the first article said, the area has had that policy in place for 20 years. It's not a new thing.

Mayor Crocker said if the fire department operated on a per-call basis outside the city, there would be no incentive for anyone to pay the rural fee. As an analogy, he said if an auto owner allowed their vehicle insurance to lapse, they would not expect an insurance company to pay for an unprotected vehicle after it was wrecked.

Vowell said people always think they will never be in a situation where they will need rural fire protection, but he said City of South Fulton personnel actually go above and beyond in trying to offer the service. He said the city mails out notices to customers in the specified rural coverage area, with coverage running from July 1 of one year to July 1 the next year.

At the end of the enrollment month of July, the city goes a step further and makes phone calls to rural residents who have not responded to the mail-out.

“These folks were called and notified,” Vowell said. “I want to make sure everybody has the opportunity to get it and be aware it’s available. It’s been there for 20 years, but it’s very important to follow up.”

Firefighters in South Fulton city are under orders to respond only to fire calls within their city limits, as well as to surrounding Obion County, but only to homes there where people have signed up for a fire subscription service.

Because Cranick hadn't paid his fee, firefighters doused the border of his neighbor's property to protect that house in case the flames spread, but wouldn't help him. He lost all his possessions, plus three dogs and a cat.

"They could have been saved if they had put water on it, but they didn't do it," Cranick told MSNBC.

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The fire began when Cranick's grandson set fire to some trash near the house, and the flames leapt up. Cranick said he told the 911 operator that he'd pay whatever fee was necessary, but it was too late.

"I have no problem with the way any of my people handled the situation. They did what they were supposed to do," South Fulton City Manager Jeff Vowell told the Messenger. "It's a regrettable situation any time something like this happens."

But one firefighting expert said the fee system isn't fair to homeowners or firefighters.

"Professional, career firefighters shouldn't be forced to check a list before running out the door to see which homeowners have paid up," Harold Schatisberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in statement excerpted by MSNBC. "They get in their trucks and go."

This is really no different than forgetting to pay your car insurance after being notified by mail and called that policy has lapsed then getting into an accident and asking the insurance company to help. Well the difference is that we are talking a car ($500-$250,000) versus a home ($50k-ish new plus furnishings).

That being said, I hope that the city does review its policy on the matter.

 

[sparkchaser]

I remember a similar incident a few years ago. The fire dept. arrived to keep the fire from spreading but would not douse the house on fire. Maybe it's the same home owner.

I guess it's not an unheard of occurrence. It seems that this pay to pump isn't a rare practice in rural areas. I know that if I lived in a rural area, I'd make sure I was paid up on all my insurances. Including bear and UFO insurance.

 

[Peder]

No argument, Sparky. It's what the rule book calls for.

 

[sparkchaser]

Who's arguing? I think we both agree the situation is regrettable. I was just wondering in what sense you meant neighbor.

 

[Polly Parrot]

Can't the firemen / city bill the people after they put out the fire? What with the risk to neighbouring houses and whatever else is in the environment. This let-her-burn policy makes no sense to me.

 

[sparkchaser]

Can't the firemen / city bill the people after they put out the fire? What with the risk to neighbouring houses and whatever else is in the environment. This let-her-burn policy makes no sense to me.

Some places do just that. I read somewhere (looking now for the link) that fire departments that do this only end up collecting on around 40% of the amount billed.

 

[Peder]

Who's arguing? I think we both agree the situation is regrettable. I was just wondering in what sense you meant neighbor.

Sorry for the word argument, Sparky. An unfortunate choice of word. Discussing, then. And, responding to your question:

In my experience, "neighbor" means somewhat different things in the urban and rural communities where I have lived. In NYC, people who live very close by (say 10 feet away) are strangers to one another more often than not. It's the way they/we achieve privacy in our lives. In upstate New York, on the other hand, people relate to one another over considerably larger distances (like say 10 mles away). And "neighborliness" and a sense of community are more active concepts in the latter areas, where everyone knows everyone else to some degree, and also knows all the members of the local fire department, for example. People being people, there are some good neighbors and some not-so-good neighbors in both places whom I have known. Since I have no knowledge of the situation where the house burned down, I'll leave it at that.

 

[abecedarian]

I live two miles from a small town, which has a volunteer fire department, and we're at least seven miles from the nearest county fire station, so around here, we're used to seeing the locals vie with the county over first-response status. I don't know about other communities, but around here, if someone's house burns down, the locals bend over backwards to help those folks get back on their feet..clothing, household goods, cash, etc. Seems to me like the community in question has their priorities a little skewed here. I understand the cost factor, but allowing someone's house to burn when it might be saved is wicked. Thankfully the only loss of life involved was the family pets; what if it had been a person?

 

[wolfnoma]

In principle I agree with the Firefighters but I believe that ethically they acted irresponsible and childish. If they had saved the home then they could have at least said "Look, regardless of what YOU do whether right or wrong, WE will do what is RIGHT even when we believe we have been wronged. Now, have a nice nights sleep, knowing that we are looking out for you."

Just my opinion, I am probably wrong.

 

[Landslide]

I think their policy should be more on the line of: if you haven't paid and your house is on fire, we'll put it out and you'll pay us double the amount you owe us.