On September 29th the South Fulton Fire Department received a call for help and responded, only to sit and watch a house burn to the ground. This has sparked a debate both legally and morally based. Legally, they were completely within their rights to show up and watch, merely protecting the adjoining properties from exposure to the fire. There is a law in that county that if you wish to use the services of the City fire department, then you must pay the annual fee to them. I also understand that the fee is a pay as you go policy because equipment and supplies must be in place prior to you needing assistance that stuff isn’t free, and someone has to build those coffers up ahead of time in order to make those purchases.
Morally, the Mayor, the Fire Chief, and the Firefighters are wrong, plain and simple they shouldn’t have responded at all if they had no intention of helping. As a firefighter for 23 years myself, I could not fathom showing up to a house in our community in a time of need and just stand there. To me firefighters everywhere have a duty to help in times of need. I feel that what these guys did and the decision that they arrived at was wrong, deplorable, and unforgivable. Put the fire out, save the property, and bill them for every cent of what was spent even taking court action if warranted. But to arrive and just stand there watching? Really?
How does Elmore County work? Let me assure you, not like that. You each pay $50 per household and $100 per business tacked on to your property tax. You have paid a fee on your property tax since the 90’s. This was not designed to ensure that someone arrives in your time of need, it was designed to give those departments that will be showing up a little extra help with training, cost of equipment and such. None of it is ever to be used as payroll and in fact most of your local firefighters are not paid a dime. When you dial 911, help will be on the way and no one is going to ask you to pay anything. It’s because we care about helping others, not dollars and cents.
There were some ways in which the Tennessee situation could have been handled differently. Those will always be up for debate. However I can assure you that myself and other firefighters I have spoken to about how it was handled all feel that this was a major FAIL!! Firefighters all of the country risk their lives everyday running into situations that others are running away from. They are known for being the guys and gals you can count on in your time of need. In my humble opinion that view has now been tarnished for all of us. Municipalities or individual departments should not be allowed to conduct what amounts to nothing more than extortion., yet they should have a way of recouping cost if that’s how the community wishes for it to be. Put the fires out, argue about $75 later.
I agree wholeheartedly. In our neighborhood (outside the Wetumpka city limits) we have a $100 annual fee we pay to the Redland Fire Department. We thought it was a donation until the man who showed up later asking for donations informed us it was mandatory. We put the decal on our mailbox to make sure we don't burn to the ground just in case someone messes up the paperwork. Not everyone feels morally obligated.
ReplyDeleteRamona,
ReplyDeleteWhat you paid the fire department is NOT MANDATORY!! It is a donation and please feel free to give. However uderstand that you pay $50 on your property tax that is a fire fee. Also, depending on where you live you may in fact be giving to a fire department that IS NOT YOUR PRIMARY coverage. Again, feel free to do so, but dont ever feel obligated. The Redland Fire Department has a habit of sending people out to gather money, in areas for which they are not the primary department and tell people that they must pay.