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IAFF Condemns Tennessee House Fire Policy
TODD FAULKNER
WPSD
Reprinted with Permission
PADUCAH - A local fire department's decision to let a home burn is attracting national attention and sparking national debate.
A firefighters group is lashing out against members of their own. The International Association of Fire Fighters is condemning the South Fulton Fire Department for their actions last week.
Fire crews refused to put out a house fire in Obion County, Tennessee, because the owner did not pay the $75 coverage fee. The Association's general president released a statement Tuesday on the city's policy of subscription fire service.
The IAFF statement reads, in part, "We condemn South Fulton's ill-advised, unsafe policy. Professional, career fire fighters shouldn't be forced to check a list before running out the door to see which homeowners have paid up. They get in their trucks and go."
The statement also reads, "Because of South Fulton's pay-to-play policy, fire fighters were ordered to stand and watch a family lose its home."
Todd Cranick, son of Gene Cranick, tells Local 6 that his parents have received several thousand dollars from the insurance company to cover immediate costs. Cranick went on to say that the insurance plans on covering all damage and property losses. Right now, there is no fund set up to help the Cranick family.
The IAFF is headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing nearly 300,000 full-time professional firefighters and paramedics.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Todd on
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Wow.
Looking at some of these responses on here I hope that these folks who would willfully be insubordinate and essentially freelance on a scene aren't allowed to make decisions in their department. I hope that those with officer titles in their user names are just listing that as a career goal because I know I wouldn't want an officer working with me that made decisions based on emotions rather than the facts. I'd rather take Mr Warshaw and his four years of experience in the FD since it appears he has a better head on his shoulders than some around here.
For the record I do know Tommy personally and I know that he is active duty USAF currently deployed overseas. I know that he is probably more squared away than a bunch of folks portray themselves to be here, and about the only thing that he loves more than the fire service is his family, so I know that he approaches the fire service with a passion that is second to none. But as the old Biblical saying goes...."From the mouths of babes" he just showed a lot more majority and leadership with his approach of not letting emotions be the deciding factor here to this issue than folks with a ton more experience. I'd be willing to bet that there aren't very many people who would sleep well at night if they had to make the same decision that the South Fulton folks did in this case. I know I couldn't. That doesn't mean it was the wrong decision, it just goes to show that being a leader sometimes means you have to make calls that even when they are right you are going to question yourself.
The facts in this situation are this:
1. There is no fire protection in Obion County other than subscription service, or in a few cases where municipal fire departments provide protection free of charge.
2. The South Fulton FD only has a duty to act within the corporate limits of South Fulton, and at locations that have paid their subscription fee.
3. The property owner knew of this policy beforehand and willfully chose not to pay for fire protection.
4. There was no life hazard in this situation. Had there been a life hazard South Fulton FD has a policy where they respond and attempt to mitigate the life hazard. Any futher posts from this point on to throw out the "What if someone was inside?" slant into this discussion is just an attempt to muddy the waters. THERE WAS NO LIFE HAZARD!!!!
5. Any attempts to throw out the "What if the wind shifted?" slant out there have already been debunked. At the point the fire became a threat to a property under subscription to the South Fulton FD they responded and protected the property. It was only at that point that the South Fulton FD had a duty to act, and not a moment before.
6. There has been provided a study done in 2008 concerning providing fire protection for Obion County utilizing the existing fire departments, but with a source of funding. The Obion County Council took no action on this study. Everybody out there knows that local governments typically do what their constituents want them to do. Since he did't pay his $75 subscription fee I would be willing to bet the property owner in this case wasn't a fan of the Obion County Fire plan either.
7. The IAFF needs to STFU. There have been plenty of examples of IAFF departments that would respond to the very edge of their response zone and refuse to take action. There have been plenty of examples where a IAFF department refuses to call the closest resource to respond because the closes resource isn't an IAFF department. Perhaps what the IAFF needs to do is sweep their own doorstep before they make a comment about the dust on someone else's
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Add me to the list of they did nothing wrong on this one. Everyone else who disagrees because of the "moral obligation" needs to check your emotions and look at this from a business standpoint. They were not the county fire department for this guy. They had absolutely no duty to act even if he was trapped or injured.
Does your fire department respond for free to another community who doesn't have any fire department out of the kindness of your heart and your taxpayers dime?
