Tennessee family home burns while firefighters watch

i understand that it costs more money for the fire department to operate in the rural area, but i think it is unfair to charge those people out there, while making their services free for people in the city.

the cost difference between driving a few extra miles shouldn't be that big of a deal. i mean really, how many houses burn down a year there anyways?

this was wrong. insurance per year is quite a bit, but emergency public services should either be free for everyone, or cost everyone the same amount. people pay enough in taxes each year to cover such things, adding a $75 dollar extra cost sounds a bit like "protection money" to me. i'd like to see how the fire department uses the extra revenue.

if the fire department receives tax dollars, this fee shouldn't exist, period.

reply to post by Bob Sholtz

if the fire department receives tax dollars, this fee shouldn't exist, period.

I agree....................

They were dispatched to watch it.....

They are getting paid for being there.....

That is the part that bothers me..............

If they re elect this fool as mayor they deserve to watch their homes burn.
Mismanagement of city funds at the extreme.

If they pay any taxes, they should not be charged extra for city services.
Im from south GA. Towns that can't afford a Fire dept have voluteer fire depts.
No one lets their neighbors homes burn..but this mayor did, and still makes excuses for it.

reply to post by liejunkie01


There are some reasons other than the person not paying the fire fee that this reporter did not touch on. Say if I'm the chief of a fire department and I arrive with the first due engine on a mobile home fire. I'm not going to risk getting my fellow firefighters hurt or killed by sending them into a burning mobile home if no one is known to be trapped inside the structure. Mobile homes can become death traps for firefighters if they are fighting a fire from an offensive position. Mobile home fires, from time of ignition to arrival of the first trucks, last anywhere from seven to ten minutes tops. Sending in firefighters to fight that would be pointless considering by the time they get there. Ninety to ninety five percent of the structure would be gone anyway.

If a mobile home like this was considered an eyesore to the community. They'll just simply let the fire burn and extinguish itself. There is no need to take unnecessary risks by sending firefighters in to battle the blaze from the inside. All that could be done would be to set up a defensive position and keep it from spreadin to other structures if any were nearby. Then again, this may a case of someone had been threatening to burn down their home in the past. If it is such a thing like this, then I could see why they let the building burn in the first place. There was a fire close to me here about a week ago where this woman had set her house on fire to get rid of some "demons." My father, who was the county medic on scene, told me that one of the firefighters said, "They had been dealing with this lady for years and were tired of putting up with it." So when she set here house on fire, they just let it burn and kept water on the neighboring houses to keep the fire from spreading.

Reading threads like this saddens me no end

Everything in the world is worthless now to some people (even some mod people it seems) unless you can put a price sticker on it.
Yes the family didn't burn to death but a group of people with access to a fire engine and fire fighting equipment sat and watched some other people house burn down and life possibly ruined for the sake for a few bucks.

Human decency and basic morals really seem to have no meaning to some people here.

reply to post by Flavian

I hate to disappoint you but Holland sucks just as much as the UK or any other country I would imagine, just in different ways. Its a Stalinist monarchy here, just like the UK. A symbolic figurehead supposedly who is just there for ceremonial purposes but in fact does hold much political and economic power with her minions.

But erm...government bailiffs? That sounds scary. I wonder if they have those here too? Scrub that, I don't want to find out Thanks for clarifying. In some ways I'd like to go back to the UK, and in others I wouldn't. Quite a conundrum.

reply to post by gimmefootball400

I'm not going to risk getting my fellow firefighters hurt or killed by sending them into a burning mobile home if no one is known to be trapped inside the structure.

You do not need to send them in to put a little water on it.

I know that a fire hose can spray the entire length of a mobile home................They probably have enough pressure to blow right through the windows on the mobile home......no entry needed......

At least they could say they tried Then they could have charged the fee to the residents............

Instead of looking like a bunch of jackarses..........(in my own little opinion)

reply to post by liejunkie01


Deos the state of Tennessee take taxes from land owners? Do they collect income taxes? Why does someone have to "subscribe" to a fire department insurance? I mean here in Florida we have no state income tax and they put out the fire we had at my home. I didn't even pay land taxes (rental) at the time. I don't understand the reasoning here the state is supposed to pay for the fire and police departments at the bare minimum???

reply to post by ldyserenity


I do not understand either.

The crazy thing is, it seems that "they all" think it is ok...........Like they are doing the right thing by watching it burn.........

They are getting paid to be there.........

I think that if I was charged this fee.....I would not pay it and put a huge sign in my front yard explaining why.....

The next news head you read about this type of thing may go something like this.
"Firefighters shoot dead after refusing to put of house fire"

These firefighters need to think about what they are doing before they find them selfs in a firefight of a whole different kind. They need to start spraying water before someone starts spraying lead.

I have to leave ATS for a little while. The things I read on here like this make me so sick I want to throw up. It is things like this that make me ashamed to be a member of the human race. I will be back in a week or so , maybe.