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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 Herb Genelly III on
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So the IAFF is bad for wanting to create jobs during one of the worst economic downturns we've faced in years? And now I know why you are so uptight, you are the FUN POLICE. Horseplay, pranks, OT.....you must be a joy around the station. I bet before you became management, you were fun at some point in your career, but you're probably stuck at Admin pushing too much paper, dealing with sick-call staffing, risk management, and run books!
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Now you're just talking out your backside.
When you say "I know why you are so uptight." That is dishonest. You don't know me at all. If you did, you'd know that I'm not uptight at all.
Public emergency services are supposed to be good stewards of the public's money. That includes not doing stupid things that injure the troops, reduce response capability, and increase costs to the taxpayers. Good luck selling the public on your plan for the firefighters to have fun, no matter what the consequences to the firefighters or the financial consequences to the taxpayers.
Once again, you use a Straw Man logical fallacy when you say "So the IAFF is bad for wanting to create jobs during one of the worst economic downturns we've faced in years." That's not what I said, and you're just making it up - again.
Here's my direct quote regarding the IAFF's push for more firefighter job creation - "That's not inherently either a bad thing or a good thing, depending on your views."
You ended with an ad hominem logical fallacy - you just can't keep yourself to one fake debate tactic per post, can you? When you resort to off-topic personal attacks, it's evidence that you can't debate based on anything pertinent or factual.
So far, you have shown the ability to do neither.
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Ummmm............yoo hoo..........Benny........you said this:
What the IAFF is doing is grandstanding, pure and simple. They want mandatory tax-supported systems in order to create more firefighter jobs and more IAFF membership, pure and simple.
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Yes, Herb, I did.
However, I didn't say that it was a BAD thing. YOU did. That means that you were making a statement, then arguing against it as if I had said it.
Here's your direct quote, Herb. "So the IAFF is bad for wanting to create jobs during one of the worst economic downturns we've faced in years? "
Guess what, Herb, that's a classic Straw Man logical fallacy.
It also means that you are just making it up.
Further, it means that you are in fact, arguing with yourself while trying to make it appear that you are arguing with me. Do you really think that makes sense?
The IAFF makes no secret of the fact that they want more career firefighter jobs and more union membership. That's why they are anti-volunteer as shown in their position on union firefighters "two-hatting" with a volunteer department in a place other than their employer.
And Herb, what I said about the IAFF's grandstanding was "That's not inherently either a bad thing or a good thing, depending on your views."
It would really be nice if you'd stop making up faux value judgements and then posting them as if they were mine.
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Do you seriously think that the county wants a fire department to continue response after another fire department cancels them - anywhere?
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You can fool all of the people some of the time... :-)
Just kidding, of course. Congrats on the re-election.
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Actually, a subscription is not "taxes". It is a CONTRACT, because it is voluntary. Taxes are involuntary.
Liar...Liar...Pants of fire. Folks VOTE to implement TAXES all the time. In fact, to initiate a TAX, you need a VOTER majority in most cases (unless government uses the FEE loophole) Have you ever heard of a Special Fire District Tax Ben?
A subscription, in the case of this situation, is a TAX (in lieu of service). The only way the residents of Fulton, within their district boundaries, receive fire service service, is via paying taxes. Residents outside the district have to pay a Subscription, in lieu of a tax (because there is NO way to applicably tax those residents according to the Union City fire chief) If there was........we wouldn't be having this conversation Ben!
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Paying the taxes is involuntary to the individual homeowner.
Paying the subscription is completely voluntary.
And Herb, when you falsely call me a liar, at least spell the word "on" correctly.
Of course I've heard of a special fire district tax, Herb. I live in such a district and pay those taxes.
Herb, if you want to discuss lies, lets talk about yours in that post, and unlike you, I'll provide direct evidence.
"A subscription, in the case of this situation, is a TAX (in lieu of service)."
No it isn't. The subscriptions we're discussing here are individual CONTRACTS between the city of South Fulton and the individual property owners in unincorporated areas of Obion County.
"The only way the residents of Fulton, within their district boundaries, receive fire service service, is via paying taxes." Correct except for your mistake on the city name, but that statement is a non sequitur since the issue didn't involve citizens who live in South Fulton. You know, Herb, non sequitur, a logical fallacy that doesn't address anything involved in the debate??? The issue involved citizens OUTSIDE the South Fulton city limits, and they don't pay a cent in fire taxes. Their taxes are all designated for other purposes.
"Residents outside the district have to pay a Subscription, in lieu of a tax." Actually, it's residents outside the CITY LIMITS that pay the subscription. Herb, you're confused. In the same paragraph, you posted two mutually-exclusive statements.
1) "A subscription, in the case of this situation, is a TAX"
2) "Residents outside the district have to pay a Subscription, in lieu of a tax"
It can't possible be both, Herb. In fact the second one applies to the discussion here, and that is exactly what I said...right before you called me a liar.
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"...walking away from their mortgage obligations."
You omitted that they are also walking away from their interest in the property and any improvements because they can't afford it.
That actually makes a point that is opposed to what you've been arguing here. The citizens of Obion County don't want higher taxes to fund a county fire department...because they don't think they can afford it.
They can't, however, walk away from their homes over the fire protection issue, so the rational thing to do is to pay the $75 subscription fee and to avoid setting fires in their yards and then leaving them unattended.
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Benny,
You can argue semantics all day long. The subscriiption is a fancy word for tax. City limits, district....whatever Ben. It's like arguing over to call it a car, or automobile...lol
And I'd bet your tax payers had to vote on the special district tax. Are you saying that is INVOLUNTARY? Talk about confused. Well, I'm watching baseball for the next 3 hours (cuz with my retirement income, I can afford to..lol) so I can't wait to respond
to The Grand Pubah Ben.
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Before or after many lied on the loan docs? LOL
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Herb,
Prove it.
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