Not likely... while that engine or ladder is gone, who is covering the City of South Fulton? The taxpayers who paid for that engine and the manpower are the one's who paid for the services upfront. Not some guy who chose not to pay, chiose not to tend a barrell fire, who chose not to control probably an illegal burn. Up my way, we would fine the guy for illegal burning or letting a permit burn get out of control as well.
When the Fire Chief has his own mayor or city manager on camera backing his decisions, you know the guy did abolutely nothing wrong most likely because the verbage in the contract for service says so... otherwise you would have heard about a retirement or vacancy by now.
Drop the emotional side of things and think about how does a fire department survive in these difficult economic times. Yes I think the system there is out dated and poor at best, but if the fire chief is told this is how we do it, he is just a pawn operating within the rules of engagement.
Tax every county resident, then the city can expand their force and offer better protection. Oh wait... the county representatives refuse to do it like the rest of the world.
Pay for service or not, your personal choice not the fire departments.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Well said.
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Permalink Reply by James Borsellino on
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I'm just glad i live where I do! I hate the taxes, but we don't stop providing services if you haven't paid your taxes! We do our jobs first and let the tax man sort out the costs after! Thats what Fulton should have done! Set the fee at $75.00, but for homes that do not pay it there is a service charge for the full cost of the trucks and personnel that responded to the call! That is what my city charges for residents who do not buy a burning permit for burning leaves and camp fires at their residents.
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Permalink Reply by Firechief2411 on
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Brothers and sisters look at us. This dam issue is causing us all to say things and tear each other apart. We all have a nasty job to do paid and volunteer. This issue even has me tearing my brothers apart. This fact of the matter is this, the incident commander made the call plain and simple. While I do not agree with it was still his call. I know as a IC if I made a call that would be the end of it and I would grind one of my crews ass into dog meat if they questioned one of my orders. The IC has to live with the choice made good or bad. We should not be bashing each other like this. Remember we only have each other out there.
As for IAFF they had to condemn it and we all know it whether we like it or not, the IAFF knew the shit storm coming out of this.
So let us try and learn from this if you see a policy that could hurt the community then run it up the chain of command and go from there.
Also sorry to the guy I bashed. Be safe and watch each other’s back.
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Yes this was to you bro
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Permalink Reply by Mario Campos on
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Why is the fire service the only SERVICE that has such practices as subcription fees for fire protection. These BS policies put the burden on the responders all they should have to do is respond and make the situation better. There are methods to provide fire protection with propery taxes or impact fees. The difference between politicians and policies is money. The fire service make a difference in people live regardless of monies paid, your tax bracket, your political affiliation, and your race. The firefighters are not to blame here. It's the subcription fee idea and allowing the property owner to have a choice. If he did not have a choice it should have been added to one of his/her utility bills or other taxes just like you and I.
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James,
Does your department provide free fire protection outside it's jurisdiction?
If it doesn't, then you have no room to ask South Fulton to do the same thing.
Their system apparently doesn't give them the option for retroactive billing.
If that were an option for them, don't you think they would have used that option on this one?
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Thats why in NJ most of us pay a fire tax, that way stuff like this does not happen. The fire tax is part of our property taxes. This county should do the same thing.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Farr on
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On my department, even when we know its out of district, we respond to whatever were dispatched to with whatever is needed until it is determined the situation is taken care of. This is the oath we took, and the morals that firefighters should have. Its unbelievable they were there and just watched.
I dont know why they couldn't or wouldn't treat this like a Haz-Mat incident (spiller pays), and bill the responsible party for the services provided later. Its the same way for EMS, if you dont live in district or use a private Ambulance you pay for it!
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Guys do you think we can get IAFF to protest NBC now to bring back Third Watch - Rescue Me kind of sucked this year to much drama not enough of the job.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Rose on
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I think the IAFF did the right thing by stating the South Fulton FD was in the wrong. What they did gives them a bad public image in the town, and a little with the nation about all fire deptment in the nation. I think the city fire dept. could have stopped this by doing like an auto repair shop does a little, like put the fire out and if they did not pay the $75.00 fee then bill them for the men hr, truck usage, fuel used in the truck. Also they could treat it like a Haz-mat incident, or an EMS call. This may have people in the coun ty thinking twice about paying the fee or not. So us "the Fire Service" will not look bad to the public, but people will see what it really costs to run a FD.
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