‘No pay, no spray’ case: Firefighters ‘threatened’
A rural Tennessee fire chief says Obion County firefighters are being unduly demonized for letting a man’s home burn because he hadn’t paid a $75 municipal fee.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39535911/from/toolbar
Over the weekend we saw a story on Headline News that was very surprising and controversial.
This situation is just sickening. From one side I feel very deeply for the loss of the homeowner. It’s a very good point (for their lawyers to remember) that a person’s life could have been lost because the PUBLIC SERVANTS refused to help. One, they had already responded to the scene. Two, they had the means to do something about the situation. Three, they had no reason to believe that they would not be reasonably compensated for their actions.
Isn’t there a law in place that if a passerby refuses to help a victim of a crime they are witnessing they are subject to prosecution? Wouldn’t this fire department be held to the same standard? They need to find some other way to fund their fire department. I don’t think extortion is working. They definitely won’t think so once the homeowner’s insurance company comes after them.
Maybe this county needs to consider a tax based plan to fund their fire protection program instead of a subscription basis. Also, maybe they could consider billing for the actual cost to put out the fire if the homeowner does not pay the subscription fee. That’s what every other company does! Either you pay for the privelege and use it when you need it for a discounted rate or you pay the full price when you realize you need the service. Then it would be the homeowner’s problem to sort out with the homeowner’s insurance policy holder.
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